Elevation 6,812 m Prominence 1,041 m Parent range Himalayas | Easiest route rock/snow/ice climb First ascent 1961 Mountain range Himalayas | |
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Similar Lhotse, Imja Tse, Kala Patthar, Nuptse, Cho Oyu | ||
Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal. The main peak is 6,812 metres (22,349 ft), the lower western peak is 6,170 metres (20,243 ft). Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (ama) protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional double-pendant containing pictures of the gods, worn by Sherpa women. For several days, Ama Dablam dominates the eastern sky for anyone trekking to Mount Everest basecamp.
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Map of Ama Dablam, Khumjung 56000, Nepal
Ama Dablam was first climbed on 13 March 1961 by Mike Gill (NZ), Barry Bishop (USA), Mike Ward (UK) and Wally Romanes (NZ) via the Southwest Ridge. They were well-acclimatised to altitude, having wintered over at 5800 metres near the base of the peak as part of the Silver Hut Scientific Expedition of 1960-61, led by Sir Edmund Hillary.
Ama Dablam is the third most popular Himalayan peak for permitted expeditions. The most popular route by far is the Southwest Ridge (right skyline in the photo). Climbers typically set up three camps along the ridge with camp 3 just below and to the right of the hanging glacier, the Dablam. Any ice that calves off the glacier typically goes left, away from the camp. However, a 2006 avalanche proved that this is not always the case. A climbing permit and a liaison officer are required when attempting Ama Dablam. As with Mt. Everest, the best climbing months are April–May (before the monsoon) and September–October.
Notable ascents
2006 avalanche
On the night of 13/14 November 2006, a large serac collapse occurred from the hanging glacier, which swept away several tents at Camp 3, killing six climbers (3 European, 3 Sherpa). Eyewitness testimony indicates that Camp 3 had not been sited in an unusual or abnormally dangerous spot, and that the serac fall was of such magnitude as to render the specific placing of the tents at Camp 3 irrelevant.
In popular culture
A representation of Ama Dablam was originally used by Invesco Perpetual as its branding logo within UK. It has since been adopted by the INVESCO group of companies as its worldwide signature.
Image peak Ama Dablam is present on the label of bottled tap water Aqua Minerale (Russian: Аква Минерале), PepsiCo in Russia as well as included in the image of the trademark.
For its soaring ridges and steep faces Ama Dablam is sometimes referred as the "Matterhorn of the Himalayas."
In September 1997, Bear Grylls, a British adventurer and television presenter became the youngest Briton to climb Ama Dablam.
The singer/songwriter Nick Harper has a track on his 2010 album The Last Guitar entitled "Ama Dablam."
Apple included an image of Ama Dablam by photographer Nick Meek in the set of new wallpapers included with the mobile operating system iOS 7, released on September 18, 2013.
In 2016, Ngima Gelu Lama, a young Nepali filmmaker established an independent motion picture production company called Ama Dablam Pictures.