About our Teams

We have enjoyed the company of some amazing people our trips from accomplished 8000m climbers to people enjoying expeditioning in the great ranges for the first time. While each of our trips clearly demand a different set of skills and experience some common factors among our members include

• appropriate experience and training for the climb at hand
• a resourceful attitude and willingness to play an active role
• love of travel, adventure and new experiences
• an understanding that travel to remote places is full of twists and turns
• the desire to part of a group of like-minded people
• having fun whether on a bumpy 10 hour bus ride, stuck in a storm for 2 days counting the tent seams, playing cards at BC, ferrying loads to C1 and feeling the lack of O2…….anywhere, anytime!

Below is an example of what is expected of a prospective 8000m climber

As a team member you would ideally have at least one summit under your belt at or above 6,000m, and preferably exposure to heights in excess of 6000m. You must be competent in the use of ice/snow belays, and fully conversant with all aspects of technical rope work and mountaineering. All team members must be self sufficient on the slopes, and be able to undertake movement between the camps unsupervised.

It will be crucial that you be superbly fit, committed, and determined at the outset of the expedition and possess the necessary stamina and experience to be a contributing player in the ascent.

This program has been priced to give climbers an affordable opportunity to test their skills and endurance on a big mountain. If you want to climb a classic Himalayan 8,000er, in a remote and stunning setting, and with quality back-up and expert leadership, then we invite your application for this affordable expedition.

Support Staff

Our expeditions would not be complete without our base camp staff preparing and serving fine meals. Nor would it be complete without the hundreds of porters who carry tons of material to and away from the base of the route. Anyone who has been on major expedition knows the importance of the local staff and we take great care to find and work with the best staff possible.

You will find our cooks and BC staff in every country doing their best to provide quality food in the most hostile environments possible and having pancakes served up hot and delicious while a massive storm rages outside is something we all know makes a great difference to the sanity of a group of unruly mountaineers! 30 days at Cho Oyu’s BC will pass happily when Ratna “Disco King” Man Gurung is serving up rum cakes, hot soups and popcorn for tea, spanish omelettes for breakfast, yak curry for supper and ensuring a constant supply of hot safe water for drinks round the clock!

Our Staff & Guides

A qualified guide with significant experience will be the primary leader of any of our expeditions. They are supported by 1-3 HAP’s (High Altitude Porters) or climbing Sherpas who will help in fixing the route and establishing camps and then join the team on the summit bids. On most of our expeditions there will be additional assistant guides or guides-in-training who are often guides in their own right seeking full time work with FTA. It is possible to engage a private HAP for your sole use for the duration of the trip for an additional fee of approximately 1800USD.

Our guides HAP’s and Sherpas are committed to having a great time with you and making your trip with us the best that it can be. You can expect that throughout the trip they will be checking in to see that everything is going well and doing their best to fix things when they are not. One of the most important skills any staff member can bring to a trip is the ability to help each person realize their dreams and Ben, Chris, Dave, Essar, Fabrizio, Lakpa, Mama, Martin, Matt, Naiknam, Nima, Osvaldo, Ratna, Sean, Sonam, Stu, Taqui, Tsering, and the rest are all committed to this goal.

You can see more about our guides and their experience in our staff section found in the “about FTA” link at the top of the site.