Lobuche Peak has rarely been climbed. Most of attempts on the mountain climb the summit ridge only as far as a subsidiary snow summit before the true peak. Base camp for the South Ridge is best established near a hidden lake at the base of the South-West Face near 5,551 m. The views from Ama Dablam and Tawuche are spectacular, and this spot provides a superb site for the base camp.
From the end of the lake climb beneath the main glaciers and gain access to the ridge overlooking Lobuche and the Khumbu Glacier. This point can be reached from the Lobuche side without great difficulty. Depending on the conditions the snow ridge can be followed. After crevasses will dictate the best line to take. Parties have recorded problems with crevasses cutting the ridge and presenting difficulties. The true summit can be reached with some difficulty by gaining the notch by descended and climbing the quite difficult snow slope to the summit.
Lobuche East is the hardest of the trekking peaks that commercial groups attempt. In the Everest Region (Khumbu) only Kwangde and Kusum Kangru are more difficult. The main peak of Lobuche however is to the NW of Lobuche East and is not included in the trekking peak permit. Therefore, a legal climb to Lobuche West (Main) (expedition-peak-permit) is considerable more expensive than to Lobuche East. Now follows a description of Lobuche East (20075ft, 6119m 27 58 08N, 86 47 04S).
Very few climbers who attempt this peak reach the real summit, but many attain the worth -while false summit. Good conditions and a dawn or pre-dawn start is recommended. The average angle for the entire climb is not steep, but there are areas of messy seracs that require two axes, front pointing and belaying. The ridge route is sometimes easier. Many climbers who take this approach stop at the top of the ridge, thinking this is the false summit of Lobuche East. But, infact a continuation on the knife-edged ridge is needed (rope!) to reach the false-summit. The true summit proved to be, at first, an unattainable goal, but the Swiss first climbed rocky outliners of Lobuche East in 1952. Subsequent attempts fell short of the summit, finally climbed in 1984. Lobuche West was first climbed in 1955, by the South shoulder, which was also the first attempt. Since than the mountain has been scaled only a few times, also by the East-Face.
