Everest 2018: Russian Luxury on the North

7 Summits Club Everest Base Camp

If you have followed Everest for years, then 7 Summits Club is a familiar name. Run by long-time Everest guide Alex Abramov, he has made his base camp on the Tibet side a place of fun and hospitality. His May Day parties are legendary.

Well, now he has upped the luxury ante significantly. With 40 people, yes you read that right, 40! on his team, each member will get their own private two-room “cabanna”. There is an outer room suitable for private blogging, surfing or whatever and a bedroom, complete with an almost traditional bed. Note in the picture below, the bed even comes with a down duvet. By the way, the tents have heaters … and carpets … and, well you get the idea.

This is Alex’s 16th year on Everest and he likes to point out that creature comforts are everything:

Experience shows that the percentage of successful ascents in expeditions directly depends on the conditions in which the participants are placed, how comfortable is their rest, on the quality of food and service in general. Therefore, from year to year our base camp is becoming more and  more comfortable, we come up with new types of affordable services, new forms of leisure, trying to improve communication and so on. This year, for the first time in the history of Everest base camps, the 7 Summits Club will provide members of our expedition with individual tents equipped with full beds, lighting and a separate room with a work desk. In addition, we will again improve our places of social pastime, we will have a full bar, sauna and massage salon…

Remember that on the Tibet side, base camp is reached by truck, so no yaks or porters are needed carry all these luxuries. In years past, 7 Summits Club has had a pool table, ping pong table, a full bar and is the center of social life at camp.

Wadoka at 7 Summits Club Everest Base Camp

In another nod to luxury for the pampered climbers, Alex is using supplemental oxygen like never before. Every time a climber reaches a new altitude, they sleep on supplemental oxygen that night. This even includes Interim camp at 20300′ – 6187m. They did this technique in 2017, last year, and felt it made a huge different in their acclimatization program.

But perhaps it was the local vodka that really made the difference!

7 Summits Club charges USD$64,900 that includes 1 Sherpa and 6 oxygen bottles and USD$79,900 for 2 Sherpas and 12 oxygen bottles. Of note, everyone gets “free access to e-mail, TV set, DVD, sauna in BC 5100m” and 2 T-Shirts.  🙂

Russell Brice used to have the reputation for the “best” camp at base camp as you can read in this 2012 article I did on it, but it looks like he will have to up his game to compete against his old friend!

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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5 thoughts on “Everest 2018: Russian Luxury on the North

  1. Climbers will suffer enough at the upper camp[s and during the climb so finding some luxury at base camp – if you can afford it – makes a lot of sense (and apparently, dollars:-) ). There is obviously a memberele for this sort of experience, and it will probably mean that the climbers won’t suffer as many debilitating experiences or stresses while they are training for the summit. It will be interesting to see how much of a different it will make in successful summits and descents.

  2. This is remarkable, but probably inevitable. I can’t decide if I’m appalled or resigned to this turn of affairs.

    Alan, would you please inquire as to the cost of one t-shirt? If it is less than USD $2,000, I’ll take two. ?

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