Everything about EBC exceeded expectations. Prime Himalayas handled every detail and all we had to do was put one foot in front of the other and look up occasionally — which we did a lot.
I am 59 years old. Completed EBC with proper preparation, conservative pacing, and a good attitude. Age is genuinely not the barrier most people assume it to be.
We did EBC as a corporate team building trip and I was sceptical before we went. I was not sceptical by the end. There is something about sharing extreme physical challenge and extraordinary beauty with your colleagues that changes the working relationship entirely. Prime Himalayas delivered an experience none of us will ever stop talking about.
We were warned that the Lukla runway was alarming. It is. We were told the views from Kala Patthar were extraordinary. They are. Every single thing people told us about EBC turned out to be completely true. Some places actually live up to their reputation.
I came back from EBC and immediately started planning when I can go back.
Our group arrived strangers and left brothers. That is what EBC does to people.
Trekked in October. Weather was clear almost every morning, clouds rolled in by afternoon. Getting the timing right made a huge difference to the views.
The walk from Lobuche to Gorak Shep is brutally exposed and cold and one of the most dramatically beautiful walks I have ever done. The mountains feel very close up there.
We had read about altitude sickness and prepared for it mentally. In practice the careful day-by-day build meant neither of us had anything worse than a mild headache that passed with rest and hydration. Good preparation plus a well-structured itinerary makes all the difference at high altitude.
The thing nobody tells you about EBC is how much you will think about it afterward. The images come back at random moments — the Khumbu Icefall at dawn, a yak bell echoing off a cliff, steam rising from a teahouse in the cold morning air. The Himalayas follow you home and that is exactly what you want from a great journey.
