At 11:30 PM, high on Ama Dablam, 22-year-old French climber Ling Chuan Wang prepared for what would become the hardest climb of his life.
He wasn't feeling well.
Headache. Nausea. No appetite. His oxygen saturation was dropping.
Emergency oxygen was in his guide's backpack if they needed it. But after weeks of acclimatization and preparation in the Himalayas, Ling had finally reached the moment he had been thinking about for months.
Ahead of him was a long night of technical climbing, extreme cold, deep snow and increasingly thin air.
And, somewhere above them, the 6,812-meter summit of Ama Dablam.
This is what happened.
Why Ama Dablam?
Ling arrived in Nepal with considerable mountain experience for his age.
He had already climbed Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc twice solo, the Matterhorn and Barre des Écrins. He had also completed the GR20 twice and the Tour du Mont Blanc.
But he wanted to take the next step into Himalayan mountaineering.
When choosing his objective, he considered three main factors: altitude, technical difficulty, and the overall experience he could get for his budget.
Ama Dablam stood out.
"Ama Dablam is a mythical summit that I really wanted to climb," Ling explains.
Rising to 6,812 meters above the Khumbu Valley, Ama Dablam is instantly recognizable. Its steep ridges and dramatic pyramid-like shape have led to frequent comparisons with the Matterhorn.
For Ling, who had already climbed the Matterhorn, the resemblance went deeper than appearance.
"The first time I saw each of those mountains, I had the same feeling, a shiver. I could feel a kind of aura around these two beauties of nature."
But while Ama Dablam was the ultimate objective, his expedition wouldn't begin there.
Why spend 35 days preparing for Ama Dablam?
Instead of traveling directly to Ama Dablam Base Camp, Ling joined Tshering Pande Bhote's 35-day Himalayas 5 Peaks Technical Climbing Course and Ama Dablam Ascent, combining progressive acclimatization with technical preparation before the final Ama Dablam summit attempt.
The philosophy was simple: progressively acclimatize while gaining experience on increasingly demanding terrain before attempting Ama Dablam.
His journey through the Khumbu included:
- Renjo La Pass - 5,430 m
- Gokyo Ri - 5,340 m
- Cho La Pass - 5,420 m
- Everest Base Camp - 5,364 m
- Kala Patthar - 5,644 m
- Lobuche East - 6,119 m
- Ama Dablam - 6,812 m
That progression would prove crucial.
Rather than arriving at Ama Dablam and immediately confronting technical climbing at extreme altitude, Ling spent weeks adapting to the environment and practicing the skills he would need higher on the mountain.
Learning the skills before the real climb
The expedition began in Kathmandu with an equipment check and technical climbing session with Tshering.
Among the techniques Ling reviewed was ascending fixed ropes using a Jumar, an essential skill on Ama Dablam, where climbers rely extensively on fixed lines through the mountain's steep and exposed sections.
From Kathmandu, the team flew into Lukla and began trekking through the Khumbu.
Slowly, the Himalayas started to reveal themselves.
There were suspension bridges over deep valleys, monasteries, Sherpa villages, endless plates of Dal Bhat and long days on the trail.
And then Ling saw Ama Dablam.
From Everest View Point, the mountain he'd been thinking about for months was suddenly there in front of him.
"This was the mountain."
The people behind an Ama Dablam expedition
One of the things Ling remembers most strongly isn't a particular climbing move or landscape. It's the people.
For the Ama Dablam ascent itself, Ling climbed with Pasang, a local guide who had already summited the mountain more than ten times.
That experience immediately gave Ling confidence.
"Pasang was extraordinary. He was always smiling and joking, whether the weather was good or bad. His experience on Ama Dablam gave me a huge amount of confidence. He'd climbed it more than ten times, so I felt I could trust him with my eyes closed."
Then there was Nima. Nima was Ling's age and carried heavy loads throughout the expedition. The two quickly became friends.
"We had some great moments talking and learning about each other's cultures. We even celebrated his birthday during the acclimatization trek."
Despite carrying a heavy pack every day, Ling remembers Nima constantly smiling and moving strongly through the mountains.
Being the same age helped create a bond that went far beyond the traditional client-porter relationship.
Those relationships would become even more important when the climbing became difficult.
Acclimatizing in the Khumbu: patience before performance
A long Himalayan expedition involves far more than simply climbing higher.
There is time spent ascending and descending, resting, eating, watching the weather, and allowing the body to gradually adapt to an environment with less and less oxygen.
For Ling, those weeks also offered a chance to experience another side of Nepal. Along the way, he encountered Buddhist ceremonies, monasteries, monk blessings, and daily life in remote Sherpa communities.
Before the Ama Dablam summit push, the team took part in a traditional Puja ceremony, asking for protection and safe passage on the mountain. It became one of the most memorable moments of the expedition.
But before Ama Dablam, Ling had another mountain to climb.
One of the key features of the expedition Ling chose is the ascent of Lobuche East, giving climbers another 6,000-meter objective and an important final stage of acclimatization before attempting the main summit.
Lobuche East: the final test before Ama Dablam
At 6,119 meters, Lobuche East became Ling's first 6,000-meter summit.
It was a major personal milestone. He had dreamed of reaching 6,000 meters before turning 25.
But the ascent was also valuable preparation for what lay ahead.
Crampons, ice axe, ropes, glacial terrain, altitude. All the elements of Himalayan mountaineering were beginning to come together.
For the first time during the expedition, Ling felt completely in his element.
And from the summit of Lobuche East, he could see Ama Dablam across the Khumbu.
His main objective was getting closer.
Waiting for an Ama Dablam weather window
After completing the acclimatization phase, the team returned to Pangboche and began preparing for their main objective.
Then the weather deteriorated.
They waited one day.
Then two.
Then three.
It is one of the realities of Himalayan mountaineering that can be difficult to appreciate until you experience it. Being physically fit, acclimatized, and mentally prepared does not necessarily mean you can climb.
The weather and mountain conditions still have the final say.
Those extra days gave Ling time to recover, organize his equipment, and wait for a safer weather window.
Eventually, the forecast improved.
It was time for Ama Dablam.
From Ama Dablam Base Camp to Camp 1
After several weeks in the Himalayas, the walk to Ama Dablam Base Camp felt relatively comfortable.
Ling was acclimatized, strong, and ready for what came next.
From Base Camp, he continued toward Camp 1, and the character of the expedition began to change.
The trekking phase was ending.
The technical climbing was beginning.
Above Camp 1, Ama Dablam becomes progressively steeper, more technical, and more exposed. Fixed ropes become essential as climbers move onto increasingly serious terrain.
Soon, Ling reached one of the mountain's most famous obstacles.
Climbing Ama Dablam's Yellow Tower
The Yellow Tower is a roughly 30-meter section of steep rock on the route toward Camp 2, and it became one of the parts of the climb Ling remembers most vividly.
His description is simple:
"It was hell. So hard."
Above the tower sits Camp 2, spectacularly positioned on a narrow rocky ridge. Here, the mountain's exposure becomes impossible to ignore.
Even moving around camp requires care. In some places, climbers remain clipped into the fixed lines while navigating the narrow terrain.
For anyone wondering what separates climbing Ama Dablam from a high-altitude trek, this section offers a clear answer.
Altitude is only one part of the challenge.
Climbers need to move confidently on steep terrain while using crampons, fixed ropes, a harness, and ascenders, all while managing fatigue, cold, and exposure thousands of meters above the valley.
And for Ling, the hardest part was still ahead.
Summit night: climbing Ama Dablam without supplemental oxygen
The summit push began at approximately 11:30 PM.
Conditions were bitterly cold. Ling remembers checking the forecast during the night and seeing temperatures of around -35°C at 2 AM.
His high-altitude clothing became one of the most important pieces of equipment he carried.
But the cold was not his only problem.
Ling was already suffering from a headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and low oxygen saturation. Pasang closely monitored his condition as they prepared to continue upward.
They carried a bottle of emergency oxygen, but the plan was to use it only if absolutely necessary.
In the end, Ling completed the ascent without supplemental oxygen.
The bottle stayed in the backpack.
Then the real work began.
Mushroom Ridge and Camp 3
The route continued through steep, exposed terrain toward Mushroom Ridge and Camp 3.
By this point, every movement demanded concentration.
Above Camp 3, the team encountered another obstacle: fresh snow.
Around 20 to 30 centimeters had accumulated, and nobody had yet broken a trail through the route ahead.
They had to do it themselves.
Progress slowed dramatically.
Three steps.
Stop and breathe.
Three more.
Stop again.
"One more step. Just a few more meters."
That became Ling's rhythm.
The hardest hours of the expedition
As daylight began to appear, Ling still had steep snow slopes ahead of him, with some sections approaching 70 to 80 degrees.
He was exhausted, and the altitude was taking its toll.
Stopping would have been easy.
Continuing required something more.
Ling thought about the people who had supported him and about the months he had spent training and preparing for this single objective.
Then he took another step.
And another.
Pasang and Nima were there beside him, and Ling says that his trust in them fundamentally shaped the experience.
"I knew that if we had to turn around, it would either be because of the weather or because I hadn't prepared well enough. I never doubted Pasang or Nima."
That distinction matters.
On a mountain like Ama Dablam, reaching the summit can never be guaranteed. Weather, snow conditions, altitude, or a climber's physical state can force a retreat at any moment.
But Ling never questioned the people helping him make those decisions.
That trust allowed him to focus on what he could control: continuing to climb, one step at a time.
Standing on the summit of Ama Dablam
At approximately 11 AM, Ling reached the summit of Ama Dablam.
6,812 meters.
He was 22 years old.
After weeks of trekking, acclimatizing, training, waiting, and climbing, the mountain that had occupied his thoughts for months was finally beneath his feet.
His first emotion was joy.
"I was so happy to have achieved my goal and climbed Ama Dablam with Pasang and Nima. It was incredible."
Then came a sense of wonder.
From the summit, the Khumbu spread out beneath them. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Lobuche, and some of the highest and most famous mountains on Earth surrounded them in every direction.
But then Ling felt something he had not expected.
Emptiness.
"It's sad to say, but I felt a profound emptiness at the summit."
For months, Ama Dablam had occupied nearly every part of his life.
Training. Planning. Financing. Traveling. Acclimatizing. Climbing.
Everything had been directed toward this one point.
And suddenly, he was standing on it.
"I'd been obsessed with this expedition for months. All I thought about was climbing Ama Dablam. And then, that was it. I was on the summit."
"What comes next?"
It is perhaps one of the most revealing parts of Ling's story.
Achieving a dream does not always produce one simple emotion. Sometimes there is joy, relief, pride, and wonder.
And sometimes, once the goal that has driven you for months is finally behind you, there is also the unexpected question of where to direct all that energy next.
Ama Dablam vs. the Matterhorn: how do they compare?
Ama Dablam is sometimes described as the "Matterhorn of the Himalayas."
Having climbed both, Ling understands the comparison.
Their silhouettes are immediately recognizable.
"They both have unusual shapes. You recognize them among so many other mountains."
But Ling sees another similarity.
Both appear to stand independently, commanding attention against the surrounding mountain ranges.
And both have reputations built not simply on altitude, but on the technical challenge of reaching their summits.
For Ling, however, the strongest similarity was emotional.
"The first time I saw either mountain, I felt the same thing: a shiver and a kind of aura around these two beauties of nature."
How difficult is climbing Ama Dablam?
Ling's experience makes one thing particularly clear:
Ama Dablam should not be approached as simply another 6,000-meter mountain.
The challenge comes from combining several factors at once:
- High altitude
- Long days
- Very cold temperatures
- Technical rock, snow and ice climbing
- Extensive fixed-rope use
- Significant exposure
- Steep summit terrain
- Unpredictable Himalayan weather
- Physical and mental fatigue accumulated over several weeks
Ling arrived with previous alpine experience that included the Matterhorn and solo ascents of Mont Blanc.
He then spent several weeks acclimatizing in the Khumbu and climbed Lobuche East before beginning Ama Dablam itself.
That preparation mattered.
So did his guides.
Ling's advice for anyone dreaming of climbing Ama Dablam
When asked what he would tell someone who dreams of climbing Ama Dablam, Ling doesn't hesitate.
"Stop dreaming and go, provided you're properly prepared."
For him, it became the most extraordinary adventure of his life.
"It's the craziest experience I've ever had, and one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. This mountain is simply incredible."
But his second piece of advice is equally important:
Choose your team carefully.
"You need to go with the right people and be well surrounded."
Ling knew there were many reasons he might not reach the summit.
Weather could stop him.
His own physical condition could stop him.
The mountain could stop him.
But throughout the expedition, there was one thing he didn't worry about.
His guides.
"I never doubted Pasang or Nima."
Want to follow Ling's route to Ama Dablam?
Ling didn't arrive in Nepal, trek directly to Ama Dablam Base Camp and attempt the summit.
His journey was deliberately progressive.
He spent weeks crossing the Khumbu, acclimatizing above 5,000 meters, developing his technical skills and climbing Lobuche East before finally attempting Ama Dablam with an experienced local team.
That made the journey much more than a single summit.
It became a 35-day immersion in Himalayan mountaineering.
If you're considering Ama Dablam and would like to follow the same progression, you can discover the Himalayas 5 Peaks Technical Climbing Course and Ama Dablam Ascent with Tshering Pande Bhote's team on Explore-Share.
Come prepared.
Give yourself time to acclimatize.
And, as Ling discovered, make sure you climb with people you can trust when things get difficult.
