Every summit tells a story. Let ACE help you write yours.
Founder & Managing Director
Welcome to Alpinist Climber Expeditions.
At Alpinist Climber Expeditions we believe that extraordinary mountains deserve extraordinary leadership, and that belief is the reason ACE exists. When I founded the company in 2021, my vision was simple: to build a premium high-altitude expedition company rooted in professionalism, trust, and an uncompromising standard of safety, the one built on a genuine passion for high-altitude mountaineering, not just the pursuit of summits.
As a certified IFMGA Mountain Guide, I have spent years climbing and leading expeditions across the Himalaya and Karakoram, including on Everest, K2, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam. Every one of those mountains is different, but they've taught me the same lesson that a successful expedition is the result of teamwork, precise planning, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to the people who trust you with their journey.
That understanding shapes everything we do at ACE. We focus exclusively on quality over quantity, and we design each one with the same care, experienced leadership, personalized support, and logistics held to the highest international standard, from arrival to summit and safely home again. We keep our teams small so every guest receives the attention they deserve while ensuring sound decisions at every step.
Since our founding, we've had the privilege of guiding climbers, professional athletes, explorers, and adventurers from around the world - supporting first Himalayan summits, alpine-style ascents, 8,000-meter expeditions, and world-class speed and projects without supplemental oxygen. We've shared in personal milestones, national firsts, speed records, and historic ascents. Those achievements belong to the climbers who earned them, but they also speak to the strength, experience, and professionalism of the team standing behind them.
Our commitment doesn't end at the summit. It extends to responsible mountain practices, environmental respect, and a level of safety and service that defines every detail of the experience. Every climber who joins ACE becomes part of a team that values preparation, integrity, and relationships built to last well beyond a single expedition.
Whether your ambition is an iconic Himalayan peak or the challenge of an 8,000-meter giant, we are honored to be your trusted partner on that journey.
Thank you for considering Alpinist Climber Expeditions. I look forward to welcoming you to an exceptional mountain experience on your next great adventure.
Prakash Sherpa
Founder & Managing Director
Alpinist Climber Expeditions
Alpinist Climber Expeditions (ACE) was founded on a clear vision: to deliver premium, professionally led high-altitude expeditions built on uncompromising safety, world-class logistics, and expert mountain leadership. It was the first step on a journey that would soon reach the world's highest summits.
ACE welcomed its first international climbers, Christiane De Jong and Rogier van Keulen, on pioneering expeditions that laid the foundation for the company's growing international reputation.
Later that year, ACE organized the Himlung Himal Speed Project with Benedikt Böhm and Prakash Sherpa, setting a remarkable base-camp-to-summit record of 6 hours 35 minutes - a performance sponsored by DYNAFIT that showcased ACE's ability to manage elite high-altitude projects.
ACE successfully led an alpine-style expedition on Pumori and a summit of Nuptse with Christiane De Jong and Prakash Sherpa. In recognition of her achievement, Christiane De Jong received one of the Netherlands' highest alpine honors from the Dutch Alpine Club.
Later in the year, ACE managed the Cho Oyu Speed Project with Benedikt Böhm and Prakash Sherpa, completing base camp to summit in 12 hours 35 minutes, once again sponsored by DYNAFIT - another world-class high-altitude performance under ACE leadership.
ACE successfully led an Everest expedition without supplementary oxygen. During the climb, Lenka Poláčková became the 10th woman in history to summit Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen - a landmark moment for women's high-altitude mountaineering and a testament to ACE's expertise in supporting elite expedition goals.
In August, ACE organized the Spantik Speed Project, once again supporting Benedikt Böhm and Prakash Sherpa in another world-class alpine performance.
In spring 2025, ACE organized the Flash Everest Expedition, where Karel Abraham completed an extraordinary Czech-to-Czech Everest expedition in just 14 days - a feat made possible by exceptional planning and logistics led by Prakash Sherpa.
Later that season, ACE led a successful K2 expedition under the leadership of Prakash Sherpa, achieving two historic milestones: Kah Shin Leow became the first Singaporean to summit K2 without supplementary oxygen, and Lenka Poláčková became the first Slovak woman to summit K2 without supplementary oxygen.
After five years of growth, world-class expeditions, and historic achievements, Alpinist Climber Expeditions steps into a new chapter with a refreshed brand identity and logo.
This isn't just a visual change - it reflects who we've become. It carries the experience we've gained, the trust we've earned, and our ongoing commitment to raising the standard of premium high-altitude expeditions.
Our new identity is more than a new look. It's renewed ambition, continuous improvement, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
2021-2025 was our foundation. 2026 marks the beginning of our next ascent. New Identity. Higher Standards. Greater Ambitions.
From our first alpine climbs in 2022 to world-class speed projects, summit records without supplemental oxygen, and historic ascents on Everest and K2, every milestone has shaped who we are today. ACE has grown into a standard high-altitude expedition company recognized for world-class logistics and expert mountain leadership.
Looking ahead, our vision stays clear: to combine international guiding standards with the unmatched expertise of a Nepal-based IFMGA Mountain Guide and an experienced local team - delivering professionally managed expeditions, personalized service, and exceptional mountain leadership to climbers from around the world.
Every summit tells a story. Let ACE help you write yours. Partner with our expert team for a premium, safety-first expedition experience - backed by a proven legacy of record-breaking ascents and world-class mountain leadership.
Begin Your Story →
Beyond these landmark achievements, Alpinist Climber Expeditions has quietly built a legacy across Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, and the wider Himalayan ranges. From technical alpine ascents and 6,000-8,000-meter expeditions to bespoke private climbs and elite speed projects, ACE has guided mountaineers from around the globe toward their personal summits - safely, and with purpose.
Our portfolio spans iconic peaks including Everest, K2, Cho Oyu, Himlung Himal, Pumori, Nuptse, Cholatse and Kyajo Ri, among many others across the region. Each expedition carries the same signature: expert leadership, meticulous planning, uncompromising safety, and a genuinely personalized approach to every climber we guide.
Today, ACE is recognized as a trusted, premium high-altitude expedition company - delivering world-class logistics and mountain leadership while supporting record-setting climbs, first ascents, speed projects, and life-changing Himalayan experiences.
Many expeditions rely on seasonal guides with limited experience or prioritize speed over skill.
Our IFMGA-certified guides are seasoned alpinists with decades in high-altitude terrain. We lead with quiet confidence and deep technical know-how, not ego or hype.
Guiding often begins and ends with logistics. There’s little focus on your personal journey or progress.
We coach, train, and challenge our climbers to grow mentally, physically, and technically. Every summit with us builds your skills, strength, and confidence.
Crowded routes, poor acclimatization, and environmental shortcuts are too often the norm.
We are Nepal’s first guiding company focused exclusively on alpine-style expeditions. With small teams, tailored pacing, and a respect for the mountain, we maintain world-class safety standards and a high summit rate, without compromising the environment.
Prakash and his team are a couple of notches above totally professional! Everyone in the Alpinist Climber Expeditions family goes out of their way to provide the best possible experience. Superb core values and safety principles. I had the good fortune of climbing Kyajo Ri with Alpinist Climber Expeditions and I can not say enough positive things. All gear is first rate, exceptional food and beautiful base camp in particular. I have climbed with a few different outfits in the past, now I need look no further, whenever I’m in the Himalaya. I will only climb with Alpinist Climber Expeditions. It sounds cliche but they very much made me feel like family. Top marks to a top outfit!
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I have been climbing for 15 years, over 4 continents. This was my 3rd trip to Nepal. And this was undoubtedly one of the Best-organised expeditions have participated in. Cannot thank Prakash and his Team enough. The attention to detail both in terms of equipment, climbing conditions, and accommodation/food was outstanding. And despite having limited exposure to high altitude alpine style climbing, always felt comfortable in the climbs and approach. I put this down to Prakash and his experience as well as the unique approach to team size. The small team ensures that a more flexible and sensible approach is applied to all technical aspects of the climb-including importantly how you physically feel and acclimatise. I needed to spend 5 days at Namche due to a sinus infection, and never felt that this jeopardised the rest of my climb. The same goes for weather delays. I eventually overran the climbing calendar by 5 days without a single complaint from Prakash and his team. You feel like a climbing partner rather than a paying client. My only regret is that Alpinist Climber Expeditions does not have a more international footprint as would have liked to climb with Prakash and his Team internationally as well as in Nepal.
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In July 2026, a team from Alpinist Climber Expeditions climbed Chhuama IV, a 6,179-metre peak in the Mustang region of Nepal that no one had ever summited before. On 16 July, IFMGA Mountain Guide and Dynafit athlete Prakash Sherpa reached the top at 3:21 PM Nepal time, after teammate Barnaby Francis turned back roughly 250 metres from the summit because of dangerous rockfall. Six earlier permit teams had tried and failed to climb Chhuama IV. This was the seventh attempt, and it succeeded — making it the first recorded ascent of the mountain. This is the story of that expedition: how the team got to the mountain, what the route was actually like, and what happened during the final push to the summit. About Alpinist Climber Expeditions Alpinist Climber Expeditions is a Nepal-based expedition company that has been running alpine-style expeditions in the Himalayan ranges of Nepal since 2021. The Chhuama IV climb fits the kind of objective the company tends to take on: a lesser-known peak, a small team, and a route that hadn't been fully worked out by anyone before them. Alpine-style climbing generally means moving with a small team and minimal fixed infrastructure on the mountain, relying on judgment and route-finding rather than large-scale siege tactics — and that approach mattered on Chhuama IV, where conditions changed quickly and decisions had to be made on the spot. The Peak and Why This Expedition Was Different Chhuama IV sits in the Mustang region of Nepal and stands 6,179 metres high. Before this expedition, six other permit teams had attempted the mountain. None of them reached the top. That history says something about the peak — this wasn't a case of nobody having tried. Climbers had gone up before, assessed the conditions, and turned back. Alpinist Climber Expeditions' team was the seventh group to hold a permit for Chhuama IV. Reaching the summit meant succeeding where six previous attempts hadn't, on a mountain with no established route and no prior summit to reference for conditions, timing, or line of ascent. Preparing for the Expedition and the Approach to Base Camp The trip began on 9 July 2026 with a drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara, followed the next day by the long drive from Pokhara to Jomsom. On 11 July, the team continued by road from Jomsom to Lo Manthang, the historic walled town in Upper Mustang. The team spent 12 July acclimatizing in Lo Manthang before moving on. On 13 July they drove from Lo Manthang to Nymdo, and on 14 July they trekked from Nymdo to Base Camp. The following day, 15 July, they moved up from Base Camp to Lower High Camp — the last stop before the summit attempt. This slower, staged approach — drive, acclimatize, drive again, then trek up in stages to Base Camp and Lower High Camp — gave the team time to adjust to altitude before the technical climbing began. Climbing Conditions on Chhuama IV Once the team got onto the mountain itself, the terrain turned out to be the main obstacle. The route up Chhuama IV involved long stretches of loose, unstable rock, slopes that could shift underfoot, and frequent rockfall. In the upper sections, there were only limited safe options for where to actually put a route, which meant the team had to keep reassessing the terrain as they climbed rather than following a fixed line. Weather added another layer of difficulty. Conditions changed often during the expedition, and on the day chosen for the summit push, the team had only a short window of favourable weather to work with. That combination — unstable ground below and a narrow weather window above — shaped almost every decision made on summit day. The Summit Push : 16 July 2026 The team began its summit push from Lower High Camp on 16 July 2026. From early on, the upper mountain was hazardous. Rockfall was continuous, and the loose terrain meant every section had to be evaluated as they went, not assumed safe because it had been climbed before. Barnaby Francis climbed with the team through this section but made the decision to turn back approximately 250 metres below the summit. The reason was straightforward: the rockfall and the state of the terrain above made continuing unsafe. It was a judgment call made in the moment, based on what was actually happening on the mountain rather than on how close the summit looked. From that point, IFMGA Mountain Guide Prakash Sherpa continued alone. He worked through the difficult, unstable upper section and kept going where the conditions had stopped his teammate. This wasn't a case of pushing through recklessly — it reflects the kind of terrain assessment that comes with IFMGA-level guiding experience, where the decision to continue or turn back is made section by section. Reaching the Summit Prakash Sherpa reached the summit of Chhuama IV, at 6,179 metres, at 3:21 PM Nepal Local Time on 16 July 2026. With six previous permit teams having failed to summit the mountain, this made Alpinist Climber Expeditions' team the first to do so. The expedition is recorded by the team as the first recorded ascent of Chhuama IV — a first ascent of a Nepal peak that had resisted six prior attempts before this one succeeded. After the summit, the team descended back toward Lower High Camp on the same day. The Team's Experience and the Way Down The climbing team for this expedition was small: Barnaby Francis from the United Kingdom, IFMGA Mountain Guide Prakash Sherpa, and Ngima Tashi Sherpa as supporter. On a mountain with unstable rock and shifting weather, decisions had to be made quickly and by people who knew the terrain — which is part of why Barnaby Francis's decision to turn back, and Prakash Sherpa's decision to continue, both mattered as much as the summit itself. The descent and return followed a similarly staged plan to the approach. On 17 July, the team trekked roughly 2.5 hours down from Lower High Camp before driving on to Pokhara. On 18 July, they completed the trip with the drive from Pokhara back to Kathmandu. What Made This First Ascent Significant Chhuama IV wasn't an easy objective, and it wasn't an obscure line that simply hadn't attracted attention. Six permit teams before Alpinist Climber Expeditions had tried to climb it and hadn't succeeded, which points to real difficulty rather than a lack of interest. The loose rock, the rockfall, and the narrow weather windows on summit day were the actual obstacles that had stopped previous attempts — and they were still present for this expedition. What changed the outcome wasn't a shortcut around those conditions. Barnaby Francis's decision to turn back 250 metres from the top, made because the risk was too high, and Prakash Sherpa's decision to continue where conditions allowed it, together produced the first known summit of the mountain. Both decisions came from reading the same terrain and weather correctly. Conclusion The Chhuama IV expedition, carried out by Alpinist Climber Expeditions in July 2026, resulted in the first recorded ascent of Chhuama IV 6,179-metre peak in Nepal's Mustang region — a mountain that had already turned back six permit teams before this one. On 16 July 2026, after Barnaby Francis turned back roughly 250 metres below the summit due to rockfall and unstable terrain, IFMGA Mountain Guide Prakash Sherpa continued and reached the top at 3:21 PM Nepal time. It wasn't a straightforward climb, and the notes from the expedition don't describe it as one. Loose rock, frequent rockfall, and a narrow weather window shaped nearly every part of the summit day. Given that history, reaching the summit of Chhuama IV for the first time is a meaningful outcome — one built on careful, terrain-by-terrain decision-making rather than a single dramatic push to the top. #GuidingBeyondTheSummit #Dynafit
