Pem Dorji Sherpa

Biography

Pem Dorji Sherpa was born in Chepel, Pawai 2, a village at 1,900m in the Solukhumbu District, within the Mount Everest region of Nepal. Raised in this mountainous landscape, he developed an early familiarity with high altitude terrain that would go on to shape his entire career as a mountaineering and trekking guide.

Pem Dorji has built an impressive expedition record, with summits of Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Shishapangma, three of the world's fourteen 8,000m peaks, along with successful climbs of Ama Dablam, Baruntse, and several popular trekking peaks including Mera Peak, Island Peak, and Lobuche East. His experience across both extreme high altitude climbs and more accessible peaks has made him a versatile and dependable guide for climbers of all experience levels.

What truly sets Pem Dorji apart, however, is the sheer breadth of his trekking experience. He has led climbers and trekkers through nearly every major trekking region in Nepal, from the well-known Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit routes to remote, rarely travelled paths like Upper Dolpo, Limi Valley, and the Kailash Round Trek in Tibet. This depth of route knowledge, paired with fluency in Sherpa, English, Tibetan, and Hindi, allows him to guide travelers through some of the most culturally rich and physically demanding landscapes in the Himalayas.

Training & Achievements

Pem Dorji Sherpa's mountaineering background includes summits of Mount Everest (8,848m), Lhotse (8,516m), and Shishapangma (8,027m), placing him among guides with proven experience on three separate 8,000m peaks. His additional summits of Ama Dablam, Baruntse, Mera Peak, Island Peak, and Lobuche East further reflect his well-rounded skill set across both technical climbing and moderate altitude expeditions.

Beyond expedition climbing, Pem Dorji's trekking résumé is exceptionally extensive, covering more than two dozen distinct routes across Nepal and into Tibet. His experience spans classic treks like the Everest Base Camp Trek, Three Passes Trek, and Annapurna Base Camp Trek, as well as demanding high pass crossings such as the Amphu Lapcha Pass, Tashi Lapcha Pass, and Naar Phu Valley Kang La Pass treks. He has also guided travelers through remote regions including Upper Dolpo, Tsum Valley, Manaslu Round, and the sacred Kailash Round and Lhasa treks in Tibet.

This rare combination of expedition climbing experience and deep regional trekking knowledge makes Pem Dorji one of the most versatile guides on our team, equally at home leading a technical summit push or a multi-week cultural trekking journey through Nepal's most remote valleys.

Expeditions Completed

Everest 8,848m
Lhotse 8,516m
Ama Dablam 6,812m
Mera Peak 6476m
Island Peak 6160m
Lobuche east 6119m
Baruntse 7126m
Shishapangma 8027m

Expedition Report

Chhuama IV First Ascent Report 2026

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 Barnaby Francis (UK) - Climber Prakash Sherpa (Nepal) - Climber Ngima Tashi Sherpa (Nepal) - Assistant 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

Aug 12, 2026 Read Article →

Never Miss a
Summit Moment

Pem Dorji Sherpa

Pem Dorji Sherpa

Biography

Training & Achievements

Expeditions Completed

From the Summit

Dispatches from the Mountains

Chhuama IV First Ascent Report 2026

Kyajo Ri Expedition Report 2022

Cholatse Expedition Report 2022

Pem Dorji Sherpa

Pem Dorji Sherpa

Biography

Training & Achievements

Expeditions Completed

From the Summit

Dispatches from the Mountains

Chhuama IV First Ascent Report 2026

Kyajo Ri Expedition Report 2022

Cholatse Expedition Report 2022

Never Miss a Summit Moment

Never Miss a
Summit Moment