After climbing Island Peak, I felt very confident about summiting Lobouche East Peak. The hike from Island Peak Base Camp to Lobouche High Camp gave me some time to recover from the strenuous climb. Earlier than expected, our team arrived at camp and we started to set up the tents when the weather turned its back on us. It started to snow so that we went inside our sleeping bags and did not leave them until the middle of the following night. The weather did not change, but we agreed to give it a try.

Getting to crampon point was more difficult than on Island Peak. The hike was shorter, but low visibility gave us a hard time finding the way. From there, we continued until we reached our next big objective. A 400 metres high face leading all the way to the summit. Being one of the first teams to climb Lobouche East Peak in autumn 2016, no ropes had been fixed yet. We analysed the final stretch and decided to keep to the right side due to the risk of avalanches. Pema took the lead and I followed him wheezing through the thin air. It was tough but more enjoyable than the climb on Island Peak. When we arrived at the summit, I felt extremely exhausted. All distant peaks were lulled in clouds; Everest and Lhotse remained hidden. However, experiencing the Nepalese Himalayas in perspective was totally worth the journey despite all the pain and suffering.