Return To Nepal’s Three Passes Trail

Ever since Dan Patitucci and Kim Strom were thwarted in 2018 from a major mountain running goal in the Himalaya, returning to that objective has loomed large in their minds. The route is known as Nepal’s Three Passes, and it stretches 60km between Namche Bazar and Chukhung, near the base of Lhotse South Face. While the distance isn’t daunting even as a day’s run, the elevation is massive, cresting three passes higher than 5300 meters.

Dan and Kim returned this spring.

Three Passes, the First Time

Everything that made our first attempt at running Nepal’s Three Passes in a day rather miserable in 2018 were overshadowed by the few big things that made it one of the greatest experiences of our lives: pushing ourselves through hard times in the Himalaya, finding our way across a 5000-meter/17,000-foot pass in a whiteout and sharing a difficult effort with your closest friend.

Dan and I returned this May to do better because we took an overnight nap during our 2018 in-a-day goal. Five years later, we had better training and nutrition, plus experience on our side, but we also had some unknowns hanging over us. We’d both grown five years older, which is starting to feel significant, and I had gone through a couple years of cancer treatment, complications and recovery. Things would work out, we knew the experience would be worth repeating.

"Five years later, we had better training and nutrition, plus experience on our side, but we also had some unknowns hanging over us."

Nepal’s Three Passes

The Three Passes is a popular trekking route in Nepal’s Everest region that climbs over three high passes: Kongma La (5540 meters / 18,176 feet), Cho La (5420 meters / 17,782 feet) and Renjo La (5435 meters / 17,830 feet). We planned to cover all three passes in a single day starting from Chukhung, a small cluster of tea houses situated at 4700 meters / 15,420 feet, right at the base of what would be our first pass, Kongma La. It’s not the distance that makes this route a challenge but the repeated climbs at high altitude that drain the tank much faster than usual.

"It’s not the distance that makes this route a challenge but the repeated climbs at high altitude that drain the tank much faster than usual."

Travel, Approach & Acclimating

Much of our trip mirrored the previous trip, as we made our way from Kathmandu to Lukla and on to Namche Bazar, spinning prayer wheels and eating Dal Bhat along the way. From Namche, we took an indirect route to Chukhung to extend our acclimatization and check the conditions on the middle pass, Cho La.

After a few days' walk, we settled into the Khangri Lodge in Chukhung at 4700m, our base again for almost two weeks of acclimatizing runs spent exploring trails and peaks in all directions. While we’d sought to be as acclimatized and fit as we could for this attempt at the Three Passes run, we spent most of our time trying to stop being sick. Even the sinus infections were a repeat of the first trip.

"While we’d sought to be as acclimatized and fit as we could for this attempt at the Three Passes run, we spent most of our time trying to stop being sick."

Run Day

We estimated our run date based on an optimistic alignment of health, acclimatization and good weather. When the day came, we got up, wiped our noses and—surprise—it had snowed 10cm overnight. We decided to give it a go, despite sub optimal health and weather, and crossed our fingers that increasing sun would melt snow from the passes. Instead, more snow fell throughout the day as we moved over Kongma La and Cho La.

At Gokyo, where we’d called it off in 2018, it was still very much on. After a quick stop to refill water, we set out for Renjo La, our last pass, in a race against darkness and more snowfall. We lost. But, for the third time that day, we crossed well over 5000 meters and started down, now with headlamps shining the way.

Moving along in silence and darkness, 1000 meters / 3000 feet below the pass, we found a light other than our own headlamps. Through a window, we could see two Nepali sitting inside a small tea house in Lunghden. They were as curious about what we were doing out as we were about them having something we could eat. When they discovered we hadn’t just done Three Passes but had done all three passes that day, it was time to celebrate. So, with our two new Nepali friends, the teacups came out, and we had a place to stay the night.

Read more about the Three Passes at ALPSinsight.com.

Julbo Density

What We Wore

We give high marks for the Density at high elevation. They provided enough protection even at altitude and in snow. We thought we kept losing them, until we realized we still had them on—they are incredibly light and comfortable.

SHOP DENSITY

About Dan & Kim: Dan Patitucci and Kim Strom are athletes, mountain sport photographers, and the creators of the trail running resources ALPSinsight and Sierra Trail Runs. For the past 30 years, Dan’s photography work has taken him running and climbing in mountain ranges all over the world, from the Himalaya to Iceland to Patagonia, and all throughout Europe. Kim is a mountain runner and cancer survivor. Since 2016, she has worked with PatitucciPhoto as a writer and photographer in these adventures.