Participants Sought for 2027 High Altitude Ski Expedition in Nepal

King of the Hill, a UK adventure company, will run what it says is the first commercial ski expedition in the Annapurna II region of Nepal, from 17 to 27 February 2027. The terrain has never been commercially skied.

The ten-day expedition is aimed at confident, experienced skiers who can manage high-altitude ski touring in the Himalaya, and is capped at thirty places at £13,500 per person.

The route begins in Kathmandu and travels west through Pokhara, Jomsom and Muktinath on an itinerary built around gradual acclimatisation, before reaching a temporary base camp at 4,565m. From there, guests have six days of guided skiing on terrain reaching up to 6,000m, with skidoo uplift between runs. The expedition ends with a helicopter exit off the mountain on the final morning.

The expedition is built around its lead guide, Krish Thapa Magar, who grew up in a village beneath Annapurna II. He was one of the first two Gurkhas in history to pass SAS selection and went on to head the SAS Mountain Troop. He is the first serving Warrant Officer to summit both Everest and K2, made the first ski descent of Dhaulagiri at 8,167m, and holds nine world firsts in the Himalaya. In 2023 he led Hari Budha Magar — a double above-knee-amputee Gurkha veteran — to the summit of Everest, the first time it had been done. He has never taken a paying group to this terrain.

The programme combines skiing with cultural elements, including a private visit to Krish's home village, time in the Kali Gandaki gorge, and a pre-dawn visit to Muktinath Temple, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

Base camp comprises private heated tents, a dining dome, a bar, and evening talks and entertainment. Safety provision includes a five-person medical team on site, twice-daily blood-oxygen monitoring above 3,500m, supplemental oxygen on standby, and a pre-arranged helicopter evacuation retainer. Avalanche transceivers, probes and shovels are mandatory for all participants. On the ground the expedition operates in partnership with HST Adventure, a Nepali guiding company with extensive Himalayan experience including Everest expeditions.