The Expedition Trip Notes provide detailed information and background for Adventure Consultants' Dhaulagiri Expeditions.
You can view the trip notes online by clicking the image or download a pdf by clicking the following link:
Dhaulagiri Expedition Trip Notes
Team Membership
Team size may vary depending on your groups needs. Our maximum guide to climber ratio is 1:6. A team of Climbing Sherpas will carry loads and support the summit climb. The base camp will be staffed by a Sherpa Sirdar/Cook.
Our Guides
The logistics and leadership on the mountain will be provided by Adventure Consultants guide Dean Staples and a cadre of top AC Sherpa climbers.
This expedition has been designed to cater to experienced mountaineers with sufficient experience and ability to climb without direct guidance on an 8000-metre peak, but with the benefit of a strong and experienced crew with a proven summit record.
Dean Staples
Expedition Leader
Based in Lake Hawea, New Zealand, Dean Staples, leads both international expeditions and New Zealand trips. A multi-talented IFMGA guide with over two decades of guiding experience, Dean is a super friendly guy, with great patience and leadership skills. Among a multitude of climbing achievements Dean has a total of 9 Everest summits and as lead guide on our 2013 Everest Expedition, he achieved a double summit of Everest and then Lhotse in just over 24 hours. Dean has previously climbed Dhaulagiri on our successful 2017 expedition.
Sherpas
Our group of climbing Sherpas is enthusiastic, motivated and regarded as the strongest and most cohesive group of Sherpas in Nepal. They have dozens of Everest summits between them.
Our cooking staff are very well known for the quality of the cuisine they produce and are coveted by other team leaders due to the reputation they have established. We have been developing the personnel within our Sherpa team for 18 years and they are an integral part of the Adventure Consultants Team.
Head Office Support Team
Running successful journeys and expeditions is more about experience, knowledge and strategic management than any other factors. As an organisation, we place a substantial amount of time and resources into ensuring our trips are well planned and supported. You can be assured that the AC staff will provide you with friendly advice and knowledgeable support throughout the planning stages of your trip and we will be there to provide backup while the trip is running.
Kelly McLaren, Expedition Liaison
Having worked for Adventure Consultants since 2004, Kelly has gained a vast knowledge of AC expeditions and treks. In her role as Expedition Liaison, Kelly will assist with the planning and logistics for your trip, providing useful information, reminders and answering any questions to ensure you arrive well prepared.

Your Health
Expedition members will be provided with pre-trip medical advice and a medical questionnaire and asked to visit their family physician to receive a full medical examination. This information will be sighted only by the expedition leader and our medical adviser and treated with full confidentiality.
Level of Experience Required
There is no definite measure for assessing the required skill level to climb Dhaulagiri so we prefer to discuss this on an individual basis. However, there are some broad guidelines that can be applied from the outset.
A successful team member will have been visiting the mountains for at least three seasons and made ascents of peaks up to 18-20,000 feet (5,500 - 6,000m). It is quite common for members to have previously climbed Denali in Alaska, Aconcagua in South America, or various Mexican volcanoes as training for Dhaulagiri.
He/she will be familiar with crevasse travel techniques and have a good overall standard of fitness. See our Fitness Training Programs for information on how we can help you prepare for the expedition.
Age itself is no barrier. To date we have succeeded on Himalayan trips with members aged from 22 to 65 years of age.
A fierce determination and a burning desire to climb the mountain are essential prerequisites for this expedition. The expedition staff will provide the leadership, tactics and overall decision making required during the climb, but still you will have to contribute to the day to day expedition requirements such as melting snow, helping with tents, etc.
Difficulty Rating
Each of our trips is individually rated according to its physical and technical difficulty, displayed in the icons towards the top of each trip page. You can click on the accompanying question mark for additional descriptions and the full run-down of our grading system is available on our Difficulty Ratings page.
Food
Food will be of the highest standard possible, given the remoteness of the location. Please inform us if you have any special dietary requirements.
Our Base Camp equipment and ample, nutritious meals are always the envy of other groups on the mountain!
Clothing & Equipment
Expedition members will be sent a list detailing all necessary clothing and equipment to be individually provided.