Join MountainZone.com from September 15 to October 15, as we follow the progress of an expedition attempting to climb Cho Oyu. The team, led by Himalayan veteran Dan Mazur, will attempt the popular Northwest Ridge route.

Cho Oyu, at 26,906 feet (8201m) is the sixth highest mountain in the world and was first climbed in October of 1954 by the Austrians Sepp Jöchler and Herbert Tichy and Sherpa Pasang Dawa Lama. It has only recently become a popular objective, as its southern aspect is extremely difficult and dangerous, while access to the north side was for years forbidden due to the closure of Tibet by the Chinese. Now that its north side is open again, Cho Oyu is widely acknowledged as the easiest of the 8000-meter peaks.

"Easy" is, of course, a relative concept. Cho Oyu still offers pitches of steep ice and rock, as well as the standard Himalayan fare of deep snowfall, high winds and frigid temperatures. Many skilled climbers have lost their lives on this mountain.

The team will journey through Tibet and establish Advanced Base Camp at 5600m. Camp 1 will be located in a saddle at 6400m, at the base of the Northwest Ridge. The journey to Camp 2, positioned at 7000m, will offer the first technical climbing on the route. From there, Camp 3 will be established on the Northwest Face, at an elevation of 7450m. The summit attempts—to occur in mid- to late October—will go from Camp 3.

If expedition leader Dan Mazur summits, this will be his sixth 8000-meter peak. He has already summitted Everest, Lhotse, K2, Gasherbrum I and Makalu.