Where is Mt. Everest located?
Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world with an elevation of 8848.86 meters. It is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China. Basically, Mt. Everest has two base camps. They are South Base Camp and North Base Camp at an altitude of 5364 meters and 5150 meters respectively. Likewise, the former lies in Nepal whereas the latter is in Tibet.
This mountain is situated in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal. This is also known as the Khumbu region. Similarly, Mt. Everest is one of the points of pride in Nepal. Every year, most tourists come to Nepal either for Mt. Everest climbing or Everest Base Camp Trekking. It is on the bucket list of every real climber and trekker.
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norge Sherpa were the first climbers who put their feet on top of Mt. Everest. They summited in 1953 and succeeded to hold the record at first.
Due to the severe climate in the mountain, it is impossible to sustain life over there. So, people live in the valley below the base camp at an altitude of up to 4268 meters and the Tibetan people especially known as Sherpa are the typical inhabitants of the Khumbu region. They are very strong and can carry heavy loads easily. As Sherpa is an ethnic tribe, especially used to live in the mountainous region of Nepal, they have been being popular as mountain guides among foreign trekkers. It is also believed that they have the greatest mountain experience. So, some treks were not possible without Sherpa people in the past. But others are also being able to establish themselves equally as expert mountaineers as well as trekking guides nowadays.
What are other popular names for Mt. Everest?
Sagarmatha: It’s a name derived from the Sanskrit language which simply means 'a peak of heaven’.
Chomolungma: It’s a Tibetan name that refers to the ‘goddess mother of the Valley.
What are the best features of Mt. Everest Base Camp Trek?
- Breathtaking flight from Kathmandu to Lukla
- Stunning views of Mt. Everest and its neighboring peaks
- Extraordinary mountain views from EBC and Kalapatthar
- Sunrise views over mountains
- A popular Tibetan Tengboche Monastery
- Sherpa Culture and villages
- Sagarmatha National Park
- Thundering rivers and cliffs
- Local Flora and Fauna
- Wonderful suspension bridges
What is Everest Base Camp Trek Itinerary?
Day 01: Kathmandu to Lukla Flight and trek to Phakding
This is the first day of your Everest base camp trek. You have a short flight to Lukla. You can see the wonderful mountain vistas from the window of the airplane during the flight. After coming off an airplane, your guide will introduce you to your porter at Lukla airport and your trekking begins. It’s a trek along the downhill. Finally, you reach Phakding and spend a night over there.
Day 02: Phakding to Namche Bazaar
It’s the second day of your EBC trekking and you have an ascending walk today. So, you go through the pine forest along the river. Having a glance at Mt. Everest for the first time surprises you during trekking toward Namche. You can see other awakening mountain views too if the weather favors it. Dudhkoshi and Bhotekoshi are the two different rivers you are going to cross today. They seem very beautiful. One more thing is that Bungee jumping in Nepal is held over the Bhotekoshi River in the eastern part of Nepal near the Tibetan border.
Day 03: Acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar
AMS (Acute Mountain Sick) is a serious matter. So, you need to be acclimatized properly for getting successful EBC trekking and Namche Bazaar is one of the best places in the entire Khumbu region for acclimatization. It is a small town, but the largest Sherpa village in the Everest region. It is facilitated with everything that is needed to complete a small city. You can find Tibetan goods as well over there because Namche is considered as one of the popular trading villages between Nepal and Tibet.
As you know, this is a rest day. So, you can involve in any activities like exploring the village, hiking to Everest National Park, or Khumjung village. However, you will do your best as your itinerary accordingly.
Day 04: Namche to Tengboche
The word ‘Tengboche’ defines not only the name of the place but also the largest Tibetan monastery as ‘Tengboche Monastery’. It is an ancient monastery that displays the feature of Tibetan Buddhism. This is a beautiful holy village and uncovering this village is itself a wonderful activity. It is also surrounded by large numbers of Sherpa residents.
Your trekking embarks on after having breakfast like the other days. It’s a tiring day as you are going to pass many villages. Punki Tenga is one of these villages where you can stop and have lunch. Although this is a long day of descending and ascending trekking, the numerous mountain views including Mt. Everest, the colorful birds, and the beautiful rhododendron help you to feel better and enjoy the trekking.
Day 05: Tengboche to Dingboche
Today’s trek can be defined as an ascending trekking day. But, you walk down at the beginning of the trekking and incline gradually till to Dingboche. Firstly, you follow the descending trail through the forest of rhododendron and reach Debuche. The trek goes on along the suspension bridge over the Imja Khola, a glacier river. Then your trekking climbs up and takes you to the heart of the Everest region i.e. Pangboche. From there, you can see the surrounding mountains including the popular Ama Dablam. Then the continuation of your ascending trek reaches Imja Tse Valley, a beautiful valley surrounded by the Himalayas. Finally, you will get into Dingboche and spend a night.
Day 06: Rest at Dingboche
This is another rest day for acclimatization at Dingboche. It is a beautiful village especially perfect to be well acclimatized. You can spend your day hiking to nearby hills or exploring this village and uncovering stone walls.
Generally, trekkers spend two nights in Dingboche because this place is a bit warmer while comparing to Pheriche. It is not a stopping hub for the EBC trekkers only, but also for such climbers who are going to summit the Island peak, Ama Dablam, and others. This place is well equipped with most of the facilities like a satellite system for using email and internet, a billiard parlor, nearby helicopter landing pads, and the best accommodation with attached bathrooms. You can hire the trekking and climbing gear too from there. But, there is no accessibility of roads so; everything is transported there with the help of porters, yaks, and mules. As a result, the price of such transported things is a little bit expensive.
Day 07: Dingboche to Lobuche
As you know, Lobuche is considered the second-highest village on the Everest base camp trekking route. So, today’s trail takes you to the Everest base camp's main pathways. There will be jams due to the huge traffic if it’s peak season. The distance between Dingboche to Lobuche is almost 8.4 kilometers and the elevation is approximately 500 meters higher in the latter place than the former. Besides, this trekking trail offers you very Closer Mountain views like Ama Dablam, Lobuche, and others, those you can see from Namche.
Like the other days, your trekking starts after having breakfast. It’s a difficult walk day as well because you are going to cross the valley and walk on the steep moraine walls. A beautiful place known as Thukla lies in between this EBC trekking route where you can have lunch and take some rest time. After refueling and energizing your body, the ascending trail begins. You will incline up sharply towards the Everest Memorial (stone monuments built in the memory of six Sherpas who died in an avalanche) from where you can see the wonderful Khumbu Glacier and the continuation of your walking takes you to the teahouse of Lobuche.
Day 08: Lobuche to Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp Hike
Gorak Shep is the highest village on the EBC trek route where you are going to stop and spend a night. So, you have to be well acclimatized before in the preceding days. Your trail will follow the Khumbu Glacier till to Everest base camp, an ultimate goal of this trekking, but you have to reach Gorek Shep at first where you will have lunch. Then you will join hiking to EBC. It is also a tough activity that you are going to walk on rocky and icy pathways. But the magnificent White Mountain views help you to feel refreshed than to be tired.
After spending some time over there clicking photos and enjoying views, you will get back to Gorek Shep for spending a night.
Day 09: Hike to Kalapatthar and trek to Pheriche
Before joining Kala Patthar hiking, you need to know about what Kala Patthar stands for. The term ‘Kala’ refers to a black color and ‘Patthar’ means a stone. While joining them together, it reveals a meaning i.e. a black stone that is a vantage point for watching a sunrise view over the Himalayas. It offers more magnificent mountain views than from Everest base camps such as Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Cho yu, Pumori, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and many more neighboring snowcapped peaks.
In order to hike to Kalapatthar, you have to wake up earlier in the morning before the sun rises. This is the toughest walking day of the entire trekking day because you are going to walk on the ascending trail to the top of Kala Patthar. So, fitness with good acclimatization is necessary for completing this hike to Kala Patthar.
Once you reach on top of Kala Patthar hill station, you will know the value of the heavenly riches and eye-catching mountain views of Nepal. You may feel that you are in paradise and a god is taking you on a tour to heaven.
After spending some time, you go down and get back to Gorak Shep and have breakfast. Then you go down slowly till to Pheriche. Except for one part of this trail where a steep descending moraine wall of Khumbu Glacier lies, you will go down slowly and simply till to Pheriche. But this trekking retraces the previous ways till to Lobuche and walks down along the moraine wall and reaches Pheriche. It is a beautiful village, situated at a lower altitude than Lobuche.
Day 10: Pheriche to Namche Bazaar
Today, you are going back to Namche Bazaar, but it would not mean that you will walk on the descending trail only because there are some uphill trails too that you must walk on steeply. You will meet a trail that you had followed already on day 5. But today’s trail is just the opposite to it and it’s a long and tiring walking day. So, it would be better to start trekking a bit earlier in the morning after having breakfast.
First of all, your trekking embarks on and goes down continuously and reaches Pangboche, a beautiful place to spend some time taking a rest. The views seem equally beautiful as in the other places. Then the continuation of your downward trekking takes you to a valley from where the flattened pathways appear for some minutes where you walk and cross the suspension bridge too and reach Debuche. After this small village, the technically ascending walk starts and you have to incline up steeply until you reach Tengboche where you are going to have lunch. The trail gets half from this place.
Then, another sharp and difficult downhill trek begins where you’ve walked on day 4. After crossing another suspension bridge over there, the upward trail starts again. You will go up through the forested area and finally meet the etched pathways. The elevation is also going down as you are getting into the valley wall. But the most refreshing thing is that you are surrounded by beautiful mountain views for almost the entire trekking places of today. Eventually, you reach Namche Bazaar after some easy descending trek.
Day 11: Namche to Lukla
This is the last day of your Everest base camp trekking as you are going to finish it today. So, you will retrace the pathways that you had walked already on days 2 and 1 respectively, but your trekking pattern would be just opposite to the walking of those days. It means if you had walked on descending route, you should follow the ascending trail today and vice versa. So, nothing would be newer in today’s trekking route except your accommodation in Lukla. But you do not need to be worried about your hotels because your guide will manage everything over there like in other places.
Day 12: Lukla to Kathmandu Flight
In the morning, you will have a scenic flight after having breakfast. The airways are as same as on the first day when you’d a Lukla to Kathmandu flight. The Himalayas seem very beautiful from the window of an air flight as on your first day.
After reaching the domestic airport in Kathmandu, You will be transferred to the hotel.
How difficult is Everest Base Camp Trek?
This is a common question, frequently asked by most trekkers. Of course, the EBC trek is neither too hard nor too easy a trekking trail. It’s a moderate trekking destination. But it would be challenging for those who do not have even habituated to normal walking activities because you need to walk on upward, downward, steep, slop, and flat areas for no less than 4-5 hours per day during the Everest base camp trekking trail. So, it is advised to have at least half an hour of walking daily before going to the EBC trek. And this kind of walking may be reduced the risks of getting altitude sickness too.
While talking about the age factor, it does not make difference. Only physical fitness with sound health is a concerning matter whether you are young or an adult.
Will there be available safe drinking water in EBC?
It’s a good question. To be very frank, the water from different places may not be suitable for most people. So, concerning safe drinking water is one of the most integral parts of human beings. Therefore, every Everest base camp trekker must know the availability as well as the quality of drinking water while trekking there. However, most of the trekkers in the Everest region are used to drinking bottled mineral water.
Tea houses also provide bottled, boiled, and filtered water on your requirement. But it would be better to use either iodine tablets or other purifying agents for treating water before drinking. Besides, you can get natural drinking water from streams and waterfalls while walking on the trail. You can even drink such water after purifying it.
How many times do you get meals per day during the EBC trek?
You can get 3 meals per day during the EBC trek on the basis of your Everest base camp trek itinerary. It includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menus of breakfast in most of the places are the same. It includes tea, coffee, juice, eggs, porridge, toasted bread, and jam. Normally, rice, lentil, pickle, and vegetable are served for both lunch and dinner. It is called Dal Bhat in Nepali which is almost similar in most of the teahouses, but the types of vegetables may be different.
Besides, most trekking guides carry some fruit items from Kathmandu and serve you daily.
Do you get fresh food in Everest Base Camp Trek?
This is the most important thing that you should know while trekking in the Everest region because it’s a mountain sector where food is needed to carry from the town. So, you must be clever about the freshness of products. Similarly, in the teahouses where are crowds, there may be chances of access to fresh foods because such hotels receive more deliveries compared to others. You should also ask your guide to book the qualitative teahouses.
What kind of foods do Everest Base Camp teahouses serve?
Rice, vegetables, lentil, and pickle are the primary foods almost found in every teahouse. The most popular foods of the Everest region are yak steak, yak cheese, Dal Bhat, garlic soup, dumplings, and Nepalese special bread. The seafood-like fish is not found especially in the higher elevation zone. But it may be available in lower altitude places like Namche Bazaar.
It’s a mountain area. So, your expectation may not meet on the subject of food. It means you may not get more verities. Most of the hotels serve cereal and the flour products like porridge, pancakes, and other items. The meat and eggs are also available, but may not be fresh in every hotel.
Is a permit required for going to Everest Base Camp Trek?
Of course, you must have a permit card to go to the Everest base camp trek. Trekkers Information Management System card is another document required for trekking to EBC. It is called TIMs in short form. You can get both permit and TIMS cards from the travel agencies like Rising Adventure issued by Nepal Government.
How is Everest Base Camp Trek Accommodation?
You should not expect a higher level of accommodation during trekking in the Everest region because it is situated in a remote area in Nepal. Therefore, you need to spend a night in the teahouse which is a typical mountain lodge with small dining spaces. So, this trekking is also known as the Teahouse trek. The rooms are available on a twin-sharing basis. The lodges provide only basic bedding with a clean bed sheet, pillow, and blanket and these are sufficient for you to spend a night.
Only the common toilets are available in high-altitude places. The western attached bathrooms may be found only in some of the hotels in the lower elevation. A teahouse also provides hot water for bathing, but they may charge like Nepali 50 rupees, especially in the higher elevation.
Do cell phones and internet access during the Everest base camp trek?
While Compared to other infrastructure, communication and the internet are some of the most developed services in Nepal. So, you do not need to be worried about these things because there are more options for getting connected to your family and relatives. One of them is Sim Card. The NTC and Ncell are two companies that provide reliable sim cards with more internet offers. You can buy one of them even at the Tribhuwan International Airport of Nepal which costs NPR 100 only. But you need to provide a copy of your passport and passport-size photo in order to get a sim card. So, it is recommended to use such sim cards and buy the internet data packages at a cheaper price to get contacted within Nepal and your country.
Besides, Wi-Fi is another option. Most of the Teahouses provide it in the Everest region, but they may charge you a little especially in the higher altitude places like Gorak Shep.
What currency do I need during the EBC trek?
It’s a Nepalese currency (NPR). You should have a few, but not more while trekking to Everest Base Camp. Rising Adventure pays for everything you need for this trek such as TIMs and permits, flight tickets, transportation, food, and accommodation. But, we believe in having a little amount of cash would be more useful for personal drinks, shopping, and tipping to guides and porters.
Regarding the currency exchange rate, you can exchange your dollar even on the Everest Base Camp route. But we would recommend you to exchange it in Kathmandu for getting better rates.
Does travel insurance need for EBC trekking?
God may bless you and not happen anything wrong with you, but who knows about the future? So, travel insurance is only the best option, very useful, and supportive in your emergency periods like natural calamities, accidents, altitude sickness, and other harmful medical conditions. So, you need to think yourself at first about the serious issues that may happen to you during the Everest base camp trek and be prepared earlier as we believe in precaution is better than cure. Therefore, Rising Adventure mandatorily recommends you purchase travel insurance.
At last, please make sure that your insurance must cover the emergency evacuation at a higher altitude such as your hospital transportation expenses and your medical bills as well.
What are the packing lists for Everest Base Camp Trek?
There are many things that you need to pack earlier before the Everest base camp trek depending on the weather and season. For e.g. heavy woolen clothes, a down jacket, snow boots, and gloves are needed in the winter season while a light t-shirt, hiking boots, and caps are useful in the summer period. So, you can go through Everest base camp trek equipment yourself and learn more.
At last, Rising Adventure arranges everything that you need for the EBC trek including the mandatory documents like TIMs and Permit, and other required official papers. Therefore, you do not need to be worried. Besides, most of the trekking gear can be hired in Kathmandu only, but also in the Everest zone. But we recommend you hire such things in Kathmandu where you can get them easily at a low cost than in the Everest region.
Are there mobile or camera charging facilities in the mountain?
Yes, there are facilities for charging mobile, cameras, and other electronic devices in the mountain. But you need to pay especially at higher altitude places. So, it would be better to take a charging back up with you and use it in the mountain.
Is Everest Base Camp Trek doable in January?
This is a good question, that always arises in the mind of real trekkers because January falls under the winter season in Nepal and is also known as the off-season trek. Of course, the Everest base camp trek is doable in January too, but it depends from person to person. Those who are prepared for cold temperatures and love to spend time in the peaceful and quiet snowy place in front of the Himalayas can book this trek in January.
After the second week of January, the weather in the Everest region gets a bit warmer (almost 11 degrees centigrade) during the day while cooler up to -5 degrees in the evening. However, a simple mattress and a sleeping bag are sufficient to spend a night at a higher elevation.
At last, the Everest base camp trekking in January is possible, but we strongly recommend you not to plan trekking in higher elevations like Everest three passes and Gokyo trekking.
Everest Base Camp Trek in February
The Everest base camp trek in February is not a bad idea. It is the last month of the winter season in Nepal. It welcomes the spring season day by day. Although it is cold in the morning and evening, it gets warmer in the daytime.
February is also considered as the off-season, but the numbers of visitors are more throughout the country while comparing to January. While talking about the Everest view, it looks charming and crystal clear. So, if you are ok with the cold and you have a holiday during February, it would be the right time for you to join the Everest base camp trek.
Everest Base Camp Trek in March
The Everest base camp trek in March is one of the best months throughout the year. It is called the peak trekking season in Nepal. Similarly, March signals the arrival of the spring season. The weather is beautiful and clear. The stunning mountains, magnificent snowcapped peaks, beautiful lakes, and glaciers look very clear and closer. The temperature is neither hotter nor colder in March in Nepal, but there would be a chance of a cold environment at night in the higher elevation.
During March in Nepal, the Everest trails and teahouses are crowded. The visitors seem busy here and there looking at the Himalayas, clicking photos, and enjoying food in front of the gorgeous mountain scenes.
Everest Base Camp Trek in April
The Everest base camp trek in April is the best idea, ever gives a thrilling experience. This is the perfect EBC trekking time in Nepal. The days stretch longer day by day and the nights get shorter. So, the skies seem mostly clear. The vivid views of mountains are the primary feature of the spring season. The colorful flora and fauna and wildlife make Everest trekking more adventurous during the month of April.
Although the temperature is a bit hot in Kathmandu, it remains a little cold in higher altitude places like the Everest Base Camp. Therefore, there would not be a chance of rain in the mountain. In the same way, there are barely any chances of snow due to the humidity increment.
Everest Base Camp Trek in May
May is one of the busiest times for Mt. Everest climbers because the days are very long during this month and the trekkers can walk even for 8-9 hours per day to get to their destined teahouses. Besides, the mountain views are very clear that you may not have expected ever as the weather conditions are most favorable. The days remain sunny.
Similarly, there would be little chance of rain for short period due to the humidity. But it would be a blessing for the trekkers because you can see the clearest sky with beautiful mountain views after raining. The outstanding views of glaciated mountains, snowcapped peaks, blossoming rhododendron, and lakes are the highlights of the EBC trek.
To sum up, we strongly recommend the Everest base camp trek in May, if you are ok with the crowded trails as you have the opportunity of meeting different visitors from all over the world. At last, May displays the most beautiful mountain views compared with other months of the year.
Everest Base Camp Trek in June
The month, of June, is considered as one of the off-trekking seasons in Nepal because it comes under the monsoon season in Nepal. It is a rainy period. But the Everest base camp trek in June is doable if you begin it on the first week of this month because rains start only after mid-June. You may encounter a short period of rain in early June but may not affect you longer on your trail.
While talking about the views, you can see the gorgeous Himalayas, glaciated lakes, and peaks vividly on some days and may see the cloudy sky only on other days. So, we do not recommend you join the Everest base camp trek in June, but if you are ok with rain and humidity, then you can move ahead with suitable trekking gear.
Everest Base Camp Trek in July
July is the most rainfall month in Nepal. It rains always in Kathmandu and Lukla as well. The more you reach a higher elevation, the less rain falls and the temperature goes down. It creates a cold environment and a cloudy atmosphere. So, there is less chance of seeing perfect mountain views.
To be frank, you may encounter rain mostly in the evening period. So, you may enjoy the best views for some days in the morning. You can have a cup of tea in front of such golden rising sun over the Himalayas.
At last, if you are prepared with favorable trekking gear, you can go ahead for the Everest base camp trek along the muddy trail. The entire region looks peaceful and quiet. The forest seems very green. Most of the teahouses are closed and free from crowds.
Everest Base Camp Trek in August
Since August is the monsoon season, you have to be well prepared with good rain gear and must hire experienced guides if you really want to trek to Everest base camp this month.
Only such visitors can join the EBC trek in August who love raining as well as the fewer crowds. Although it is a rainy season, the rain falls mostly at night and the weather may be clear in the morning. So, you may get an opportunity to see the morning sunrise views over the mountains only in the morning period and maybe in the daytime too.
While summing up, we recommend this Everest base camp trekking in August only for those who really enjoy the rain.
Everest Base Camp Trek in September
September farewells the monsoon and welcomes the autumn season. It means this month is a mixture of two different months. So, there would be little chance of raining in the lower elevation till mid-August, and the weather converts to dry and hot in the last days of this month. So, the Everest base camp trek in August is definitely doable as it displays sunny and brighter days throughout the month.
The views seem clear and clearer day by day.
Everest Base Camp Trek in October
The Everest base camp trek in October is the most wonderful idea. It is the best month that falls under the autumn season. As you know, it is a rain-free season so, you do not need to walk on the slippery trail as well as not need to carry heavy rain-friendly gear. The bright and light sunny days are another feature of October that creates pleasant and warm weather and automatically offers the beautiful sceneries of Mt. Everest and the white rugged snowcapped peaks. Although the temperature is a bit hot in Kathmandu, it would be colder, but bearable in the Everest base camp, especially in the higher elevation.
EBC trek in October is also considered as the peak trekking season in Nepal when most of the visitors come from all around the world to create a lifetime memory. Besides, you can know the Sherpa people and their culture very closely. You get an opportunity to make the friends from different countries due to the crowds of trekkers on the trail and in the tea houses as well.
Everest Base Camp Trek in November
November is another busiest month for EBC trekking. It is also considered the driest month throughout the year in Nepal. So, most of the trekkers find this month very suitable for the Everest base camp trek as it displays a colorful environment as well as the most gorgeous snowy mountains. The entire Everest zone seems absolutely beautiful and everyone falls into its scenic beauty.
Besides, November is the combination of two different seasons i.e. autumn and winter. So, the former season displays a clear sky and low humidity till the half of this month whereas the weather turns into cold gradually especially in the higher altitude places during the latter season. Similarly, autumn offers very fine and perfect mountain views while the skies seem cloudy and foggy in winter. Moreover, huge crowds of trekkers can be seen in the Everest trails and the teahouses during autumn and you get an opportunity to create intimacy with such people who belong to different countries. On the other hand, the number of visitors goes down slowly till to the end of the month.
To sum up, November is one of the best seasons for Everest base camp trekking. The temperature would not be too cold because this is the winter starting month. So, we recommend this month too for the EBC trek except for the high passes trekking.
Everest Base Camp Trek in December
The magnificent huge snowy mountain peaks, the diversified floras, and faunas, and gorgeous sunshine views over the marvelous Himalayas are the best features of the Everest base camp trek in December. But, this month is considered as the off-trekking season as it belongs to the winter in Nepal. It is a very cold period not in the higher elevation only, but also in the lower altitude places like Kathmandu and Namche Bazaar. So, only real adventure lovers can dare to complete this Everest base camp trek in December.
Although the sky and day look cloudy and foggy respectively in the lower elevation in December, it looks sunny and the views seem crisp and clear in the higher altitude places like Gorakshep and Everest Base Camp. Besides, there would be a higher chance of rainfall during this month because it is a weather-changing period. But, if you are prepared for cold and rain, then you can go ahead for EBC trekking.
Note: June, July, and August are the environmental changes period. During this season, most people get sick and feel uncomfortable due to rain. So, we normally do not recommend higher-elevation trekking during these months. But we of course are operating an Everest base camp trek even during the monsoon period for those who are really prepared for this season.
