Himalaya Autumn Season Begins

As summer ends, the Autumn Himalayan climbing season begins. Manaslu is the favorite climb, given that China has inexplicably closed Tibet to climbing. We can expect record summits on Manaslu this season, despite the catastrophic floods in Nepal; climbers are still climbing. Many teams switched from trekking to using a helicopter to reach base camps, but road closures and bridges out after the flood made that difficult.

Business as Usual?

Dawa Sherpa from Seven Summtis Treks posted this:

Our thoughts are with everyone affected. We pray for those who lost their lives and hold hope for the missing. The Langtang region has been heavily impacted, and tourism in that area is naturally disrupted at this time.

At the same time, I would like to gently inform our climbers and guests that expeditions and treks in the Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, and eastern Nepal regions remain on schedule for the autumn season. These areas are operating normally.

Operators

The usual cadre of Nepali operators: 8K Expeditions, Seven Summits Treks, Imagine Nepal Treks, Elite Exped, Asian Trekking, Pioneer Adventure, AltiPro Adventure, Glacier Himalaya, Himalayan Guides, and Makalu Adventure and the rest are running expeditions along with the usual Western operators: Alpine Ascents International (AAI), Adventure Consultants, Climbing the Seven Summits, Madison Mountaineering, Russian operator Seven Summit Club

Manaslu

The Ministry of Tourism, MOT, reported issuing 348 permits to foreigners across 29 teams, and they expect to exceed 400 total permits. Seven Summits Treks will have 40-plus clients on Manaslu. The fixed ropes are already above Camp 1.

Garrett Madison is leading his Madison Mountaineering Manaslu expedition. Adventure Consultants is also on Manaslu.

Makalu

We know there are expeditions on Makalu this season, but no information as of today.

Dhaulagiri

SST posted:

All set for Dhaulagiri Expedition 2026!!!

Our field team has completed all preparations for the Dhaulagiri Expedition and will be heading out tomorrow.
As always, we return to Dhaulagiri with the SST-level of preparation, management, and logistical efficiency. We trust this team with the expedition’s safety and success.

Wishing our field crew a safe journey to the mountain.

Ama Dablam

There is also activity on the popular pointy peak, Ama Dablam.

Shishapangma & Cho Oyu

No climbers are scheduled to climb the 8000ers within Tibet, since China closed Tibet to foreign climbers.

Nepal 7000 meter Everest Requirement

Update on Nepal proposed 7,000 m climb IN Nepal before receiving an Everest permit. Rishi Ram Bhandari, Secretary-General of EOAN and a former NTB board member, told the committee reviewing it “… Everest climbers from 2028 Spring season onward must have summited an 8,000m UIAA peak or a 7,000m Nepali peak”

This is a substantive change from the current language and, in my opinion, still insufficient. I think it should be a 7,000-meter summit (including close ones like Aconcagua) worldwide, and not just in Nepal. At this pace, it appears it will NOT be in place for the 2027 season, but we don’t know for sure.

You can track the government approval process at this link.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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Alan and Ida on the sumit of K2, July 27, 2014 — Alan and Ida on the summit of K2, July 27, 2014

A surge of debilitating fatigue overtook me. My shoulders drooped. I stared at my yellow boots, crushed by disappointment. I had trained hard for K2 and tried to anticipate every scenario, but now I was failing, and there was nothing I could do.
Closing my eyes, I was powerless, hopeless, and ready to surrender to the mountain. Everything I wanted—the summit, a safe return, my vow to my mother—was slipping away.
My ice axe dangled from my harness as my grip was weak.
Staring at the small yellowish spot illuminated by my headlamp on the snow, it was over, and, oddly, I didn’t care.
It was 12:30 a.m. on July 27, 2014—my fifty-eighth birthday.

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