autumn Himalayan Update: Another Everest Attempt, Manaslu Summits

Manaslu 2013

I’ve learned to never say never when following Himalayan climbs. Several teams who left the mountain may be looking back with questions after others stayed, leveraged the previous work and went on to summit Manaslu, 54 out of the 106 foreigners with permits made the summit along with another 29 Sherpas.

Perhaps with more incentive to prove Nepal is safe for mountaineering, most the teams that summited Manaslu were Nepali operated teams while the Western owned teams felt it was too risky to continue.

And Japanese Nobukazu Kuriki, on Everest is saying he will give it another try.

Manaslu – Summits for the 

The Sherpas from Himex and Altitude Junkies worked hard for several weeks to put in the route to Camp 3 before abandoning the expeditions based on deep snow, soft snow bridges, crevasses and avalanche danger. But the route was in through the crux.

Himex, Altitude Junkies and Adventure Consultants leaders made the decision the mountain was not safe and 38 returned to Kathmandu.  One Himex Sherpa fell into a crevasse, was rescued but not seriously injured.

However other teams stayed taking the risk and it paid off. Seven Summits International, out of Nepal, went on to put two separate teams on the summit within 24 hours totaling 27 . From their Facebook page:

“Seven Summit Treks Mt.Manaslu International expedition Team” On 30th September 2015, once again summit Mt. Manaslu 8163m Successfully. It’s the 1st Summit success over above 8000m mountain after the recent destructive earthquake in Nepal. Since we had a lager team, we had decided to break down the team into 2 Group for summit push.This is Summit success by our 1st Team –9 Members and 6 Climbing Sherpa Guide in total 15 Person. As reported by Chhang Dawa Sherpa, team Manager and director of Seven Summit Treks, Mr. Santiago Quintero from Ecuador, Victor Hugo Rimac from Peru, Daniel Stuart Trevena from Australia, Cheji Norbu Sherpa from Nepal, Mingma Thenduk Sherpa from Nepal and more other team members summit Mt. Manaslu.

and

Seven summit international manaslu expedition 2015 second team summit manaslu-8163m today at 5:00am congratulation to for wholewww.sevensummittreks.com team 100% succes

Other teams with Manaslu success included Ascent Himalaya, Thamserku Trekking, Active Holiday Nepal Treks, and Himalayan Guides Nepal Treks according to this report in the Himalayan Times. SummitClimb put 5 on the summit, and Amical out of Germany with 5  summiteers were only Western owned operators to summit this season.

Guy Cotter, Adventure Consultants, summed up his decision:

There are several teams poised to make a summit attempt in the next few days, and perhaps, if they are lucky, they may avoid the hazards and achieve success. But for us, the conditions surpass the threshold that we perceive is acceptable risk and hence we will make a humble departure from the mountain for this season. This isn’t an ‘easy’ decision for us but it feels like the right one, even if it does mean failure in reaching the summit.

 

Makalu – Over

Adrian Ballinger tweeted that their attempt to be the first to ski from the summit of Makalu was over.:

Push is over and no summit reached. We did ski from a new high point. And everyone safe after some very real avys above 8k.

Dhaulagiri – Climbing

A small team lead by French Alpinist Yannick Graziani is moving up on Dhaulagiri (26794’/8167m) on their acclimatization rotations.

Everest – Another Attempt

Japanese Nobukazu Kuriki, is saying he will try for the summit again this weekend. He turned back around 7700 meters due to deep snow a few days ago He will be better acclimatized this time but the snow conditions will most likely be the same. He intends to start his summit push from Camp 3 around 7700 meters rather than the traditional 8000m at the South Col.

He climbs alone without using supplemental oxygen. He is on his fifth attempt to summit Everest, he lost nine of his finger tips in 2012 on an attempt via the west Ridge.  He posted on his Facebook:

After descending to the base camp, I’m resting right now. Because I had 1 meal a day and spent 3 days in higher altitude than 7500m, I lost some weight and got bad skin condition, which is a correct reaction of my body to the altitude that human cannot live in.

But my heart keeps beating, and I’m ready to climb again to the summit of Everest. I’m going to rest a few days in the base camp and start climbing again.

I was a little below the south col (7900m) but decided to descend because deep snow clung up to my lower back. Normally, climbers go up to south col through Lhotse Face, but I climbed from left area of the route like I did in 2011.

It is because I felt risk of avalanche in Lhotse Face. The route I climbed in left had much deeper snow but less risk of avalanche. Also, I will be able to lower altitude quicker when I descend. There is deep snow, but it allowed me to pitch a tent in stable position.

When I reach camp 4 next time, I will leave the luggage to my tent and climb up to south col to make a route and come back to the tent. Then the next day, I’ll start summit push from the camp 4.

The reason why I don’t set a tent up in the south col is because it’s hard to climb in deep snow having tent without oxygen tank. Also, it’s too much burden to my body to stay in 7900m of south col after reaching the summit.

I think it’s better for me to pitch a tent at 7600m and climb with light luggage and descend to lower altitude.

After I have good rest, I’ll start climbing again.

Best of luck to him.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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7 thoughts on “autumn Himalayan Update: Another Everest Attempt, Manaslu Summits

  1. Hi Alan,

    Thanks for the update…great to hear an Aussie got to summit Manaslu!

    Was wondering about the route on the lhotse face that Kuriki discussed. I am thinking that from the traditional camp 2 location looking at the Lhotse face, he is taking a line on climbers left…to the left of the Geneva Spur hugging the SW flank of Everest?

    I am interested because i have often looked at poctures of the Lhoste face and wondered why teams always go for the traditional route under Lhotse and then cut across up and over the Geneva Spur to the South Col.
    My thoughts were a combination of avalanche risk and exposure to hazard from the south west face that would make the traditional route safer up the Lhotse face.

    Would be honoured if you could shed any light on this subject for me.

    Cheers

    Josh Hick

    1. Josh, I’m not sure exactly what he is talking about as to the climber’s left on the Lhotse Face proper is steep and extremely avalanche prone. Perhaps snow conditions are different right now thus his decision.

      There is a know route called the South Pillar that was summited in 1980 by Poles Jerzy Kukuczka and Andrzej Czok but that is more of a direct route to the South Summit, bypassing the South Col entirely.

    2. Hi, I am a big fan of Kuriki from Japan
      What we call the rout he took is “Alpine chough’s valley”.
      In 2011, he also took this rout and cancelled climbing because his deposit had been spoiled by Alpine choughs.
      His GPS track shows he seems to be taking this rout again NOW, it’s very strange…
      Do you think he will make it? Thanks!
      http://goo.gl/wUllQs

      1. Luigi, thank you. What he is doing is very ambitious and aggressive. It all depends on the snow conditions and how he feel once he gets above 8000 meters. I know from personal experience that you may feel well at 7000 meters but then the altitude takes a toll on you. I wish him the very best and hope he makes it up and down safely. He is strong, young climber who has many more attempts ahead of this does not work out.

  2. Kate, while I understand how you might think the would-be summiteers are feeling right, it be presumptive to assume they feel distraught or even disappointed. Having been in a similar situation after choosing to leave Manaslu in 2012 after the avalanche, I can say that they might be both happy for the people that summited AND entirely relieved that they did not run a risk that for them wasn’t worth it. I don’t doubt, given the expense and effort, that those who left wrestled quite a bit with the decision. But they made a decision and that making of the decision, the relief of being decisive, might itself be entirely rewarding. Sure, not quite like getting on top, but perhaps enough to eclipse whatever disappointment you think they might be feeling.

    Not to mention the fact that they got back to pizza and beer a few days early. Given that they’ve just spent several weeks living on a glacier, the value of that comfort probably feels pretty damn nice.

    1. Jonathan you are quite right,it would be very presumptive of me to think that the would be summiteers are feeling dispirited or disappointed after the 2015 season. I was really stating how I felt after the very disturbing events of this year and I was speaking from the comfort of my armchair. I know two climbers personally who did feel as I imagined but I am sure there are many who have returned thrilled to bits to have even set foot on the mountain of their choice. Whatever the circumstances they will have made new friends and enjoyed the excitement of new experiences both good and bad. Anything that stimulates and encourages us to go forward must be rewarding. I didn’t intend to speak for others but sitting in my armchair I have too much time to use my sometimes infertile imagination. Cheers Kate

  3. Thank you once again for your informative blog. I cannot begin to imagine how the would be summiteers are feeling right now.I only know how disappointed I am after such a sad year on many accounts. Your little blogs manage to help that little fire inside me to keep glowing. Not having an Everest season to follow coupled with all the surrounding sadness has left me feeling a little dispirited, then low and behold a blog from the wonderful Alan and my interest flares up again and I can’t wait for the 2016 preparations to begin.Bring it on. Cheers Kate

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