Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Summits Soon!

We may see the first autumn client summits this week, especially on Cho Oyu and perhaps Manaslu. Meanwhile most teams have arrived at all the other 8000ers on the schedule this season in mixed weather conditions.

The permit numbers continue to increase as the Nepal Tourism Department issued this update:

 

Everest

The weather is tough at Everest Base Camp creating some delays. Hopefully it will clear out as the last traces of the summer monsoon fade away.

Madison Mountaineering Autumn Everest

Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering and his Mountain Hardwear team have arrived at Everest Base Camp and are doing the normal skills review on an obstacle course set up near base camp. Their trekkers have left so now it’s time to get serious.

The Mystery Everest Run 

Nothing new from Kilian Jornet‘s who is on Everest and Lhotse.

Skiing down Everest

Polish climber Andrzej Bargiel is working this way through the Icefall towards Camp 1. I suspect he is being very careful as, if he continues according to plan, will ski the Khumbu Icefall completely during his descent. He posted:

It’s not so easy…We’re still trying to find the safe way to camp I. In the morning the sun wakes us up, but in the evenings the weather is bad.

Project Possible – On Cho Oyu (Tibet) Now

Nirmal Purja Purja Purja has shifted from Manaslu to Cho Oyu hoping to summit before the Chinese deadline of October 1. He gave this clear update:

My intent is to summit both #ChoOyu & #Manaslu by the end of September. Hoping that the Chinese government would allow me a special permit on #Shishapangma this year so that the mission would be complete.

Nirmal Purja Purja Purja has a total of 11 summits of 8000ers in 94 days: Annapurna (April 23), Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2 and Broad Peak (July 26).

Lhotse – Acclimatizing

The 11 member Polish team who will attempt Lhotse via the standard route are already on the trek through the Khumbu. No new updates.

Dhaulagiri – Almost to Base Camp

Carlos Soria Fontán is now on his way to base camp after acclimatizing in the Khumbu. This will be his 10th time attempting to summit Dhaulagiri. According to this report, he is a member of a 15 person team led by woman climber Sophie Marie Therese Jeanne from France. Also on their permit are Spanish climber Sergio Mingote Moreno, Moeses Fiamoncini from Brazil, Mattia Ignazio Conte from Italy, Josette Valloton from Switzerland, Csaba Varga from Hungary, Skatov Atanas Georgiev from Bulgaria, Muhammad Ali from Pakistan, Maria Aguerri, Luis Miguel Lopez, Luis Cortadellas Villagra and Agustin Demetrio Gracia from Spain.

Another team reported on Dhaulagiri includes Angelika Herczeg from Hungary, Aldona Barbara Drabik from Poland, Akira Saito from Japan, Antonios Sykaris from Greece, Chris Burke from Australia, Anastasila Volkova, Igor Derybas, Oleksii Kelin and Andril Dubok from Ukraine, Juan Pablo Prieto from Chile, Eva Kerekas from Hungary, Karl Debulsson from France, Akio Fujiwara from Japan, Jeannette Mc Gill from South Africa and Brett Martin from UK.

Manaslu- Ropes to Camp 3 in Tough Weather

The rain and snow continues to hit Manaslu but not stopping progress. There are over 500 people on Manaslu this autumn including 260 foreigners. Adventure Consultants said their team touched Camp 3 at 6700m. They are at Camp 1 today. Climbing The Seven Summits (CTSS) has made a rotation to Camp 1.  Kobler & Partner and Furtenbach are both on Manaslu. Some of the people on Manaslu this season include Muhammad Ali SadparaNoel Hanna and Lynne Hanna.

Seven Summits Club competed a rotation to Camp 2 in mixed conditions – rain and snow. They also commented on a large Chinese team that seems to creating bottlenecks on the route. On Manaslu, the most difficult section, other to the altitude related to the summit push, is between Camps 1 and 2.

  The next morning we tried to get out early to cross dangerous areas before the slopes melted. We put on avalanche sensors, helmets, quickly gathered, but were not the first.  We had to pass some  group on the road. But on steep sections it was necessary to wait long – a rope upwards was only one. This section from  Camp 1 to  Camp 2 is the most dangerous on the route. There are  a lot of the overhanging cornices and seracs here. It was scary, so we hardly rested. We tried to quickly run through the dangerous areas. So we passed several ladders thrown over crevasses, in some places it was very impressive…

Tibet

Cho Oyu – Ropes to the summit?

IMG posted they are making excellent progress with their Sherpas making excellent progress on fixing the ropes. This post from a few days ago which I suspect means the ropes are to the summit today, Tuesday, September 17.

Our Sherpa Team had a rope fixing meeting and have made a plan to have 6 Sherpa head up to Camp 1 tomorrow and continue fixing to Camp 2 and 3.  Weather dependent, they hope to get to Camp 3 on the 18th and then fix to the summit on the 20th-23rd when the weather looks good.

There has been deep snow reported from the upper mountain. Cho is the safest of the 8000ers in terms of deaths but in recent years there has been significant avalanche danger that has resulted in some years with no summits at all.

Shisha Pangma – No Permits?

Still no word if China will be issuing any permits for Shish this autumn.

Best of luck to all on all the peaks this autumn, and winter.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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5 thoughts on “Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Summits Soon!

  1. Just wondering if anyone has seen two blokes from Blackpool around Everest this autumn. I think one is named Frank Simons.They have little to no high altitude experience and have deep pockets. They are for sure going to K2 next year. My concern is that they are both a danger to others and hope the cause no incidents! Be safe everyone!

  2. Alan
    According to Desnível, Jost Kobusch will try Everest solo through Hornbein in winter, now I m confused.

    1. OK, so my mistake. He plans to climb starting in December via the Lho La pass to the West Ridge and then up the Hornbein couloir. I’ll update the next post. Thanks.

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