2024/25 Winter Himalaya Climbs End. An Everest Preview

Manalsu between C4 and C3 in 2013 by Alan Arnette

All four of the four 8000er winter climbs—Everest, Manaslu, Makalu and Annapurna—are over, showing the difficulty of climbing these high peaks in winter. Only one met its goal. Meanwhile, the usual pre-Everest antics are in full swing.

Makalu Over

The two climbers, Abolfazl Gozali,62, of Iran and Sanu Sherpa,49, of Nepal, ended their Makalu climb due to high winds. They did reach a respectable high point of 7,900m on 8,485m this winter. Gozali had no winter experience outside of Iran. He did have Manaslu and Lhoste via the regular routes in spring. Sanu has summited all 14 8000ers twice.

Annapurna Over

Mattia Conte of Italy and five Sherpas from Seven Summit Treks abandoned their effort on Anna. Italian journalist Alessandro Filippini posted  on FB:

On Annapurna yesterday was a very long and definitely “eventful” day for Mattia Conte and the very talented Sherpa from Seven Summit Treks who with him were climbing from field 2 (5400 m) to field 3. Today all back to Kathmandu by helicopter.

Alex Txikon wanted a winter climb in Annapurna but developed appendicitis and was evacuated to Kathmandu for surgery. The plans of the two climbers with him, young Pakistani climber Sajid Ali Sadpara and Italian Mattia Conte and Pole Waldemar Kowalewski, stayed for a bit but also abandoned the effort. Sajid posted on Instagram:

We had completed rotations, and our incredible Sherpa brothers had fixed ropes high on the mountain. But climbing isn’t just about summits—it’s about the safety and camaraderie of your team. The mountain will always be there to climb. Now back in Kathmandu

Jost Kobush tags 7537m on West Ridge. Climb Over (New Podcast Soon)

German Alpinist Jost Kobusch accomplished his objective of a winter, solo, no-O’s climb to reach over 7500 meters on Everest’s West Ridge. He made it in six days after arriving at base camp.  Jost tells me directly that he’s very happy with the results.

You can see his climb on the excellent tracking map at 3D Reality Maps, which uses Zoleo, and on his social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and his website. I did two interviews with Jost at:

Manaslu Over

Italian Simone Moro has left Manaslu, citing the weather. He posted on IG:

It’s time to call off the expedition… The weather didn’t play in our favor and for the next two weeks on Manaslu there will be winds up to 150 km/h which makes it impossible for an alpine style summit push.

He was back for the sixth winter attempt on Manaslu, the eighth-highest at 8,163m/26,782 ft. His partners were Nima Rinji Sherpa, the youngest to summit all 14 800ers, Polish climber and filmmaker Oswald Rodrigo Pereira.

Everest Preliminaries

As customary, the Nepal officials are playing badminton with the rules for this upcoming season. I’ll do a complete coverage when I start my Everest 2025 coverage, but the headlines include:

  • Helicopter to EBC on or Off? Hint: what day is it?
  • Is the permit fee $15,000 or $11,000? Hint: what newspaper do you read?
  • Can I have a tent with a private bathroom? Hint: If you need to ask, then …. 🙂
  • Can you climb Everest in under Six Weeks? Hint .. well you know this one 🙂
  • What about all of those Nepal Supreme Court mandates issued a year ago, including limiting the number of permits issued? Hint: see the following chart (almost none are ever passed or enforced)

 

New Everest Rules 2024

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything


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One thought on “2024/25 Winter Himalaya Climbs End. An Everest Preview

  1. Alan Arnette is a well-known mountaineer and one of the key inspirable figure for all who planning to climb Mt. Everest and high peaks in the world. He provides detailed information about climbing through alanarnette.com, including expedition updates and climbing news, gear reviews and training tips and insights into the challenges of high-altitude climbing. His blog is a trusted resource for climbers and adventure enthusiasts, offering practical advice and firsthand accounts of his expeditions. I really love his blogs which is the great resource of climbing. Namaste Alan Sir from Nepal.

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