Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Carlos, 80, Ends Dhaulagiri Attempt; Season Wrap-Up
Looking to summit all 14 of the 8,000-meter peaks, Carlos Soria Fontán has only Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma remaining, but Dhaul is proving to be difficult. The 80-year-old Spanish climber ended his 10th attempt overnight as high winds pummelled the summit and their Camp 3 location at 7,250-meters/23,790-feet. The summit is 8,167-meters/26,794-feet. With a poor weather forecast, it appears this season is over. Outfitter Expedition Base provided these details: Dhaulagiri Expedition update: news in not long ago. All climbers (unconfirmed) from all teams have called it at Camp 3 and are descending to base camp. The high winds were unrelenting for more than a month, today was no exception, and they even picked up some more, above the weather forecast for kmph. Grand effort by all climbers and for those especially who stayed for the duration from early September in hopes of a reasonable window. High winds combined with deep snow, buried ropes and snow flurries is ‘threading the needle’ nail biting stuff. Commending all climbers for their efforts and sound decision making. Safe descent all. Time for a well earned rest. Namaste! Himalaya Autumn Wrap-Up With the Dhaulagiri climbers returning to base camp it appears the autumn season is mostly over for the 8,000-meter peaks. Still lots of activity on the 6,000-meter hills like Cholatse and Ama Dablam plus the trekking peaks of Island, Mera and the rest. It will take some time before there are firm numbers on how many summits occurred but there are my best estimates for the peaks attempted and a recap for each peak. Everest – No Summits There is usually one reason for few autumn summits on the world’s highest peak – the weather! But this year it was not only a late monsoon that brought wind and snow to the Nepal side of Everest but also a piece of the huge serac that looms over the Khumbu Icefall threatened to fall at any moment. This objective danger caused team after team and climber after climber to make the judgment call that it was simply too dangerous to make an attempt. Thus a few made one rotation into the Western Cwm but most never got higher than mid-Icefall. Madison Mountaineering (see Garrett’s recap) had the highest-profile team with the CEO of Mountain Hardware there plus Kilian Jornet on his permit. Polish skier Andrezj Bargiel, who wanted to ski nonstop from the summit to base camp, never got a chance. Impact on Everest Spring 2020 It will be interesting to see how guides treat climbing under this searc of it hasn’t fallen by next April. If it hasn’t fallen then I can’t imagine the season moving forward. However, with winter then early spring still to come along with very cold then warmer days, I can’t imagine it “hanging” up there. But this illustrates why climbing from the north side is becoming more and more attractive. I’ve had many questions and suggestions as to why the serac is not blown up like is done to remove objective dangers and avalanche danger on ski resorts. Well, first off it is in Nepal’s Sagamartha National Park and a World Heritage site so “destroying” the environment is strictly forbidden. Then there is the matter of scale, size, and debris field – it would be massive, perhaps more so than when it simply falls naturally thus creating even more impact on the area below. Also, not sure exactly how one would do this. By helicopter or cannon or experts climbing up and placing dynamite? In any case, it would be a logistical challenge, to say the least. But I think the overriding reason is this is a natural occurrence on a mountainside. Climbing is optional and if no one ever climbed Everest by this route again, well the Sherpas and guides and some with dreams would be financially and ego damaged but the world would still go around. Jornet Reached 8,300-meters on Everest Jornet (see his recap) reported he reached 8,300-meters on a solo attempt following variant of the polish 80’s route. It leaves Camp 2 and trends almost straight up to the summit, bypassing the South Col. ‘F’ in the map below. Lhotse – No Attempts An 11 member Polish team had targeted the world’s fourth-highest peak but never made an attempt due to the serac danger. The normal route on Lhotse shares Everest’s Southeast Ridge route through the Khumbu Icefall. Cho Oyu – Many Summits Probably around 50 summits from the Tibet side of the world’s sixth-highest peak. Teams that summited included Alpenglow (6), IMG (8), and Seven Summits Treks (2). This season was complicated when the Chinese said every foreigner had to be out of Tibet no later than October 1. They were fearing protests around China’s National Day which commemorates the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Manaslu – Hundreds of Summits By far the most popular autumn peak this year and often used as a precursor for Everest the next spring, Manaslu had well over 300, perhaps as many as 400 summits this season. The giant Nepali operator, Seven Summits Treks had the most with probably over 150 summits, including support. Other guides with summits included Kobler & Partners (13), Adventure Consultants (10), Summit Climb (6), 7 Summits Club (15), Furtenbach (4) and a team with Arnold Coster. Other teams that probably summited included Pioneer Adventures, Satori Adventures, Shangri-La Nepal and Dream Himalaya Adventures. A Russian team arrived after everyone else had left the mountain assuming there would be ropes and ladders still on the route, but they were mistaken and returned home. Dhaulagiri – A Few Summits Sergi Mingote summited in tough conditions but, as previously mentioned most of the others were stopped by high winds. Sanu Sherpa from Makalu, Sankhuwasava, Nepal summited to become the 42nd person and 3rd Nepalese to complete all 14 Peak over 8000 meters. Bulgarian Atanas Skatov also summited. There were 30 permits issued. Shishapangma – Nirmal Purja on Hold China officially closed Shish citing “dangerous” conditions but the real reason may have been around
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Last Climbers Abandon Everest
Nirmal Purja confirmed his last climb of his Project Possible and the remaining teams on Everest leave due to the end of the season and serac dangers. Everest – And Then There Were None Madison Mountaineering and Kilian Jornet both fearing the devasting effect of being hit by the trailer sized ice serac a few thousand feet above the Khumbu Icefall when it falls, have officially abandoned their climbs. Their Nepali logistics organizer, Iswari Paudel, Managing Director at Himalayan Guides, confirmed their decision in the Himalayan Times Garrett told me yesterday: Yes, I think I’m going to call it off tomorrow…we’re running out of time. Yeah, it was a tough season with the late and heavy monsoon…plus the Serac. Just wasn’t in the cards for us this time. He posted this picture Kilian Jornet got higher on Everest than anyone else this season using his speed climbing to reduce the risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time in the Icefall. He made these comments on his Twitter and Instagram feeds: This last month I had been in Khumbu valley
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: New Everest Serac Picture
Well, the autumn Himalaya season seems to have a second breath on Manaslu. Disaster nearly avoided on Dhaulagiri climbers and a new picture of the hanging serac over the Everest Khumbu Icefall. Russians are back on Manaslu. Carlos Soria Fontán at age 80 will make one more summit bid on Dhaulagiri. And, an unclimbed route on Ama Dablam. Everest – Serac Watch Madison Mountaineering‘s team is down to Garret and one client. They are at base camp and seem content to wait as long as their permit allows (which is mid October) to see if anything happens with the serac. Garrett checked in and posted a new picture: Today is October 5th. Great day here at Everest base camp — sunny day, great views, nice people around. The Serac is still up there so we’re not heading up the mountian anytime soon. Everyone’s doing well and we’ll check in soon. Thanks. Garrett also announced a new line of clothing and gear developed with Mountain Hardwear: I’m very proud and excited to announce the launch of Mountain Hardwear’s ‘Garrett Madison Collection’, the very finest clothing and equipment for high altitude mountaineering in the world’s most extreme conditions. This gear has been meticulously designed and rigorously tested to the highest standards, for climbers wishing to challenge themselves on the world’s highest peaks, a collaboration between Mountain Hardwear and myself. A new standard has been set, thank you Mountain Hardwear for seeing the vision and following through on the hard work to create this elite product line, enabling high altitude climbers the best opportunity to achieve our dreams! Link in bio! -some items such as Trango tents and Phantom sleeping bags are available now, other items coming soon! Blow it up? I’ve had many questions and suggestions as to why the serac is not blown up like are done to remove objective dangers and avalanche danger on ski resorts. Well, first off it is in Nepal’s Sagamartha National Park and a World Heritage site so “destroying” the environment is strictly forbidden. Then there is the matter of scale, size, and debris field – it would be massive, perhaps more so than when it simply falls naturally thus creating even more impact to the area below. Also, not sure exactly how one o=would do this. By helicopter or cannon or experts climbing up and placing dynamite? In any case, it would be a logistical challenge, to say the least. But I think the overriding reason is this is a natural occurrence on a mountain side. Climbing is optional and if no one ever climbed Everest by this route again, well the Sherpas and guides and some with dreams would be financially and ego damaged but the world would still go around. No solid update on Kilian Jornet and his friend Carlos. They are using Gorak Shep as their base camp but have made several climbs into the Western Cwm. Jornet had planned to make a speed climb reportedly via a new route from Camp 2. At this point, if he continues with his plan, it may be a solo effort in difficult conditions. Ama Dablam – On the Trek Climbers finally got to Lukla and are now on the trek to Ama Dablam. Joshua Ross is on his way to attempt the standard route while Nima Namgyal Sherpa posted “Amadablam North Ridge. Not sure if there has been any successful summit after 1979. Some pictures from our sherpa (Nawang Tenjing )who went twice with Himex a few years ago. Another attempt underway this fall.” Dhaulagiri Summit Near Disaster Sergi Mingote provided more details on his no O’s summit on Dhaulagiri: The summit day was a day of overcoming and surpassing my limits, but I can finally say that I got it! I’m back in Base Camp. I haven’t explained this yet to my family, but during the descent, alone and when it was almost night, I did not correctly perform a descent manoeuvre and I had an important shock. One of those which teach you! Friends, it will not happen again. I had a hard time tonight. The tiny tent that I had in Camp 3 had been covered in snow and I’ve been shrinking and frozen for a few hours. The seventh highest mountain in the world is already part of the #14x1000catalanoniaproject. A dour mountain which gave several autumn seasons without letting any climber in the world climb. I am proud to be the third alpinist of the year to get it, and the most important thing, I’m the first to achieve it without the use of bottled oxygen! In fact, yesterday, only my Chilean friend, Juan Pablo Mohr, and I could go up without oxygen. He went down much later because he got lost during the descent. As for Moes, he had hands frozen, which left him very close to the top. It was a pity Dhaulagiri, a great mountain, the Olympic Project #pirineusbarcelona2030, a great sports project. We will continue all together this great country project. DREAM BIG FRIENDS Looks like Carlos Soria Fontán at age 80 will make one more summit bid next week on his 10th attempt. He only needs Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma to complete all 14 8000ers. Manaslu – Seriouly Over Well, I said a few days ago that Manaslu was done but then found out the Russians were there but just as I hit the post button on this update found out they have stopped!: Odd they didn’t bring gear to fix their own route knowing they were coming in after the others would have left …. Unfortunately, we stopped climbing. There’s no one left on the mountain. Even when we went up to base camp, we met dozens of locals taking miles of ladders, stairs and everything that was left of the expedition. On their way to camp first camp, all ropes were cut off. At Height of 5900, they fell into an impenetrable crack crossing the entire ice. Tried to search for rounds, but without ice gear and ice gear, it was impossible… Winter Solo Everest Attempt Planned
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Dhaulagiri Summits!
Extremely determined Dhaulagiri climbers made the summit this morning. No movement on Everest and climbs have ended on Manaslu, Cho Oyu. Dhaulagiri – Summits!! Sergi Mingote summited in tough conditions. This summit takes him halfway through his program to summit all the 8000ers in 1,000 days. Now he has seven including K2, Broad Peak, Manaslu, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, and Gasherbrum II. Sergi posted this today: I’VE REACHED THE TOP! In only 444 days this is the seventh 8000 m-summit, without the help of artificial oxygen. After Broad Peak, K2, Manaslu, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat and Gasherbrum II, today I’ve already reached Dhaulaguiri, of 8,167 meters! After 13 hours, now the most important thing is the descent Also, Sanu Sherpa from Makalu, Sankhuwasava, Nepal summited to become the 42nd person and 3rd Nepalese to complete all 14 Peak over 8000 meters. Bulgarian Atanas Skatov also summited. There were 30 permits issued but no word on who else may have summited with Sergie, Sanu, and Atanas. Juan Pablo Mohr and Moesses Fiamoncini were on the same push but no updates at the moment. Chris Jensen Burke had to abandon her climb but made some interesting comments today regarding the difficulty of finding the true summit on Dhaulagiri: DHAULAGIRI EXPEDITION UPDATE: Well, after some weeks of constant and heavy snowfall on the mountain, un-flash weather generally, and everything to suggest that Dhaulagiri has been playing with us all, we started a summit push around 5 days ago. Every day was knee or thigh deep snow. We held up for 2 extra days at C1 to move loads and due to avalanche risk (luckily a route setting team member survived an avalanche above C2), climbers questioned the overall risks at C2 (re deep snow, winds and lack of confirmation on where the summit was – in those conditions) and some of us descended yesterday and the day before when weighing up all the risk factors and saying ‘it is time to call time’. Yesterday, some climbers also went up for the summit, and Lakpa again questioned whether it could be found with snowfall forecast in the night and ropes not as advanced as all hoped. With the heavy snow, the historical markers to the true summit were covered, we all surmised. This morning at around 8am (local time) Lakpa received a radio call from climbers who had climbed through the night asking where the summit was as climbers has dispersed [at a certain location ] the climber said when the ropes stopped and the correct couloir (to reach the true summit) was not obvious. If you climb too high before finding the correct couloir and don’t ascend the correct couloir, you can’t get to the true summit. Some climbers who descended in prior days ‘calling time’ have left for home, like me (I left today) – I have run out of time and have to return to Australia. A small number of climbers have flown into base camp today with the late opportunity to come from other mountains since Dhaulagiri is ‘late’. A small number remain at base camp hoping to catch a late window but their forecasts are less than ideal so far – hope remains for 7-9 October. We may hear that the some summits have occurred today (local time) but confirmation on true summits will need to follow given the confusion that we are told occurred in the night. Seasoned climbers on Dhaulagiri tell us it has had more snow this season than any other season they have experienced and some have been to Dhaulagiri more than 5 times. I looked at my old 2016 photos and back then it was ‘mostly’ rock. I think I’ll visit Dhaulagiri in the northern spring next time! Very tired and time for a rest! Best wishes to all finishing their climbing on the 8,000ers in Nepal for this season, as the 6,000ers begin! Looks like Carlos Soria Fontán at age 80 will make one more summit bid next week on his 10th attempt. He only needs Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma to complete all 14 8000ers. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Determined Climbers Not Giving Up
Looks like everyone is off Cho Oyu by the Chinese imposed October 1 deadline. Almost everyone is finished with Manaslu and the Dhaulagiri climbers will either summit or turn back over the next couple of days fighting deep snow conditions. And on Everest, serac watch continues for a determined few. More flight problems for Lukla. Project Possible: Permit Approved, Nim’s Quiet Nirmal Purja has not confirmed on his social media that he received the permit from China to climb Shishapangma but multiple media reports say he has been approved. One said he must wait until at least October 8 to enter Tibet so he may be waiting to make sure this really happens. Obviously, they will be the only climbers on Shish because previously Chinese climbing officials had declared the peak closed citing dangerous conditions. There have been multiple incidents over the past few years but in reality, it’s probably no more dangerous than it ever has been. Shish is known to have serious avalanche danger. His Project Possible is to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months. Now he has 13 in a mere 157 days: Annapurna (April 23), Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak and Cho Oyu and, Manaslu (Sept 27). He needs to complete Shish by November 23 to meet his goal of seven months. Everest – Serac Watch Madison Mountaineering‘s team is down to Garret and one client. They are at base camp and plan to wait a few more days to see if anything happens with the serac. Garrett reported that low clouds and snow have moved off Everest and they are enjoying nice weather for a change. The hope is the hot sun at these altitudes will create enough of a disturbance that the serac will release soon. Kilian Jornet and his friend Carlos are using Gorak Shep as their base camp but have made several climbs into the Western Cwm. Jornet had planned to make a speed climb reportedly via a new route from Camp 2. At this point, if he continues with his plan, it may be a solo effort in difficult conditions. Dhaulagiri – Deep Snow Sergi Mingote, Chris Jensen Burke and Expedition Base are all on their summit push fighting tough conditions. Sergi gave this update as they reached Camp 3: After breaking through the snow, for almost 11 hours! We’re already in Camp 3 of Dhaulagiri, at 7,254 meters. He posted this and a short video the previous day: We finally decided to stay in Camp 2 (6,500 m). Yesterday was a hard day, the trail was very snowy and there was a positive elevation of almost 2,000 meters. Tomorrow, very early in the morning, we will go to Camp 3 and try to install it at 7,200 meters high. If the snow and the wind allow us, we will start our way to the top of Dhaulagiri on the night of day 2 and our intention is to reach it on October 3. It is complicated because of the amount of snow accumulated but we have to try. We will achieve it! He may go for the summit tonight, October 2/3 in Nepal with mates Juan Pablo Mohr and Moesses Fiamoncini. Looks like Carlos Soria Fontán at age 80 is stalled on his 10th attempt due to the bad conditions. He only needs Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma to complete all 14 8000ers. We just went down to the base camp, after spending two nights in the mountains. We depart on September 29 towards Camp I, with the idea of having some chance of trying the summit on Day 2. From the beginning we found enough snow, accumulated from the last snowfall. On the 30th we arrived at camp 2, enduring some snowfall, which gave way to shy clear ones, at the end of the day. The great accumulation of snow and the work that is still pending on the mountain make us decide to go down today, October 1, to the base camp and wait, a little longer for the snow cover to stabilize. Also for the next few days the weather indicates a severe increase in wind. We still have time to face the ascent of Dhaulagiri in the best possible conditions and with the best criteria. We share with you all some photos of these days. Ama Dablam – Can’t Get There! Climbers can’t even get to Lukla to attempt Ama Dablam due to poor weather that is stopping flights from Kathmandu. Joshua Ross gave me this update from Kathmandu: Day 5 of no lukla service. 2 days at ramechhap 3 at katmandu. Additionally, helo prices have gone up from 1300 a flight to 1850 with baggage over 10kg requiring quiet the tip. Summit air and tara air have openly listed grievances with air control methods as the ATCs are accounting for travel time from katmandu to lukla not ramechhip to luka. This is causing flight windows that would be sufficient to not be opened. A LOT of idealistic travelers choosing the jeep trek option . He posted on his Facebook page: So, 2 days no flights to lukla for me (5 days total of bad weather there) I coughed up 760 dollars on a helio. My bags went first and my flight never came. The bird with my bags where diverted to zuka (spelling ?) An hour down hill of lukla. Then where supposed to be carried to luka by a hired porter. Now no one knows where all my climbing gear went. Neither place nor the porter have seen my gear. If this trip works out, if I get my bags its going down as an epic even before I get to basecamp. Btw still waiting on my helio Unrest in New Guinea Word has it that unrest in Papua is causing teams to cancel their climb of Carstensz Pyramid. That part of the world is well-known for having issues and especially with the mine and their workers so it’s always a gamble. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: China Issues Shishapangma Permit to Nirmal Purja
Multiple media outlets are reporting that China has agreed to give Nirmal Purja a permit to climb Shishapangma to achieve his self-imposed timetable of November 23 to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months. Thus far there has been no word on Nirmal Purja’s social media. The news broke on this Italian website and then after I reached out to the Himalaya Times to confirm this story they reported: “Dawa Sherpa, Managing Director at Climbalaya Treks told THT that he received a message from China and Tibet Mountaineering Association that Purja-led team would get a special permit for Mt Shishapangma at the request of Nepal’s government. Chinese authorities have clearly conveyed me a message that Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu will do necessary arrangement to secure a Shishapangma climbing permit for Purja and his team of Project Possible at the earliest,” Sherpa, who runs mountaineering expeditions in Tibet, said. Further, they noted; “As the embassy remains closed for a week to mark 70 years of Communist rule, a process to issue permit would start after October 8.” So Nirmal Purja will accept a delay before his attempt. He needs to complete his mission before November 23 to meet his goal of seven months. Note there are a lot of conditional clauses in these statements so I remain cautious that Nirmal Purja is 100% in but, again, he needs to summit Shish by November 23 to meet his own declared goal. Project Possible: China Approves Of course, we all know Nirmal Purja’s project is to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months. Now he has 13 in a mere 157 days: Annapurna (April 23), Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak and Cho Oyu and, Manaslu (Sept 27). He needs to complete Shish by November 23 to meet his goal of seven months. China has said all foreigners must be out of Tibet no later than October 1 fearing protests around China’s National Day which commemorates the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Additionally, China had said no climbing on Shishapangma a few months ago after a string of deaths and accidents on the lowest of the fourteen 8000ers. They officially have stated they believe the mountain had become too dangerous to climb but most likely that is just an excuse to keep people out of Tibet right now. Obviously, Nirmal Purja and his team are highly qualified to attempt Shish. Meanwhile, Nirmal Purja is using his global fame to talk about climate change: More updates as I get them. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Last Cho Oyu Summits as China Closes Tibet to Foreigners
With the autumn Himalaya climbing season winding down many are following 80-year-old Carlos Soria Fontán on Dhaulagiri, and Kilian Jornet on Everest and of course, the giant hanging serac over the Khumbu Icefall. Teams are arriving for the popular 6,000-meter peak Ama Dablam now. Chinese Fear China has said all foreigners must be out of Tibet no later than October 1 fearing protests around China’s National Day which commemorates the founding of People’s Republic of China in 1949. This put pressure on the Cho Oyu climbers this season to accelerate their schedules. Cho has been regularly summited into October and occasionally early November. The sweet spot is from September 18th through October 6th. Additionally, China had said no climbing on Shishapangma a few months ago after a string of deaths and accidents on the lowest of the fourteen 8000ers. They officially have stated they believe the mountain had become too dangerous to climb but most likely that is just an excuse to keep people out of Tibet right now. Cho Oyu – Final Summits for Season Alpenglow squeezed under the October 1st deadline with summits in what guide Chad Peele called “difficult conditions”: Yesterday our amazing team summited #Chooyu with warm but overcast skies. With all the recent snowfall we had a hell of a time breaking trail and kicking steps but with the help of our support team swapping leads we plowed to the summit! Go team Phortse Sherpa ! Although we had a really long summit day, we were able to descend to camp 1 where we continued our hydration and promptly passed TF out. The following morning brought much needed sunshine & warmth and we continued our descent to ABC where we will spend one additional day of rest and organization before trekking to BC and starting our drive back to Lhasa 16-year-old girl Australian female, Gabrielle Jane Kanizay, summited with 3 other members and 4 Sherpas with IMG last week to become the youngest female to summit Cho. Everest – Serac Watch Madison Mountaineering‘s team is down to Garret and one client. They are at base camp and plan to wait a few more days to see if anything happens with the serac. I checked in with Garrett his Monday evening and he reported the serac had not fallen. Kilian Jornet and his friend Carlos are using Gorak Shep as their base camp but are at Camp 1 today, Monday, September 30, 2019. Jornet had planned to make a speed climb reportedly via a new route from Camp 2. At this point, if he continues with his plan, it may be a solo effort in difficult conditions. Thus far the CEO of Mountain Hardwear and his film team plus one of their athletes, the Polish National team and Andrzej Bargiel have all abandoned their hopes of an autumn summit after Bargiel‘s team using their drone spotted the hanging serac. The serac was estimated to be 200-feet/60-meters high and is about 3,000-feet/1,000-meters above the midpoint of the Khumbu Icefall. When it falls it, the debris is expected to span the entire Icefall all the way to Nuptse destroying any ladders or ropes previously there for the climbing route. In 2014, a similar event took place taking 16 lives as it landed directly on climbers in the Icefall. Dhaulagiri – Summit Push Now Sergi Mingote, Carlos Soria Fontán at age 80, Chris Jensen Burke and Expedition Base are all on their summit push hoping to beat incoming weather later this week. Manaslu: Last of the Summit Pushes The Climbing the Seven Summits team is now at Camp 3 on their summit push. They are in one of the last waves this season. Project Possible: China Remains Quiet on Nirmal Purja’ Permit Nirmal Purja is on hold waiting for a thumbs up or down on China issuing him a permit to climb Shishapangma the only 8000er solely located within Tibet. Of course, we all know his project is to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months. Now he has 13 in a mere 157 days: Annapurna (April 23), Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak and Cho Oyu and, Manaslu (Sept 27). He needs to complete Shish by November 23 to meet his goal of seven months. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Another Team Abandons Autumn Everest
With little hope of the house sized serac teetering above the Khumbu Icefall of releasing anytime soon, another team gave up on their summit plans leaving only two teams with remaining Everest hopes and dreams. The final pushes on Manaslu and Dhaulagiri are underway. Everest – Serac Watch Today the Andrzej Bargiel team left base camp giving up on his dream to ski directly from the summit to base camp without removing his skis and without supplemental oxygen. I’m betting he will try again perhaps next autumn or even in spring if the crowds are not too bad. Madison Mountaineering‘s team is still at base camp and plan to wait a few more days to see if anything happens with the serac. He gave another update on Kilian who was reported in the Western Cwm a couple of days ago. Given Kilian basically runs through the Icefall, while still risky, he minimizes the risk with his speed. We were very happy to see our friend Kilian Jornet and his friend Carlos come into our camp for a few hours this afternoon and have lunch with us. Kilian’s just back from Namche and planning on heading up in a few days, weather pending. As far as Kilian’s chances to summit if the Madison teams leaves, it would be solo, unassisted in what is reported to be usually deep snow on the Lhotse Face and unknown conditions higher and no fixed ropes. Garrett noted “We heard a big boom today in the icefall, it might have been the serac that we’ve been waiting to break loose and fall down. We won’t know until we get a good view when the weather clears up in a day or two.” His team went to Gorak Shep for a break today given low cloud blocked any views. Dhaulagiri – Summit Push Soon Sergi Mingote is at base camp with Carlos Soria Fontán, Chris Jensen Burke and Expedition Base. They are ready for the summit push when weather allows. Sergi laid out their plan I think that during the next few days it will be decided if the “white mountain” remains as inaccessible as the last autumns, or it allows us to reach the 8,167 meters of its peak. We will try to attack the summit between October 1 and 2, since then strong winds enter and this date could be the end of the season. I am feeling strong, I am acclimatized and above all with enough motivation and energy to plan a good attack to the top. Tomorrow, day 30 I will depart directly to Camp 2, on day 1 we will try to establish a Camp 3 higher than usual, over 7,400 meters, and on October 2 we will try to reach the peak. I hope that all of us will have the strength and luck to be able to reach the peak of this incredible mountain. Now more than ever we have to dream BIG! 80-year-old Carlos Soria Fontán is reported to be on his push and is at Camp 2. Manaslu: Last of the Summit Pushes The Climbing the Seven Summits team is now at Camp 2 on their summit push. They are in one of the last waves this season. Project Possible: China Quiet Nirmal Purja is on hold waiting for a thumbs up or down on China issuing him a permit to climb Shishapangma the only 8000er solely located within Tibet. China has said all foreigners must be out of Tibet no later than October 1 fearing protests around anniversaries, holidays, remembrances, etc. thus leaving open the big question of whether they will give Nirmal Purja a climbing permit for Shishapangma. Additionally, China had said no climbing on Shishapangma a few months ago after a string of deaths and accidents on the lowest of the fourteen 8000ers. They officially have stated they believe the mountain had become too dangerous to climb but most likely that is just an excuse to keep people out of Tibet right now. Of course, we all know his project is to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months. Now he has 13 in a mere 157 days: Annapurna (April 23), Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak and Cho Oyu and, Manaslu (Sept 27). He needs to complete Shish by November 23 to meet his goal of seven months. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Nirmal Purja gets Manaslu, Will China Approve Shishapangma?
More summits on Manaslu taking the total to well over 200, but crowds seem to be a problem this year. Nirma Purja summited getting his 13th and is asking the public to contact China to help him get his Shishapangma permit. Everest – Still at EBC Both the Madison Mountaineering team and Andrzej Bargiel team are still at base camp waiting and wondering if/when the serac will fall onto the Icefall. Garrett noted, “Lazy days here at #Everest base camp, as we wait for the weather & route conditions to improve…always good times in the mountains with great people!” I asked Garrett a few questions since he had time: Q: Garrett would you share with us your decision making process when an objective danger like this years hanging serac occurs? GM: Regarding the Serac…I’ve made an independent assessment based on aerial and long lense photography, it’s massive and will fall down soon, and likely wipe out the central portion of the Khumbu Icefall. The Polish ski team led by Andrezj Bargiel has made the same independent assessment, so neither of us are sending anyone up until the Serac comes down and is no longer a threat to the personal safety of our climbers. Q: How do consider the risks for the Sherpas compared to the members? GM: we are all a team so we consider risk as it pertains to all members. Q: What external resources do you use in situations like this (weather, etc) GM:: we rely on weather forecasts, but the drone footage & photography really helps the most. We can afford to accept inherent risk when climbing in the mountains but when this type of red flag presents, it’s not reasonable to climb until the hazard is gone. Another nice video from Andrzej’s team: Project Possible: Got #13, Manaslu, Now it’s in China’s hands for #14 Looking to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months, Nirmal Purja, got his 13th, Manaslu, on Friday, September 27. I am currently at Camp 4, leading an exped for @elitehimalayan . We will be making our summit push early tomorrow morning. He now has 13 in a mere 157 days: Annapurna (April 23), Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak and Cho Oyu adn today, Manalsu (Sept 27). He needs to complete Shish by November 23, to meet his goal of seven months. China has said all foreigners must be out of Tibet no later than October 1 fearing protests around anniversaries, holidays, remembrances, etc. thus leaving open the big question of whether they will give Nirmal Purja a climbing permit for Shishapangma. Additionally, China had said no climbing on Shishapangma a few months ago after a string of deaths and accidents on the lowest of the fourteen 8000ers. They felt the mountain had become too dangerous to climb. Nirmal Purja is asking for help: However, today I’m asking for a genuine help only. Had a meeting with deputy PM, Ex PM and Tourism Minister of Nepal to approach Chinese Government in ref to #Shishapangma & they have agreed to conduct a diplomatic talk. Till date; I’m still waiting for the reply. Humble request: rather than sending me a message, I would be very grateful if you could write to Chinese government/ CMA/TMA on my behalf. I have done everything I could have done from my side. If we all go as a collective force, it may help. Dhaulagiri – Weather Worse Sergi Mingote is at base camp with Carlos Soria Fontán, Chris Jensen Burke and Expedition Base. They are ready for the summit push when weather allows. Sergi suggests they need to summit before October 3: The weather it’s not clearing up. Today it’s been raining and snowing the whole day on Base Camp. Today, we had a meeting between all the alpinists on Dhaulagiri’s base camp to coordinate a possible summit attack. Probably we will have to do it before 3th october. The weather is not the best, but there is an entry of strong winds expected as for October 3. Manaslu – More Summits, and Crowds More summits today, Friday, September 27, 2019 with 50 more taking the total to well over 200 thus far. But there have been problems with the crowds once again. Stefi Troguet who summited earlier this week commented on Facebook: We are in Camp 4, 7.400m! The longest day & the longest traffic jam I’ve ever seen! But slowly slowly here we are!! Another interesting event came from François Cazzanelli who set a speed record on Manaslu with a climb from base camp to the summit and back to base camp in 17:43 on the normal route. The previous record was 21:41 by Andrzej Bargiel as reported by Montagna. Adventure Consultants got 3 members, 2 guides and 5 Sherpas on the summit. Arnold Coster’s team summited but no details. Kobler & Partners also enjoyed success: On September 26, at 8:00 am but complete calm Astrid, Ingrid, Patrick, Mark and Till were at extremely streaky weather at the summit of the 8163m high #Manaslu.The summit team was accompanied by Sherpas Kusang, Gyaltsen, Tashi, Gelu, Lakpa Nuru, Pasang Dendi, Karma and mountain guide Andreas Neuschmid. No word from Summit Climb who posted they were on their summit push. and finally, Climbing the Seven Summits chose to lay back and let the majority of the people summit before their attempt expected over this weekend, weather permitting. Cho Oyu – 12 more Summits! Alpenglow had success on Cho: 100% success for our team of 12 on Cho Oyu this season! The team snuck through a tight weather window to reach the summit. Everyone is safely down in ABC resting and celebrating swipe to meet the team ! Sound on Shishapangma – Closed The Chinese have officially closed Shish for the season. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Manaslu Summit Mass!
Manaslu has taken center stage with over 150 summits while climbers are on hold on Dhaulagiri waiting for good weather and Everest waiting for the serac to fall. China still not responding to Nim’s request to climb Shishapangma. Everest – Climbing on hold Both the Madison Mountaineering team and Andrzej Bargiel team are still at base camp waiting and wondering if/when the serac will fall onto the Icefall. Garrett posted a nice photo of everyone having dinner together tonight, Thursday, September 26, 2019: Project Possible: Going for #13, Manaslu, Friday Looking to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months, Nirmal Purja, is at C4 on Manaslu going for the summit Friday, September 27. I am currently at Camp 4, leading an exped for @elitehimalayan . We will be making our summit push early tomorrow morning. He now has 12 in a mere 154 days: Annapurna (April 23), Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, Broad Peak and Cho Oyu (Sept 23). He needs to complete Shish by November 23, to meet his goal of seven months. China has said all foreigners must be out of Tibet no later than October 1 fearing protests around anniversaries, holidays, remembrances, etc. thus leaving open the big question of whether they will give Nirmal Purja a climbing permit for Shishapangma. Additionally, China had said no climbing on Shishapangma a few months ago after a string of deaths and accidents on the lowest of the fourteen 8000ers. They felt the mountain had become too dangerous to climb. Chris Burke on Dhaulagiri posted this bit of trivia regarding Nirmal Purja: For those following Nirmal Purja, he may come to Dhaulagiri after climbing Manaslu (and before that Cho-Oyu). Dhaulagiri for a second time this year would make it 14 x 8,000m peaks for him in 2019. Dhaulagiri – Summit Push Delayed by Weather Sergi Mingote is at base camp with Carlos Soria Fontán, Chris Jensen Burke and Expedition Base. They are ready for the summit push when weather allows. Sergi posted this nice photo of him with Carlos: Chris gave a very good detailed update: DHAULAGIRI EXPEDITION UPDATE: the team returned to BC yesterday after an epic 3 night, 4-day rotation on the mountain. Dhaulagiri is testing us with heavy snowfalls, deep snow in which to break trail, winds less of a challenge so far (but some would be appreciated to move on this late monsoonal weather), and searing heat up to Camp 2 – to what feels like 40 degrees【4 °C】 Celsius or more, followed by below freezing cold nights as soon as the sun goes down. One heavy snowfall more than a week ago stopped everyone in their tracks at BC and caused two teams to arrive at BC late (one by air and one by foot). One was so late that they are starting a rotation up the mountain today. Deep snow under foot is burning energy as it requires a lot of energy to break through. I had the ‘opportunity’ to break trail on two sections in the last few days (one up and one down) and it reminded me that Sherpa guides have this task 99% of the time. It has been lovely to catch up with Carlos Soria, Luis and Sito on the mountain, friends from prior mountaineering expeditions. Carlos’ pace is unbelievably fast and when I reach 80 years old, I hope to at least go half his pace, should I be so lucky! Incredibly inspirational! Good luck to Carlos and team. I really hope for your sake we see a weather window soon and that Dhaulagiri can mark Carlos’ 13th x 8,000m peak. Just as Manaslu was late to be roped to the summit and for summit pushes to begin this season, at Dhaulagiri we hope to see an opportunity for a late summit push to begin in the next few days before any chance is gone for this season – once we do actually leave BC it will be a 3.5 day push up and 1-2 days down (whilst you could descend in one day we may hold at Camp 1 for the right conditions to pass through to BC via ‘The Eiger’ traverse). Teams – including us – are furiously scanning weather forecasts. What makes Dhaulagiri different is that you need to move from BC just at the right time in order to manage the risk of avalanches and, more so at the moment, the rock fall on ‘the Eiger’ traverse just out of BC. Normally on other big mountains, it is possible to move through some bad weather to get good weather at the summit. For Dhaulagiri, you need the right weather first up to actually climb up out of BC. As two climbers experienced today, dodging large deadly rocks on the traverse as they release explosively and zoom past you as you dive for cover is a very uncomfortable feeling indeed… For those following Nirmal Purja, he may come to Dhaulagiri after climbing Manaslu (and before that Cho-Oyu). Dhaulagiri for a second time this year would make it 14 x 8,000m peaks for him in 2019. Around 90% of the climbers at the mountain are pre-acclimatised from other 8,000m mountains, acclimatizing in the nearby Khumbu and Rowaling regions, or from living and training at altitude. In comparison, as I’m coming from sea level this time, I’m a bit slower than I am normally but all is still coming together and I’m acclimatizing quickly. Funnily, some Sherpas keep mistaking me for Jeannette McGill (South Africa) since we appear similar in their eyes and she has the blonde hair that I previously had when climbing. After some weeks, they are nearly figuring out who is who! Jeannette is climbing well and is one of the strongest South African female mountaineers climbing the big mountains at the moment. I believe she may be the only South African to have even attempted this mountain and hopefully, mountain gods permitting, she will be able