Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Summit Week!
With the route open on both Cho Oyu and Manaslu, the summitters are starting to pile up! Probably over 100 summits on Wednesday, September 25 across the Himalaya. China still not responding to Nim’s request to climb Shishapangma. Everest – Climbing on hold Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering team are still at base camp waiting and wondering if/when the serac will fall onto the Icefall. Today is September 24th, and we had a very relaxing restful day in base camp. It snowed off and on most of the day and was fairly cloudy but had a few sun breaks. Myself, Kristin, and Zac just took the opportunity to reorganize our personal gear, our tents, and get a little bit of nap time in this afternoon. We had three great meals today and a nice day with the Nepal staff here and the Sherpas. We are hoping that tomorrow’s a little more sunny and maybe this serac will come down tonight, and we’ll have a clear and safe route to climb up afterwards. Andrzej Bargiel who wants to ski non-stop, without Os from the summit to EBC is remaining on Everest with his complete crew of videographers who posted another excellent short video on Facebook: Project Possible 12 of 14 Completed Looking to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months, Nirmal Purja, 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 (July 26) and Cho Oyu (Sept 23). He is back on Manaslu targeting the 27th. 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. Help Nim’s had asked the Nepal government to intercede and ask the Chinese to make an exception for him and his team so they could complete their project. He is asking the public for help: Shishapangma has been closed this season by the Chinese government. I am hoping that they will allow me to climb in good faith of human endeavour. At this moment, I have no idea what I should I do. If anyone can help me in this matter, I would be thankful. He posted this video on his Twitter feed on September 14 before he summited Cho Oyu. Some nice climbing shots. It’s assumed he will be doing a full documentary once he completes the project. Dhaulagiri – Ready for the Summit Push Sergi Mingote is back at base camp after his final acclimatization rotation to Camp 2 at 6,505-meters. No updates on Carlos Soria Fontán but he is still on the mountain. Chris Jensen Burke who is climbing with Expedition Base said they are ready for the summit push when weather allows. Manaslu – 41++ Summits in the Clouds With five summits thus far including the rope fixing team and Muhammad Ali Sadpara, there were more summits on Wednesday, September 25, 2019, in what was reported as poor conditions. Mingma Sherpa‘s Imagine Nepal team who is prepping for a winter K2 attempt summited today. They had six Sherpas in support with five foreigners. Seven Summits Treks, who has the largest team on Manaslu of over 150 including support had 11 Chinese along with 9 Sherpa plus one Korean and his Sherpa summit. Also, Climbalaya had 4 members with 4 Sherpas on top. More to come Adventure Consultants, Furtenbach, Seven Summits Club, are all on their summit bids. Climbing the Seven Summits, Arnold Coster and Summit Climb are looking to launch their bid later this week. Cho Oyu – 5 ++ Summits! Seven Summits Treks had 5 people summit today, 2 members and 3 Sherpas. IMG posted they have launched their summit bid as have Alpenglow. Shishapangma – Closed The Chinese have officially closed Shish for the season. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Everest Update
Climbers are on the move across the Himalaya hoping to summit in a few days. Everest is the exception with another team leaving and now only a handful of foreigners are at base camp hoping the serac conditions will clear up soon so they can make their acclimatization rotations, but it’s starting to get late. The earliest autumn summits defined as August, September, and October per the Nepal permitting process was on September 9 but the real sweet spot is between September 25 through October 18 with October 7th having the most. Everest – Remaining Climbers Evaluating Conditions Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering has a team still on Everest after losing the CEO of Mountain Hardware and one of their sponsored athletes fearing the conditions. I reached out to Garrett at Everest Base Camp to get his comments on the conditions and their plans: I think we could potentially still make a summit attempt, but there looks to be a lot of snow on the Lhotse face and also higher up on the route. The difficult weather and route conditions this season have put us behind schedule. The monsoon is still in effect, and might continue into early – mid October, so that doesn’t make it any easier. Then there’s the issue of a major Serac high up on the west shoulder that looks like it’s going to fall any day now into the icefall. We measured the size by drone and estimated the size at 1.123 million cubic feet of ice. At about 3,000” / ~1,000m above the icefall, it will likely do major damage when it falls down. He added that there around 30 people still at base camp: “I think with Andrezj’s team there are about 5 other polish guys (some on Nuptse permit). And myself and 2 clients…plus our 9 climbing sherpas and 2 icefall doctor sherpas, and 7 cook staff (some waiting to go up to camp 2).” Andrzej Bargiel who wants to ski non-stop, without Os from the summit to EBC appears to be remaining on Everest with his complete crew of videographers. Dhaulagiri – Climbing Sergi Mingote climbed to Camp 2 at 6,505-meters and reports troubling conditions higher: The icy ridge to Camp 3 looks very snowy and today we already had more than one meter of accumulated snow. Tomorrow we will decide if we climb higher and return to Camp 2 or if we end here our acclimatization and go down to Base Camp. Chris Jensen Burke who is climbing with Expedition Base made this unsettling post about finding a body on the mountain: We don’t have outside comms or media so are unsure what is known of the 2 deceased climbers found located on the glacier. We have determined an approximate time stamp based on the gear they have on and from reviewing the Himalayan Database. To those with a relevant interest, we plan to respectfully manage the remains and mark their location until we receive incoming direction otherwise from KTM. Manaslu – Summits Soon UPDATE: Muhammad Ali Sadpara summited along with the rope fixing team: 1: Ngima Dorjee Sherpa – Makalu -1 2: Ngima Thenduk Sherpa – Makalu- 1 3: Tenji Chhumbi Sherpa – Makalu- 2 4: Namja Bhote – Bodkhola -3 Good weather has returned to Manaslu but who knows for how long. The forecast does call for low winds all week so the teams are moving. As I did for Everest, Manaslu in the autumn has a similar success profile with September 25 through October 1 being the sweet spot and late September, 27 and 28 having the most summits. Nirmal PurjaStill, no update if he got permission to climb Shishapangma given the Chinese have closed it to all climbers due to their perception of too much danger. His team, Elite Himalayan Adventures led by Mingma David Sherpa, set this tentative schedule: 24th: Camp 1 25th: Camp 3 26th: Camp 4 27th: Summit attempt Adventure Consultants, Climbalaya, Furtenbach, Mingma Sherpa have all launched their summit bids. Climbing the Seven Summits, Arnold Coster and Summit Climb are looking to launch their bid later this week. Seven Summits Treks, who has the largest team on Manaslu of over 150 including support will have climbers all week on their bids. Tibet Cho Oyu – Ropes To Summit IMG posted they have launched their summit bid. Adrian Ballinger, tells me that their Cho team has clients at C1 on Monday, then at C2 on Tuesday, and planned summit on the 25th. Shishapangma The Chinese have officially closed Shish for the season. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Cho Oyu Summits, including Nim’s.
A quick update on the autumn Himalayan season after yesterday’s full update. We have the first summits of the autumn season by the rope team on Cho Oyu, including Nirmal Purja. Also, another team leaves Everest/Lhotse. Project Possible 12 of 14 Completed Looking to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months, Nirmal Purja, 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 (July 26) and today, September 23, 2019, he got Cho Oyu from the Tibet side. Nirmal Purja summited along with one of his five expert Sherpa teammates, Gesman Tamang. The full list of today’s summiters include: Nirmal Purja Geshman Tamang Palden Sherpa Nima Tenzing Pasang Sherpa Chewang Sherpa Esteban “Toppo” Mena Lakpa Ongcchu Next for Nirmal Purja are Manaslu, and Shishapangma – both are considered very achievable although reaching the true summit of Shish is a serious and very dangerous climb. He needs to complete Shish by November 23, to meet his goal of seven months. Nim’s said: Straight after marking the 12th summit out of 14 x 8000m, now time to rush down to basecamp, cross border and be at Manaslu Basecamp by 24th Sept. 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. Nim’s had asked the Nepal government to intercede and ask the Chinese to make an exception for him and his team so they could complete their project. As of today, there is no official word but there may have been an agreement in private. We will see once Nirmal Purja summits Manaslu. I’m betting he got the permit, he certainly deserves it and is fully capable of climbing Shish, assuming acceptable conditions. Everest – More Climbers Leave Fearing Conditions As I covered yesterday, the Mountain Hardwear CEO and one of their sponsored team (plus associated camera people and support) left the Madison Mountaineering team fearing a hanging serac above the Khumbu Icefall would release on top of them. Now the Polish Lhotse team has also decided to end their effort. They posted: On 22 September, the expedition manager marcin kaczkan decided to finish the expedition. The conditions on icefallu are extremely dangerous, over the road leading to the camp and hanging part of the ripped šerák, which threatens to attack icefall and operating people there. In addition, at this stage, it was not possible to go above camp I, and the further path would require the presence of climbers on endangered sections of icefallu. In view of the safety of the participants and the lack of chance to reach the summit, the only rational and correct decision is to end the expedition This leaves Garrett and two clients, plus support, and Andrzej Bargiel who wants to ski non-stop, without Os from the summit to EBC and Killian Jornet on Everest. I will not be surprised to see all choose to end this autumn attempt. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Trouble on Everest
After poor progress last week due to heavy snow, the skies cleared over most of the big peaks and excellent advances were made in route fixing and acclimatization programs. Look for summits early this week on Cho Oyu and perhaps Manaslu and Dhaulagiri. But on Everest, cloudy weather returned and an ominous hanging serac forced some to leave the expedition. Everest – Climbers Leave Fearing Conditions Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering is an expert on route conditions on the Nepal side of Everest. This autumn he had the CEO of Mountain Hardware and one of their sponsored athletes on his team plus two other clients. In a sign of risk management, The MH members have left the expedition fearing a hanging serac above the Khumbu Icefall. This serac has been a source of concern each season and is in the same area as one that collapsed in 2014 taking 16 Sherpas climbing in the Icefall. This is one of the primary reasons there has been a flight from Nepal to climbing from the Tibet side fearing another serac collapse. All that said Garrett will remain in base camp still hoping to take two of his clients to the summit. Here is Garrett’s report: Today is September 22nd. To recap yesterday: we had a great day, our sherpa team reached Camp 1. But, on the way down they noticed a large serac about 3,000 ft【914 m】. or 1,000m up off of the Khumbu Icefall on the west shoulder of Mount Everest. We were studying that late last night and again today with some drone footage (shared by the Polish Lhotse team) and, uh, it doesn’t look very safe. So the Mountain Hardwear team has decided to conclude their expedition on Everest and decouple from the Madison Mountaineering expedition. That means Joe Vernachio and Tim Emmett are going to be heading out tomorrow by helicopter, weather pending. [see the @mhweverest2019 Instagram post for their firsthand considerations] Myself and the other climbers here with Madison Mountaineering, Zac and Kristin, are going to stay and evaluate conditions on a day-by-day basis. So, we’ll have to keep an eye on the serac and also the weather, of course, to see how things progress. But, everyone’s doing well here in base camp. Today our sherpas decided not to move up look for a route from Camp 1 to Camp 2 because the weather was bad. It was very cloudy with little to no visibility up in the Western Cwm between Camp 1 and Camp 2, which would make route finding very difficult with the deep snow. Everyone’s here doing well, but we’re sad to have things turn out this way, but we’ll keep our hopes up that perhaps the serac will may come down tonight when no one’s on the route and clear out for the rest of the expedition. Joe_Vernachio, CEO of Mountain Hardwear posted this on Instagram: Studying images and gathering opinions to make a tough decision. After careful consideration we determined the icefall was too dangerous to climb through. There is a giant Serac looming overhead. I could not live with myself if something happened to one of the Sherpa. I have decided to end the MHW Everest Expedition. Everyone will go home safe and sound with a great experience and new friends. And Tim Emmett added this All through my life I have navigated risk. I try to make good decisions in potentially dangerous environments using education and my gut instinct to guide me. I’ve lost too many friends to turn a blind eye and plead ignorance. Yesterday the Sherpas finally made it to Camp 1, so good ! But on their return they showed images of a very large (200-300ft) , detached serac looming about 3000ft【914 m】 above our route up the ice fall. ( See if you can spot the 4 climbers in the lower circle of the second shot) In 2014 a smaller serac that was also much lower on the face, broke off and killed 16 Sherpas! Putting two and two together I lay in bed last night, awake for most of it contemplating our next move, knowing there was no way I could let myself and any of our team be subjected to this potential catastrophe. After a long chat with @joe_vernachio and @garrettmadison1 this morning both @mountainhardwear and I have decided to end our attempt on Everest for this season. Mountaineering has its own risks which have to be accepted for one to move forward, but this particular one is way outside the norm and a game of roulette, with many bullets. For sure I am totally gutted to miss this chance to experience something I have been curious about for much of my life, but when you see a red flag, take note and make good choices. Thanks so much for following and supporting me on this quest, I hope there are many more to come He also posted this zoomed-in photo of the serac in question. It’s not clear to me that this is really about to collapse or just the normal angle, nonetheless, it definitely looks suspicious! Andrzej Bargiel who wants to ski non-stop, without Os from the summit to EBC posted a great drone video of the Icefall route. Not sure how he feels about the hanging serac The Polish Lhotse team gave this update on reaching C1. Not sure how they feel about the hanging serac either. There are unconfirmed reports they have abandoned their Lhotse climb. I’m working to confirm this. On September 21th managed to establish camp I. The event was held by 4 Climbers – Vadim Jabłoński, Maciej Lange, Mariusz Lange and bartosz earthly, who moved to 6000 M (6000 M). 800 m ropes, 20 snow ladders and ladders for the road to Camp II. The plan for the next few hours is to put Dhaulagiri – Climbing Sergi Mingote arrived at Dhaulagiri base camp: We finally reached Camp 1! Today we will sleep here and tomorrow we will continue the ascent to Camp 2. Today the snow was
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Snow Stalls Progress, Clear Skies Ahead
With the big snow event this week, there was little to no progress on any of the big peaks. The ropes stayed where they were with no progress and the acclimatization rotations stalled. The Everest teams even thought it might be impossible this autumn but that seems to have changed. Now there are predictions of summit attempts in the last week of September fr most peaks. The autumn season can go well into October so now is not the time to panic for anyone, expect those on Cho Oyu who must be off the peak by the end of September when China close Tibet to foreigners. Everest – Clearing but is the Route In or Not? The weather has cleared away from Everest Base Camp. There seems to be a difference of opinion on the route through the Icefall. Tim Emmet with the Madison Mountaineering team posted: For the last two weeks the Ice fall doctors have tried to find a way through to camp one. After the summer the conditions are like nothing they have seen before with less snow and more crevasses than Spring. 2 weeks of dead ends and no progress finally getting to an impasse where they said it was not possible to get across the icefall. 4 expeditions are relying on getting to camp 1 so they can have a chance to complete their quests and until yesterday it looked like we might all be going home. With the help of Dorgee Sherpa (18 Everest summits) to hold my rope I found a way through the impasse and fixed ropes for the team to the other side of the ice fall. So Psyched !!
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Heavy Snow
All the peaks are seeing a bit of weather for a few days stalling progress. Heavy snow hit Manaslu, but that is normal. Also, snow on Cho Oyu stopped progress. The Nepal Weather service sent out an adivsory: It’s a bit vague. I assume they don’t want to be pinned down so if they are right, they claim victory that they saved lives, if wrong, it was not specific so not their fault . In this post, I cover the new updates for the teams I am following. If don’t mention someone whom I previously had, it means I don’t have any new information. Everest – Snow! The weather has hit Everest Base Camp creating some delays. Madison Mountaineering Autumn Everest Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering and his Mountain Hardwear team gave an update. Heavy weather has moved into the region: We were planning to go up today and take a look at the impasse in the Khumbu Icefall just below the ‘football field’ area but it was pretty socked in this morning and some fresh snow. So, we decided with the low visibility it would be better to wait until tomorrow or the next day when it clears up and we can go up there and scout around and hopefully find a route through the impasse that is holding everyone up right now. Skiing down Everest Polish climber Andrzej Bargiel posted a nice video using his drone: Dhaulagiri -Rope to C2, Weather Delay Seven Summits Treks, the 800 pound gorilla of guiding, are providing the logistics for Carlos Soria Fontán and many other climbers. Their Sherpas are fixing the route and posted this update: The Sherpa team of SST have fixed the rope lines till C II (6400m) of Dhaulagiri, and almost all team half of team members reached to the basecamp last week. The team of Carlos soria approaching to reach the basecamp by helicopter flight from Pokhara and the team of Sergio Mingote via Marpha expecting to reach on 20th Sep 2019. This year 15 climbing Members joined the SST Dhaulagiri Expedition 2019. Weather seems to be challenging for more fews days, thus no progress from C II. Climbers planned to make summit push between late September to early October. Manaslu- Snow, and Rain Climbalaya posted a nice update … mostly on the weather: Climbing activities at Mt. Manaslu have been affected as the whole of Nepal witnessed heavy rain fall . There was heavy rainfall and snow at Manaslu base camp since yesterday. After successful rotations up to camp two our climbers and Sherpas are all safe and have retreated to base camp for rest and recuperation. Hoping for better weather in the coming days so that everyone can start climbing again. Climbing The Seven Summits (CTSS) also acknowledged the conditions: The team are safely back at Manaslu Base Camp after successfully spending a night at Camp One. They were due to tag Camp Two but made the wise decision to retreat back to Base Camp in order to wait out some weather that is passing through the Manaslu region and stay out of harm’s way. They will head back up the mountain as soon as conditions allow. Tibet Cho Oyu – Snow! IMG posted they are stalled after heavy snow hit the area: The Team is holding tight at Camp 1 on Cho Oyu to continue acclimatizing. Phunuru checked in to let us know that it was snowing at Camp 1 most of the day. The team will sleep another night at Camp 1 and evaluate conditions in the morning. They will most likely pack up and head back down to ABC for some well-deserved rest. The team is feeling great and the Sherpa are working hard. Our main objective is finding the right windows to move during the breaks in the weather. The Cho Oyu Team is on schedule and is staying patient! Sad Death – Davo Karnicar An off-mountain accident took the life of 56 year-old Slovenian ski mountaineer Davo Karnicar. He succumbed to injuries sustained while cutting down a tree near his home. He was well-known in the climbing and skiing community for his 1995 descent by ski on Annapurna then in 2000 when he became the first person to ski from the summit of Everest to Base Camp without takin off his skis. His other accomplishments included being the first person to ski all of the Seven Summits. He serves as the inspiration for Andrzej Bargiel who in December will attempt to ski Everest, summit to EBC, without taking off his skis and without oxygen. The no OS and in winter are the differences from Davo. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
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 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 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 Sadpara, Noel 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
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Early Progress
Teams are making excellent progress early in this autumn season across the Himalaya. Everest Prices to increase and more record breaking attempts are underway. A busy time on the world’s highest peaks! Everest First off, a small bit of news on permit prices on the Tibet side. It is being reported that the Tibet Mountaineering Association has recommended a $5,000 increase for the permit fee. source. It is currently $11,500. Nepal is at $11,000 but has proposed a minimum expedition costs of $35,000 per person, including the permit fee. Seems like both countries will use price to address some of the crowding problems. Madison Mountaineering Autumn Everest Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering continues to lead his team on the trek towards Everest Base Camp. They will be the only commercial team on Everest this autumn and will fix the route from base camp to the summit. They are above Pheriche. The Mystery Everest Run Mystery is revolving around Spanish ultra runner Kilian Jornet‘s Everest plans. I am told he plans to do a speed climb on Everest including perhaps a new route starting at Camp 2 but others are suggesting he wants to do the long sought after Everest-Lhotse link. This is what the late Ueli Steck was planning when he died from a fall on Nuptse in 2017 while acclimatizing for Everest/Lhotse. Adding to the mystery is that Jornet says he has permits for Lhotse and Everest. His cagey publicist, Laura Font Sentís of the Barcelona-based Lymbus agency, is quoted “Kilian will spend some time in the Himalayas with his family and he will take advantage to explore the terrain. If he does any relevant activity he will communicate after he has completed it.” Jornet plans to participate in the Annapurna 100 in Nepal, which starts on October 25. Skiing down Everest Polish climber Andrzej Bargiel who will attempt to ski from the summit of Everest without using supplemental oxygen, and without removing his skis at any point during the descent has arrived at Everest Base Camp and is using his drone to help the Icefall Doctors inspect the Western Cwm for Camps 1 and 2 as they prepare the route. Project Possible – On Manaslu Now Nirmal Purja is already at Manaslu base camp and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be the first to summit this season. From there he is on to Cho Oyu. Still unclear which route he will take but he may just use the standard route on the Tibet side instead of the more risky Nepal side. Then there is still the big question of whether China will make an exception and issue his team a permit for Shishapangma. There are talks between the Chinese and Nepali governments underway. Reports say if he cannot get the Shis permit, he will climb Cho from the Nepal side. The reason for closing Shisha is due to the recent deaths and accidents causing officials to believe the mountain has become too dangerous to climb. Nirmal 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. They spent some time acclimatizing on Lobuche. Dhaulagiri – Acclimatizing in the Khumbu Carlos Soria Fontán and team who will be attempting Dhaulagiri for his 10th time are currently trekking in the Khumbu for acclimatization. Sergi Mingote is wrapping up his preparations before leaving home for his attempt on Dhaulagiri. He hopes to summit all fourteen of the 8000ers in 1,000 days without supplemental oxygen. The Catalan alpinist has already summited six so the clock started with Broad Peak on July 16, 2018. The remaining schedule includes: Annapurna and Kangchenjunga (spring 2020), Gasherbrum I (summer 2020), Shishapangma and Cho Oyu (autumn 2020) and finally Makalu and Everest (spring 2021). Manaslu- Rain and Snow There are over 400 people on Manaslu this autumn including 237 foreigners. 2019 seems to be a normal year for Manaslu with multiple reports of heavy afternoon rains. Mingma Sherpa gives a nice summary: We are now at Manaslu Base Camp. Yesterday went to camp1 and back. It has been raining continuously for more than 50 hours now. Sherpa Calendar shows Monsoon ends on 17th September so we can expect heavy snowfall in beginning of Autumn. We will try to finish our acclimatization by 20th September. Seven Summits Club has a large team on Manaslu this year. They have competed a rotation to Camp 1 at 5700 meters. Adventure Consultants is also on Manaslu this year. They are at Camp 1 today. Climbing The Seven Summits (CTSS) has a team lead by partner Tendi Sherpa and Kobler & Partner is on Manaslu. Some of the people on Manaslu this season include Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Noel Hanna and Lynne Hanna. Tibet Cho Oyu – Rope Fixing Progress IMG posted they are making excellent progress with their Sherpas making excellent progress on fixing the ropes to Camp 2. Shisha Pangma – No Permits? Still no word if China will be issuing any permits for Shish this autumn. Winter K2 Gets Another Big Name As I noted in the previous blog, Mingma Sherpa from Rowling, announced he will make an attempt this winter along with Icelandic John Snorri and the Chinese Gao Li. They will use supplemental oxygen. Now Denis Urubko has announced he will make a winter attempt on Broad Peak and then, hopefully, move over to K2. Urubko keeps the debate alive on the definition of winter. He rejects the December 22 to March 22 period but rather uses December 1 to the end of February. The first winter summit of Broad Peak was on March 5, 2013, by a strong Polish team thus Urubko feels he will achieve the first true winter ascent if he makes it this year before the end of February … of course this applies to K2 as well! Its being reported
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Manaslu Crowds!
The Himalaya climbing activity is picking up with climbers trekking to Everest Base Camp and others already there on Manaslu. The Nepal Ministry of Tourism posted these stats for the autumn 2019 season and as expected when factoring in Sherpa support, there are well over 400 people on Manaslu the season: Of note, the permit fees for climbing in autumn are significantly lower than in spring: Everest Madison Mountaineering Autumn Everest Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering gave an update from a quiet Khumbu: It’s surprisingly quiet here in the Khumbu. We have the lodge all to ourselves and we didn’t see many people on the trail today because it’s not quite the trekking season which starts up in October. We are feeling great and looking forward to a great day trekking up to Namche tomorrow. Running up and Skiing down Everest No updates for Spanish ultra runner Kilian Jornet as he plans to do a speed climb on Everest including perhaps a new route starting at Camp 2. He is reported to use Gorak Shep as his base camp and will lead a team of two other climbers on Lhotse before his Everest attempt. And the four person Polish team including Andrzej Bargiel will attempt to ski from the summit of Everest without using supplemental oxygen, and without removing his skis at any point during the descent has arrived at Gorak Shep. The other members include Polish climbers Grzegorz Bargiel and Jakub Poburka. Project Possible – Rare Cho Oyu Route? Likewise, no big updates from Nirmal Purja who is hoping to get his last three 8000ers and complete summiting all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months. It’s reported Nirmal Purja and his strong Sherpa team will nab Manaslu then try Cho Oyu from the rarely attempted Nepal side before leaving on Shishapangma in Tibet. Nirmal 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). All 8000’ers Without O2 in 1,000 Days As long as we are mentioning ambitious projects, Sergi Mingote to Climb All 8000’ers Without O2 in 1,000 Days starting with Dhaulagiri this month according to Angela Benavides at Explorer’s Web. Lhotse An 11 member Polish team will attempt Lhotse via the standard route through the Khumbu Icefall this autumn. They are already on the trek through the Khumbu. According to RussianClimb the team includes: Marcin Kaczkan – head Rafal Fronia – deputy. head of Mariusz Grudzien – doctor Oswald Rodrigo Pereira – press secretary Vadim Jablonski Bartosz Earth Mariusz Lange Peter Krzyżowski Mariusz Hatala Maciej Kimel Peter Hercog Mariusz Hatay Peter Kryzhovsky Dhaulagiri – Carlos is back at age 80! Carlos Soria Fontán and team who will be attempting Dhaulagiri for his 10th time are currently trekking in the Khumbu for acclimatization. They gave this update: After 6 days without the monsoon has given us even the slightest opportunity to see the mountains, today the sky has been opened momentarily and has discovered the ama dablam, almost 7000 m altitude. To celebrate the occasion, a flirty yak has decided to pose for me… moments after the fog has covered everything and we haven’t been able to see anything else. Tomorrow we will be at the foot of Everest, maybe give us another moment like today… Manaslu- C3 Established As I mentioned, there are over 400 people on Manaslu this autumn including 237 foreigners. Arnold Coster and team are trekking in while others take helicopters to Samagoan and acclimatize there for several days. When I did this climb in 2013, the trek was spectacular with huge waterfalls and thick foliage everywhere. Then, there were few teahouses so it felt very remote. It appears that Camp 3 has been established by the usual huge Seven Summits Treks team. They are reported to have 65 clients with 100 Sherpas in support. The Team of Sherpas from Seven Summit Treks, under the mangement of EOA (Expedition Operator Association) have already fixed the rope lines till camp III (6800m) as per the information from the basecamp. “Ngima Dorchi Shepa, Namja Bhote, Kaji Sherpa, Rinjee Sherpa and Tenji Chumbi Sherpa 5 Sherpas via NE Ridge (N-FACE) fixed the rope till 6800m yesterday” Some of the people on Manaslu this season include Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Noel Hanna and Lynne Hanna. Chris Keller climbing with Climbalaya treks & expeditions noted the rain at base camp. This is quite the norm for Manaslu where it can turn from heavy rain to deep snow over night. Update from Basecamp: Weather in BC is still very wet and rainy, but today we finally could move up a little bit and enjoy moving our bones !!! Puja will be in two days and then we are off to Camp1 First Ascent? Not an 8000ers but a team of seven from Colorado is attempting the never summited, Gangapurna West at 7140m in the Annapurna Sanctuary. In 2014, a South Korean team got within 100 meters of the summit but turned back when a teammate needed to descend. The Colorado team will attempt a modified route that mirrors a 2016 attempt from the south via the SSE spur. It’s very remote, as it heads up the east fork of the Annapurna Glacier towards Annapurna III. They will not have any guides or Sherpa support past Basecamp. Asian Trekking is providing logistics and support at Basecamp. This is more than a climb for Jason Kolaczkowski who was recently diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He is raising money for cancer research on his Facebook page. He told me recently: I don’t think our likelihood of success is above 50%. But I have a dream that I want to at least attempt while I still can. If I don’t succeed in summiting, I can succeed in being true to my values, sense of team, and sense of purpose. Another first in the works is by a small international team primarily from Italy. The team consists of Marco Camandona (ITA), Francois Cazzanelli (ITA), Emrik Favre (ITA), Francesco Ratti (ITA) and
Autumn 2019 Himalayan Season: Rare Everest Attempts
Climbers are on their way to Kathmandu for a rare Everest autumn attempt that includes some famous personalities. Plus there will be potentially record setting action on Dhaulagiri. There could be some interesting storylines this season. Mountain Hardwear Revival with Madison Mountaineering I spoke today with Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering. He was on a layover in Paris on his way to Nepal. They hope to arrive in Lukla in a few days to begin the trek to Everest Base Camp. Garrett has a team of four climbing Everest this season including the CEO of Mountain Hardwear, Joe Vernachio. Joe joined MH a couple of years ago with the remit to turn the company back into a trusted brand for serious outdoor enthusiasts. They will be testing a new series of high-altitude gear on Everest this year and hopefully it will be generally available soon. I for one own a lot of MH gear, especially their sleeping bags and my beloved South Col pack. I’m pulling for Joe and team to bring back the innovative and quality line from clothes to kit that we all sought a decade ago. Also, on the Madison team is the co-founder of OpenGov, a cloud-based American software company, Zac Bookman, plus American Kristin Bennett and Brit Tim Emmett. Garett said they will attempt a simple acclimatization program this year with only one rotation to tag 7,000 meters on the Lhotse Face. He hopes to summit as early as late September but is willing to wait into mid October for the right conditions. He feels confident about their plans given his own extensive experience on Everest but is curious what the snow conditions will be above Camp 3. Garett has hired two of the famous Icefall Doctors to set the route through the Icefall and above. He has two additional Sherpas in support. He said they were already half-way through the Icefall at this point. Running up Everest On Garett’s Everest permit is Spanish ultra runner Kilian Jornet. But he his looking at his own program, to do a speed climb on Everest. He has mentioned that he may look at a new route starting at Camp 2 but it all depends on the snow conditions. He will use Gorak Shep as his base camp. Skiing Down Everest Seven Summits Treks will also be on Everest supporting a four person Polish team including Andrzej Bargiel what will attempt to ski from the summit of Everest without using supplemental oxygen, and without removing his skis at any point during the descent. If he is successful, this will the first for both of these goals. Of course he caught the world’s attention with his K2 ski descent last year. He has an interesting interview at this link. The other members include Polish climbers Grzegorz Bargiel and Jakub Poburka. Will Autumn Become Popular? Of course, much of Everest’s rich history was started in the autumn season. The Swiss made the first national attempt on Everest using the SE Ridge route in 1952. They arrived at EBC on July 10, 1952 and ended the expedition on November 27, 1952 reaching 8100 meters, a bit short of the summit. The first successful autumn summit was on October 26, 1973 by a Japanese expediton lead by Michio Yuasa. They had a huge team of 50 people but only two members summited: Yasuo Kato and Hisashi Ishiguro. In subsequent years, mostly national teams from Korea, Spain, Japan and a few international teams made autumn attempts. American Wally Berg led several commercial efforts including in 1992, 2003 and 2006. Similar, Austrian Kurt Diemberger led several trips: 1978, 1980, and 1981. With all the crowds on Everest this past spring and the new rules scenario that Nepal put out last month seemingly more and more unlikely to be implemented or enforced, autumn may develop into the best alternative for those wanting to climb from the Nepal side but without the crowds. [table id=6 /] Project Possible – Rare Cho Oyu Route? Looking to summit all 14 of the 8000ers in seven months, Nirmal Purja, Mingma David Sherpa and Halung Dorchi (Sanu Sherpa) are in Nepal reportedly to try Cho Oyu from the rarely attempted Nepal side. This route is extremely steep with a lot of objective danger compared to the normal route from the Tibet side. After this he will probably get Nepal’s Manaslu leaving on Shishapangma in Tibet. However there are persistent rumors that China will not issue any permits this autumn for Shish and limit the climbing on Cho as well. Nirmal 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). It appears he has funding now to complete the project, politics aside. Lhotse An 11 member Polish team will attempt Lhotse via the standard route through the Khumbu Icefall this autumn. They are already on the trek through the Khumbu. Dhaulagiri – Carlos is back at age 80! Carlos Soria Fontán is back on Dhaulagiri for his 10th time. At age 80 he is attempting complete all of the 8000ers and only has Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma left. He is the only person to have summited ten of the 8000ers after turning 60 and the oldest person to have summited K2 (65 years old), Broad Peak (68), Makalu (69), Gasherbrum I (70), Manaslu (71 years old), Kanchenjunga (75 years old) and Annapurna (77 years old). Manaslu This has become extremely popular in recent years due to being in Nepal and not dealing with Chinese politics. Also, Seven Summits Treks has heavily marketed the climb as easy and cheap. Similar for other low-end operators like Summit Climb. While it does have a good safety record, Manaslu can be deadly with avalanches killing people who camped in the wrong spot. Arnold Coster has a 16 person team on Manaslu and is already on the trek in. I expect well over 400 on Manaslu this autumn. We can