Earlier today, 11 Chinese, 1 Korean and 10 Nepalese guides from Seven Summit Treks successfully made it to the top of Manaslu. It’s the second day of a summit tide expected to include hundreds of climbers until September 28.
It would be interesting to know how many climbers made it without supplementary O2. Ali Sadpara said that he used none on his summit day yesterday. Neither did fellow Pakistani Sirbaz Khan and Canadian Dean Carrier of Mingma G’s Imagine Nepal team, who topped out today.
Mingma cited John Snorri as the first Icelandic and Batbold Banzragch as the first Mongolian to summit Manaslu. There was no mention of Snorri not using O2, which may be a significant detail, since he reportedly intends to attempt K2 in winter this year.
Also successful in Mingma’s team were Tamting Sherpa, Angdu Sherpa, Pemba Chote Sherpa, Pasang Namgel Sherpa, Phur Gyalje Sherpa and Chinese Wang Xuan and Yu Pengkun.
There is no news yet concerning another member of the tentative winter K2 climb, Gao Li of China. He might be part of Imagine Nepal’s second group, which aims to reach the top on October 3.
Nirmal Purja atop Cho Oyu two days ago. Photo: Bremont Project Possible
Stefi Troguet reports that she was on her way to Camp 3 today, and Nirmal Purja could be joining them there, according to a video he just posted. In addition to some impressive footage of Purja literally running up and down Cho Oyu, the Nepalese climber made a public plea from the summit for Chinese authorities to grant him permission to climb Shishapangma.
Meanwhile, Everest Base Camp remains all but deserted, after both the Mountain Hardware team and the Polish Lhotse group abandoned yesterday because of the danger from an unstable serac poised directly above their route. Only the Bargiel brothers (Andrzej, Grzegorz and drone operator Bartek) and their team remain to face Everest in all its lonely splendor.
Andrzej Bargiel carrying a ladder up the Khumbu icefall. Frame from a video by Barket Bargiel
“Conditions are not that bad now and we have four ladders, so we’ll keep pushing,” Andrzej said on his latest video, showing the Polish climbers working up their way up the Khumbu icefall.
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