A team of Sherpa rope-fixers has begun work on Annapurna while their clients acclimatize elsewhere in the Himalaya.
Imagine Nepal is in charge of preparing the route on Annapurna this season, and the Sherpa climbers have fixed ropes as far as Camp 2. They are now back in Base Camp. Tomorrow, they return to Camp 2.
Next comes the hardest and most technical leg of their job. On Saturday, they will advance toward Camp 3, a steep climb among seracs and crevasses, company head Mingma G told ExplorersWeb. That is also the most avalanche-prone section of the mountain. Avalanches between Camp 2 and Camp 3 ended a winter expedition this past January.
Running of the ice bulls
Spanish climber Jonathan Garcia described that part of the route in our Annapurna Climber’s Guide:
“I felt like being in Pamplona, about to start running in front of San Fermin’s bulls! You take a deep breath and wait for the gates to open. The route sneaks, on rough terrain, right below the seracs above you. Chunks of ice fall constantly and can trigger avalanches.
Topo of the normal route to the summit of Annapurna. Photo: Cairngram
Garcia noted that experienced Sherpas know where the danger is less and so are excellent pathfinders.
Proxy acclimatization
Meanwhile, Imagine Nepal’s clients are trekking the Annapurna Circuit and lingering around the col at Thorong La ( 5,416m), which marks the high point of the trek.
“The climbers will arrive in Base Camp between next Sunday [March 16] and Tuesday [March 18], depending on the progress of the rope-fixing team,” said Mingma G. “There, they will make a further acclimatization trip to Camp 2. After that, they will be ready for a summit push.”
At least one other team will also arrive on the mountain next week. Seven Summit Treks’ expedition begins on March 18. The company offers clients the option to trek to or get an airlift to Base Camp.
Long queues of climbers line up toward the summit of Annapurna in spring 2021. Photo: Pasang Lamu Sherpa Akita
8K Expeditions has a large group heading for the mountain later in the season. First, the team heads to scenic Mera Peak (6,476m) in the Khumbu on March 21. They will finish there by April 1, then fly back to Kathmandu and take a helicopter to Annapurna Base Camp the following day.
Lakpa Sherpa, head of 8K Expeditions, told ExplorersWeb that they also use Mera Peak as preparation for Everest. Their climbers even spend two nights near the top before heading to Everest Base Camp. Mera is popular because it’s a straightforward climb and boasts some of the most scenic views of the Himalaya.
This spring, only Nepalese outfitters are running trips to Annapurna. The main western operators are focusing on Everest/Lhotse and the Tibetan 8,000’ers, Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma.
Early bird mountain
A snowy Annapurna in spring 2024. Photo: Mingma G
In recent years, Annapurna has become the early bird mountain among the 8,000’ers. Once considered the most dangerous Himalayan giant and tackled only by very experienced climbers, the commercialization of the mountain has radically increased the number of yearly summits, with a record of 67 summiters on a single push in 2021. The summit-to-death ratio has also drastically reduced.
Annapurna is now popular for climbers aiming to summit more than one 8,000m peak in a season. Its relatively low altitude (for an 8,000’er!) at 8,091m allows acclimatized climbers a fast ascent, with just a partial rotation. And it is ideal preparation for higher giants like Makalu, Kangchenjunga, and especially Lhotse and Everest. Those climbs take place during the second half of the season, from mid-April to the end of May.
Such a strategy is only possible if the route is fixed from base to top and the high camps are prepared by the time clients show up.
