Approximately 70 climbers — a very rough estimate — stood on the summit of Manaslu yesterday. Equally high numbers are expected today and tomorrow. 8K Expeditions, for example, put 26 climbers on top this morning. All the commercial teams on Manaslu are planning to summit this week.
The Manaslu team with 8K is too big to fit in a single photo. Photo: 8K Expeditions
Russia’s Andrey Vasiliev and his team are also on the mountain, but unlike everyone else, they do not wish to summit by the normal route.
“We are in Samagaon after a first acclimatization trip,” Andrey Vasiliev told ExplorersWeb. “We will do a second rotation up the mountain to Camp 4, and then we will head for the Southwest Face.”
Camp 1 on Manaslu is a small town pitched on a huge plateau between 5,500 and 5,900m. Photo: Andrey Vasiliev
The busy normal route on Manaslu. Photo: Andrey Vasiliev
The Russians’ goal is to open a new route up the face, but they are well aware that conditions will have the last word.
“The Southwest Face is mainly snow, and we will have to get there and assess conditions carefully, as the avalanche risk may be too high,” admitted Vassiliev. “If a new route is not an option, we will go for the Messner [Tyrolean] route.”
That line is safer, as it avoids the center of the face and then follows the west ridge to the top.
Vasiliev’s team includes Vitaly Shipilov, Kirill Eizeman, Sergei Kondrashkin, and Natalia Beliankina.
Andrey Vassiliev, left, and his team in a temple during the approach trek to Manaslu. Photo: Andrey Vasiliev
