The heavy snowfall of the last two days has made life harder for the summit-bound Manaslu climbers. Forced to break trail through deep snow, Alex Txikon’s group couldn’t reach their Camp 2 (6,500m) in time, so they pitched their tents 300 vertical metres lower. They likely used the tents destined for Camp 4, from which they will launch their summit push on Saturday night, so they will have to pack up camp in the morning.
Luckily, the climbers have passed the most technical sections through the crevasses above Camp 1. They remain confident that they will be able to reach Camp 3 over the easier terrain.
Slogging through heavy snow also delayed Simone Moro, who decided to stop at Camp 1 for the night. He will try to join his partners tomorrow at Camp 3. At least, he’ll be on an already broken trail.
