Early on Saturday, several Seven Summit Treks’ clients, plus their Sherpas, reached the point where the ropes end on Manaslu. Whether that point is the true summit remains to be seen.
Interestingly, those returning from the summit ridge have not yet commented. If they had reached the highest point, it seems likely that they would have announced it. The coveted true summit stands behind a short but exposed ridge. It is a particularly technical final climb when the mountain is loaded with snow, as seems to be the case this season.
A video filmed by Pasang Norbu shows that the rope fixing team dealt with thigh-deep snow while approaching the summit ridge. These conditions might explain why a strong Sherpa team reached the summit (or close to the summit) so late in the evening.
A member of the rope-fixing team breaks trail in very deep snow. Photo: Pasang Norbu via Lakpa Sherpa
Backed by a strong Sherpa team (comprising several IFMGA credited mountain guides), only Mingma G has mentioned aiming for the true summit. He plans to fix ropes from the current endpoint, if required. Mingma’s Imagine Nepal team left Camp 1 yesterday. Today, they planned to skip Camp 2 and spend the night in the more comfortable Camp 3. Tomorrow, they will move to Camp 4, rest for a few hours, and then set off toward the summit sometime on Sunday night or early Monday morning.
While we wait for news, you can get a good aerial view of conditions on the mountain via this drone video by Anna Tybor.
