Only two teams remain on 8,000m peaks in the Himalaya: Russians on Cho Oyu and Ukrainians on Makalu. Enemies politically, they are allies in climbing style.
The Russian team led by Andrey Vassiliev is still on the South Face of Cho Oyu, possibly on their final push up the SSW ridge.
As far as we know, Mykyta Balabanov and Mykhailo Fomin of Ukraine have not yet returned from Makalu.
Alone
Unlike the guided teams that have recently summited Manaslu, Cho Oyu (from Tibet), and Shisha Pangma, these two teams are small, skilled, and self-sufficient.
Russian climbers on the plateau at 5,800m on the South Side of Cho Oyu, Photo: Andrey Vasiliev
The Russians are above 7,000m on the South Face, seeking out the best route. Although the SSW ridge was reportedly climbed by a commercial Sherpa team led by Gelje Sherpa and Alasdair McKenzie of France last spring, the Russians don’t know the exact route the spring climbers took. They decided to limb the 1991 Russian route which approaches the summit from the east.
So far, they have established an advanced base camp at 5,200m after crossing the Lung Sampa Glacier. They climbed up the first icefall until a flatter section of the SWW ridge route, a plateau at some 5,800m. From there, they’ve dug snow caves instead of pitched tents.
So far, they have set up only two camps: Camp 1 at 6,100m and Camp 2 at 7,100m. After a rest in Gokyo village last week, they returned to the mountain on Monday. We will not get further news until they return again.
Makalu expectations high
The Ukrainians have not revealed their plans for Makalu, but given their past climbs –such as the impressive new route on Annapurna III — expectations are high. Outfitter Seven Summit Treks told The Himalayan Times that Balabanov and Fomin would attempt a new route but shared no further details. They reached base camp a month ago.
Makalu, 8,485m. Photo: Shutterstock
Another lonely team, also from Russia, climbed Dhaulagiri in the past weeks. Two members reached the summit on October 5, but then the expedition ended in tragedy as five other members lost their lives hours later.
