It’s become their custom: Nives Meroi and Romano Benet are back in Nepal to attempt a new route or a first ascent of a scarcely visited 6,000m peak. The recent landslides affecting the Manang region have forced them to change their destination, but not their ambitions.
Their original goal was a new route on the south face of 7,134m Tilicho, north of Annapurna. However, landslides caused by heavy rain last weekend have severely affected that region. The Italian couple, who always walk to their base camp, were unable to reach Tatopani, the starting point of the trek. Usually, the town is accessible by road, but now even footpaths are not possible.
“We were told there were 46 landslides along the route, and conditions of the path to base camp [beyond Tatopani] are unknown,” Meroi told ExplorersWeb from Kathmandu.
Benet posted today that they have found an alternative goal, something they can reach on foot rather than by helicopter. Hiking in is part of the expedition for them, and they have no wish to change that.
Plan B: Jugal II
“We’ve decided to explore the Jugal Himal area, recently opened to climbers,” Benet wrote. “Information is scarce, but we’ve decided to attempt unclimbed Jugal II (6,518m).”
The main peaks of the Jugal Himal. Photo: Nepali News Hub
Meroi and Benet, who have both summited all the 8000’ers without supplemental oxygen, have also pioneered several new routes and first ascents. Meroi earned a Piolet d’Or for his climb of Kabru II in the Kangchenjunga region. For Jugal II, Tine Cuder of Slovenia has joined them as a third.
The Jugal Himal is quite close to Kathmandu, just northeast of town on the border with Tibet. It’s reachable by bus with a few days’ trekking, as Paul Ramsden explained when he opened a new route on Jugal Spire with Tim Miller. This climb also earned them a Piolet d’Or.
These peaks have been so rarely visited because until 2023, they were closed to climbing. That spring, Nepal opened Jugal I (6,591m) and Jugal II (6,518m), together with five other peaks in the area.
In spring 2024, veteran Um Hong-gil of South Korea launched a Korean-Nepalese expedition featuring Sherpa celebrities Dawa Yangzum and Lakpa Dendi, to unclimbed Jugal I and Jugal II. They successfully summited Jugal I, but not Jugal II, which remains unclimbed, according to The Himalayan Database.
Climbers, circled, on the final ridge of Jugal I. Photo: Korean-Nepalese Friendship Expedition 2024
Annapurna trails closed
Several Nepal trails remain closed due to landslides. Because of contradictory information on social media, trekkers should verify with local outfitters or tourism boards. While the Manaslu Circuit is open, landslides have severely affected the Manang region in general and the Annapurna Circuit in particular. Meanwhile, an avalanche cut the Thorong La, the highest point of the Annapurna trail. Check yesterday’s images, below.
Nepal’s National Trust for Nature Conservation said today that trekking permits for Annapurna are available again, but area trekkers reported that several major landslides have seriously damaged even the Annapurna South Side Base Camp trek. There are power outages and no cell connection.
“As of now [October 1], above Manang, everything is closed,” trekker Krishna Acharya has just posted on Facebook’s Annapurna Circuit Trek group.
The change of plans of even this hardcore Italian team suggests that the area is not yet suitable for trekking.
Agencies are sharing updates that contradict some tourism organizations. Travel warning by Trekmarg
