The Sherpa team has fixed ropes beyond the crux of the route between Camp 2 and Camp 3 and expects to summit on Wednesday. A record number of climbers will follow them.
The ropes to Camp 3 at around 6,500m were laid last Wednesday by an eight-member Imagine Nepal team of Phur Galzen Sherpa, Dipen Gurung, Ngima Nuru Sherpa, Pasang Ngima Sherpa, Phunjo Sherpa, Ngima Teri Sherpa, Jit Bahadur Sherpa, Pemba Chiri Sherpa, and Jangbu Sherpa.
Weather permitting, the summit push will take place on Wednesday.
Over 100 summits for the first time?
The outfitter’s clients — eight Chinese climbers supported by 10 Sherpas — have already acclimatized on the Annapurna Circuit and done a rotation to Camp 2 on the mountain itself. When the Sherpas fix the ropes to the summit, the clients will be ready to follow, probably on oxygen.
Meanwhile, other teams are arriving in Base Camp. Seven Summit Treks has a whopping 40 foreign climbers, including some regulars such as Csaba Varga of Hungary and Vadim Druelle of France, who plans a fast ascent. Also with 7ST, an Italian trio hopes to climb a variation of the normal route via the NW Spur.
The second-biggest team is 8K Expeditions. They are currently acclimatizing on Mera Peak. Pioneer Adventure will also have a team on the mountain.
While Nepal’s Department of Tourism has not yet published a list of permits, there will be a minimum of 70 foreign climbers, according to The Himalayan Times. Since at least the same number of local climbers will support them, Annapurna will likely see over 100 summits in a single season for the first time.
Imagine Nepal’s Annapurna group — Chinese clients and Sherpa staff — during the puja ceremony. Photo: Imagine Nepal
The current record number of summits on Annapurna is 83. This was in the spring of 2023, according to The Himalayan Database. The highest number of summits in a single day was in 2021, with 67. It was a long day for those climbers, who dealt with endless lines up and down the peak.
Changes in 75 years
This year, Annapurna marks the 75th anniversary of the first ascent by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal in 1950. Annapurna was the first 8,000m peak ever climbed. These days, it has become the first 8,000’er climbed every spring. But things have changed a lot on the mountain.
Annapurna Base Camp this week. Photo: 8K Expeditions
During the 1980s, the peak gained fame as the most dangerous 8,000m peak, mainly due to the avalanches sweeping some sections of the normal route. The hazardous line roughly followed the original French route, with slight changes from year to year as climbers looked for a less exposed way.
At 8,091m, Annapurna is one of the lower 8,000’ers and was always climbed without supplementary oxygen. Climbers used fixed ropes only on the most technical and exposed sections, mainly between Camp 2 and Camp 3.
The climbing scene has changed radically in the last few years. Big support teams, supplementary oxygen to make the climb easier for clients, and helicopters that carry ropes and supplies up to 7,000m have vastly multiplied the number of summits.
At the same time, death rates have declined. Now, the statistically most dangerous peak is Nanga Parbat. Annapurna has become an early-season preparatory peak for higher 8,000’ers, such as Everest, which peak-bagging clients move to in the second half of the season.
