The monsoon rains have finally withdrawn from Nepal’s peaks, triggering a massive summit push on Manaslu. Hundreds of summits are expected this week. Among the lines of climbers on their way up, a single skier carved past them on his way down. It was Bartek Ziemski, on his 7th successful descent of an 8,000’er.
Expedition leaders with the many teams will try to coordinate their summit days to avoid the worst crowding, but jams will inevitably occur.
Ziemski skis down Manaslu
In his usual impressive but understated manner, Bartek Ziemski of Poland climbed and skied down Manaslu to Base Camp. He did so without supplementary oxygen or personal Sherpa support. Last year, Ziemski did the same on both Makalu and Kangchenjunga, in the company of Oswald Pereira, who filmed Bartek and descended on foot.
It is unclear if Ziemski managed a complete ski descent. The Polish Mountaineering Association’s fan page, Polski Związek Alpinizmu, mentioned that Ziemski couldn’t find a clear ski line down the icefall between Camp 2 and Camp 1.
During Ziemski’s ski descent of Mansalu, shot from his headcam. Photo: Polski Zwiazek Alpinizmu
Crowds ahead
In addition to the nearly 375 foreigners on Manaslu, large groups of Sherpas are assisting them and supplying the camps with fuel, food, and oxygen bottles. The summit wave started right after a Sherpa team reached the summit well after dark on Saturday, as seen in the video below:
The use of supplementary oxygen has become the most popular option for commercial climbers on the 8,000’ers, who prioritize safety and speed over the natural challenges of high altitude.
Today, Seven Summit Treks reported 34 summits — 17 clients and 17 Sherpa workers. Only one client and one of the Sherpa guides summited without bottled oxygen. Other teams say they are ready to top out this week, but have shared no specific timetable. Long lines on the ropes, some bottlenecks, and a slow pace in crowded sections have become an unavoidable part of the climbing experience on popular peaks in Nepal and Pakistan.
A long line of climbers head for Camp 2 on Manaslu last year. Photo: Tsering Ghale
Participants need to make sure they have plenty of oxygen and heat packs for gloves and boots. And patience.
Carlos Soria
Spain’s Carlos Soria, 86, is among the few who have shared details of his summit strategy. The octogenarian climber is supported by Mikel Sherpa as sirdar, plus Nima Sherpa, Phurba Sherpa, and photographer Luis Miguel Soriano, who will also film the ascent.
The group is heading to Camp 1 tomorrow and plans to climb all the way to Camp 3 on Wednesday.
“On September 25, we will try to get to Camp 4 as early as possible, then get some rest and re-hydrate before setting off toward the summit at 10 pm that night,” the team reported.
If all goes well, they will summit on Friday.
Soria will be pleased to meet Bartek Ziemski again as the Pole returns to Base Camp from the summit. Ziemski and Pereira helped rescue Soria when he broke a leg on Dhaulagiri in 2023. Soria needed a year to recover from his injuries, and Manaslu marks his return to the 8,000ers.
