Update 28-09-16
Manaslu New Routes Attempt Thwarted
Alberto Zerain and Mariano Galvan left BC yesterday (September 27th) morning. They made it to C2 (6400m) in 12hrs, but the campsite was gone. They searched for two hours but couldn’t find any signs of tent or gear.
Update 28-09-16: 2000hrs Local Time
Here is a twist to the new route story. While Alberto indeed came back to Base Camp as previously mentioned, his partner Mariano Galvan went up this morning. The Argentinian climber has decided to go forth with the new route attempt. Alberto Zerain returned to BC. He will rest for a few days and attempt the mountain via normal route.
Mariano Galvan is on the way to summit, now.
Previous:
Teams completed acclimatization last week and rested in BC during bad weather period. It’s time for first summit attempts of the season. Summits are expected on Manaslu, Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma and Dhaulagiri in next few days. Alberto Zerain and Mariano Galvan also launched the new route summit-bid. Nobukazu Kuriki continues acclimatization on Everest, whereas there hasn’t been any further communication from Sung Taek Hong on Lhotse South Face.
Everest
Bad weather and excessive snow conditions have greatly effected Nobukazu Kuriki’s Everest plans. It appears that he was finally able to reach 7000m for acclimatization on Sep 24th and returned to ABC for rest. He is expected to go up the mountain, today.
Previous:
Dhaulagiri
Altitude Junkies is the only expedition on Dhaulagiri this season. The team reported dry conditions on the mountain, which has opened up several crevasses and hindered rope-fixing to C3. They are aiming to launch the summit attempt, today.
“Camp 1 on the 28th, Camp 2 on the 29th, Camp 3 on the 30th and October 1st for the summit” is the team’s plan.
Shisha Pangma
RMI team left ABC yesterday, spent the night in intermediate camp and are currently on the way to C1. The climbers are on the way to summit.
Cho Oyu and Manaslu Commercial Teams
Summit Climb Cho Oyu team made it to C2 (7140m) yesterday and wanted to reach C3 today. There has been a sudden change in weather. “A morning snow storm has descended upon camp 2. We hope it will lift, allowing us to move up to camp 3.” the team messaged in the morning, followed by another communication this evening. “Morning clouds part: reveal frosty summit. We pack up. Suddenly a huge black cloud rises, spewing snow, wind. Now we’re stuck in C2.” Earlier, ropes had been fixed till C3 on Sep 26th. Weather is forecasted to remain favorable till the end of this week, as majority of climbers are on summit push.
Manaslu teams are also on the rise, aiming to summit between Sept 29th and Oct 1st. Sept 30th may well be the busy summit day of the season. The route had already been fixed till C4. “After a lot of downtime Team Manaslu (Dina, Igor, Natalia & myself) is on the summit push! Ascent is planned for 30/9. Now shivering in my sleeping bag in C2.” Lithuanian climber Saulius Damulevičius messaged yesterday. Other teams have a similar plan.
