Some days ago, Simone Moro mentioned how winter weather in the Himalaya was usually good at the beginning of December but goes sour right after December 21. That certainly happened to Moro last year, and history may be repeating itself in 2022.
So far this winter, the issue is not heavy snowfall like last year. But the jet stream is hitting the summits hard.
The sky is clear and blue, but at summit altitude, the winds are ripping, according to Cho Oyu and Manaslu climbers. The forecasts confirm their experience.
Alex Txikon on a windy yet sunny day on Manaslu. Photo: Alex Txikon’s team
“The force of the wind was overwhelming last night, during our first night in Camp 1 at 5,800m,” Txikon reported. “Chhepal Sherpa and I were literally blown around while we were inside the tent!”
Despite the drifting snow, they managed to reach 6,000m today. They are now back at Base Camp.
Multimodel forecasts for Manaslu summit this week, by Meteoexploration.com
News is expected soon from those on the South Face of Cho Oyu. They are currently pondering their options after the wind swept away two tents in Camp 1, with their down suits and sleeping bags inside. Yesterday, Adriana Brownlee wondered if there would be a summit window “ever”. The short-term forecast, especially the wind speed, does not look optimistic.
Multimodel forecasts for the summit of Cho Oyu this week, by Meteoexploration.com
Conditions were much better for Simone Moro, who is still acclimatizing in the Khumbu Valley. Today, he climbed the relatively low Lobuche (6,119m) and enjoyed a slightly windy but otherwise nice summit day.
