Summit pushes are going according to plan: Climbers on Kangchenjunga will leave from Camp 4 tonight. On Annapurna, the final push will begin a day later.
At Kangchenjunga Base Camp, a large number of climbers are waiting for Imagine Nepal’s rope-fixing team to report on their progress. Saad Munawar confirms that Sirbaz Khan is safe in Camp 4 and preparing to set off for the summit tonight.
“They fixed lines till 7,700-7,800m this morning,” Munawar said. Khan has not used supplementary O2 on his six partial trips up the mountain. As we previously reported, he will try to avoid bottled gas throughout the climb and descent.
Sherpas on Annapurna fixed the route until Camp 4 today, Chhang Dawa Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks wrote. They may keep fixing sections along the summit ridge tomorrow. Meanwhile, most clients reached Camp 3 between yesterday and today. Tomorrow, they proceed to Camp 4, then set off for the summit in the early hours of April 28.
Annapurna. Photo: Chhang Dawa Sherpa
The speed ladies
Among the Annapurna clients, two young women are aiming for trendy 14×8,000m records. Adriana Brownlee of the UK is climbing with Seven Summit Treks, accompanied by Gelje Sherpa. At 21, she hopes to become the youngest person to complete the 14×8,000’ers. She began her quest just last year, with Nirmal Purja’s Elite Exped, by bagging Everest, Manaslu (foresummit), and Dhaulagiri.
Brownlee checked in today from “lower” Camp 4 and confirmed that she’ll try to summit Annapurna on April 28.
Kristine Harila of Norway, climbing with 8K Expeditions, aims to emulate Purja by climbing all 14 8000’ers in just six months. Harila came up with the idea after summiting Everest and Lhotse last year. She climbed Everest with Madison Mountaineering, in perfect conditions. Harila then left for Lhotse with two Sherpas, summiting 12 hours later.
Kristine Harila of Norway, at Annapurna BC. Photo: Kristine Harila
Now in Camp 3, Harila has managed to team up with another client and three Sherpas.
Taiwan’s Grace Tseng has been silent lately. Her expedition leader, Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, last reported four days ago from Base Camp. He said that weather permitting, they would try to summit by “the end of April”.
