The sun has mostly returned to Nepal after last week’s cyclone, but many trekkers remain stranded on snowed-in mountains. Rescues continued throughout the weekend, and some are still ongoing.
Two Italian climbers are missing on Panbari (sometimes spelled Pampari Himal) a remote 6,887m peak northwest of Manaslu. Stefano Farronato and Alessandro Caputo were caught on the mountain last Tuesday, October 28, just as the cyclone hit.
Details are sketchy, but their apparent last contact was from Camp 1. Vatler Perlino, the leader of the three-man team, was rescued and airlifted from Base Camp yesterday, according to The Tourism Times. He flew back to the mountain today to help with the search.
Pambari from the south. Photo: Wikipedia
Rescuers on the way
Meanwhile, local rescuers are on their way to where the climbers went missing. IFMGA guides Narendra Shahi and Pasang Kaji Sherpa, along with guide-in-training Kusang Sherpa, flew today to Samagaon, the nearest village, accompanied by Perlino.
According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism (Nepal Peak Profile) and Wikipedia, a Japanese team first climbed Pambari in 2006. However, The Himalayan Database has no expeditions on record for that mountain. The goal of the Italian expedition was not clear.
Busy season
As of October 31, a total of 1,450 people have obtained climbing permits this fall for 59 different peaks. These range from remote, unclimbed 6,000’ers to 8,000m standards such as Everest, Manaslu, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, and Cho Oyu.
Nepalese media speak of a busy season, with the number of visitors rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. A total of 128,443 international visitors arrived in Nepal in October alone, 3.3% more than last year.
“India remained the top tourist market, contributing 17,298 visitors (13.5%), followed by the United States (13,286; 10.3%), the United Kingdom (8,718; 6.8%), China (6,755; 5.3%), and Germany (6,366; 5.0%),” the Nepal Tourism Board told The Himalayan Times.
Many visitors immediately headed to the mountains, and when Cyclone Montha hit on the evening of October 27, it affected many of them. Several trekking trails were closed, but a significant number of trekkers were stranded in higher areas due to heavy snowfall and strong winds.
Rescue on Makalu
A 70-year-old Spanish trekker was rescued today from Makalu’s Advanced Base Camp at 5,700m. He had been stuck there since October 27. The section between the lower Base Camp and the Advanced Base Camp on Makalu includes some complex sections of steep moraine.
The Advance Base Camp of Makalu some weeks ago. Photo: Artem Tsentsevitsky
Trails reopening
As the weather improved today, except for some last showers in the northwestern mountains, trekking trails have gradually reopened. The Manaslu Circuit Trail is open again, including Larke Pass, according to the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal. However, trekkers should be cautious, as some areas are still prone to landslides, tourism entrepreneur Raj Gyawali posted on Facebook.
Flights to Lukla have resumed after a difficult weekend of canceled flights due to poor visibility.
“Trekkers at the Chola Pass — the access to Gokyo from the Khumbu — must carry microspikes or traction aids, as the trail remains slippery in parts,” Gyawali noted.
