Climbers on both Annapurna and Dhaulagiri are pushing for the summit, after the storm earlier this week has subsided.
Heavy snow and high winds have especially pummeled Dhaulagiri. A big avalanche damaged tents and swept away ropes. (Check the video below.)
Camp 3 on Dhaulagiri
The Imagine Nepal team on Dhaulagiri, led by Kilu Sherpa and Ngima Sherpa, has worked hard to reestablish the route, assisted by Pioneer Adventure and Seven Summit Treks. They have reached Camp 3 and intend to continue opening the route up to 8,000m tomorrow. Meanwhile, their clients reached Camp 2 today.
There are usually no further camps beyond C3 on Dhaulagiri, but the summit is still far away. The rope-fixers will have to break trail on the long traverse below the summit section, then fix a couloir leading to the summit ridge, and finally find the highest point of the mountain.
If all goes well, the final summit push will take place on April 18. Climbers will probably rest for a day at Camp 3 while the fixers work on the upper sections of the route.
Camp 3 on Annapurna
On Annapurna, climbers have reached Camp 3, as planned. They are now above the most avalanche-prone section.
“It was a long and hard day again, but here we are, happy to be here,” Stefgi Troguet of Andorra posted, noting they have set Camp 3 at 6,430m.
The Sherpa rope fixers were one day ahead of the climbers and should be about to reach the location of Camp 4, which they have yet to set up. On the previous rotation, they fixed ropes until slightly above Camp 3.
Stefi Troguet’s tracker this evening. Graph: Garmin InReach
