Around the time we posted yesterday that the Manaslu season had ended, Grace Tseng of Taiwan and three Nepali guides set off from Base Camp at 6:30 pm local time. They reached the summit of Manaslu at 7:30 am, 13 hours later, Dolma Outdoor Expedition reported. Currently, they are on their way back to Base Camp.
Grace Tseng used no supplementary O2, although the three Sherpas supporting her did. She climbed with Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, who accompanied her during the entire climb. They met Phurba Thiley Sherpa and Lakpa Tamang in Camp 3, and the four proceeded from there to the summit.
Pemba Dorje Sherpa coordinated the operation from Base Camp. As we explained in a previous article, Sherpa-supported climbs imply that some safety oxygen is available if needed, compared to self-sufficient no-O2 climbs.
File image of Grace Tseng. Photo: Himalayan Shepherd
A high-risk record
“Grace Tseng has now become the fastest female to summit Manaslu without supplementary oxygen,” Dolma Outdoor announced.
In fact, the only other climbers going up Manaslu yesterday (as far as we know) were some local guides, including Gelje Sherpa and Gesman Tamang, who retrieved the body of their friend Dawa Chhiring. Dawa perished in an avalanche the evening before, between Camp 2 and Camp 1.
Everyone in the upper camps aborted their pushes and went down under risky conditions. Yesterday, the weather was good, but the avalanche danger remained high. It’s unlikely that conditions would have improved much in the last 24 hours.
Grace (Ko-Erh) Tseng of Taiwan climbed Manaslu in 2019 as her first 8,000m experience. Like others that year, she stopped at the foresummit. Currently racing to set a female 14×8,000m speed record, Tseng returned to the mountain to reach the true summit.
One of her chief rivals, Kristin Harila of Norway, is trying for the overall speed record. Both women (and their teams) will attempt to climb Cho Oyu from Nepal, while they await permission from China to climb Shishapangma. Harila climbs with Pasdawa Sherpa and Dawa Ongchu Sherpa of 8K Expeditions. Tseng teams up with Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and other Dolma Outdoor guides.
Surprise – or secret?
Tseng’s ascent came as a surprise since all the teams had declared their Manaslu season over. Apparently, we were not the only ones surprised. Chan Chiao-yu, a Taiwanese woman who calls herself Fish Tri, was angry when she saw an Instagram post of Lakpa Sherpa of 8K Expeditions with Tseng’s team just before they set off from Base Camp. 8K Expeditions was her outfitter.
“So you told everyone [that they] need to come back, the season is over, [that was a] big lie,” she vented.
Lakpa Sherpa of 8K Expeditions (left) at Manaslu Base Camp yesterday with Nima Gyalzen, Grace Tseng, and another guide. Photo: 8K Expeditions/Instagram
Fish Tri of Taiwan at Manaslu some days ago. Photo: Instagram
8K had indeed announced the end of its expedition yesterday on social media. Dolma Outdoor, not 8K, had outfitted Tseng’s climb. It is unclear whether more climbers were on the mountain, or if a Sherpa crew had re-opened the route.
It’s also unclear whether the Pemba Sherpa who coordinated Tseng’s climb from Base Camp was the same Pemba Sherpa who is a director at 8K, or a different one with Dolma Outdoor. We have asked Lakpa Sherpa of 8K Expeditions to clarify.
