For the first time in years, expeditions were planned on the Tibetan side for all three 8,000m peaks. While the American team progresses on Everest and the Cho Oyu groups have permission to enter Tibet from Nepal, a VIP expedition on Shisha Pangma has just been cancelled.
Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu teams had their visas granted today, Garrett Madison told ExplorersWeb. The team has returned to Kathmandu for the final paperwork after acclimatizing in Langtang.
“We are departing Kathmandu today and hope to cross the border tomorrow,” Madison said. “We will spend a couple of days in Tingri and then move to the Chinese [lower] Base Camp.”
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The American expedition leader also mentioned that he is coordinating with the leaders of the other two teams on the mountain this season: Dave Watson of Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures, and Rob Smith from New Zealand-based Adventure Consultants. “We all will cooperate on the mountain to fix the ropes,” Madison said.
The Furtenbach Adventures group will fly to Lhasa today, while the Adventure Consultants team will join the others at Cho Oyu’s Base Camp in a few days. They started the expedition on September 12 and are still trekking. Meanwhile, Adventure Consultants climbers are preparing in the green Langtang valleys before moving to the barren Tibetan plateau.
The normal route on the Tibetan side of Cho Oyu. Map by Adventure Consultants.
Shisha Pangma
In the end, the only Shisha Pangma expedition this season will not take place, and the mountain will remain closed to foreign expeditions. That was the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association’s original plan, but according to The Tourism Times, Princess Asma al Thani of Qatar and Anja Blacha of Germany had received a special permit to climb the mountain. Al Thani would be led by Nirmal Purja and five Sherpa guides, while Blacha would be supported by three guides.
“All preparations, including the selection of climbing guides and managing logistics, were complete, but at the last moment, Al Thani cancelled her expedition,” sources told The Tourism Times. No reason was given.
Neither Al Thani, Blacha, nor Purja’s Elite Exped company has shared plans to climb Shisha Pangma in the upcoming weeks. However, both female climbers need to summit Shisha Pangma sooner or later for their 14×8,000m projects. Blacha, who climbed Everest without supplementary oxygen last spring, has only Shisha Pangma and Lhotse left to complete all 14 8,000m peaks without bottled oxygen. Al Thani needs Shisha Pangma and Cho Oyu to finish her own challenge in the O2-supported category. She has climbed all her peaks as a member of Purja’s team.
Everest North
There is very little information on the American team on the North Side of Everest, where a Sherpa team was hoping to reach Camp 3 — the highest camp on the normal northern route — this week. Their goal is to film the first ski descent of the Hornbein Couloir, featuring American climber and skier Jim Morrison.
According to Nepal media, the attempt was called off last year after local climbers had an accident near Camp 2. However, the 2024 team, which then as now includes a film crew from National Geographic, made a remarkable find: a boot belonging to 1924 pioneer Andrew “Sandy” Irvine.
The ill-fated last climb of Mallory and Irvine is a favorite topic among Everest history aficionados. Armchair mountaineers have loved to speculate whether the British climbers reached the summit in 1924 before perishing during their descent.
The only possible solid proof would be in a camera that the pair had with them. Since it was not with Mallory’s remains when they were discovered in 1999, it could be with Irvine’s body, which has not yet been found.
