It is over for the climbers attempting winter Manaslu. Forecasts predict more snow and strong winds. Time has run out.
“It was undoable; this was a bad winter, alternating two sunny days, then two bad ones, and so on. It has stolen the team’s energy,” Alex Txikon said in a video.
“Of course, we could continue our efforts and climb to Camp 2 or Camp 3, but that’s not the goal,” Oswald Pereira said. “We don’t want to risk our lives or the lives of those working and climbing with us.”
There will be no more trips to Camp 1 this season. Photo: Oswald Pereira
“The problem is that you can’t really go beyond Camp 1. Camp 1 is protected, but afterward, when the real climbing begins, the danger of avalanches is high and the wind is a real problem,” Simone Moro added.
Ironically, the last three days on the mountain have been gorgeous. Unfortunately, the team can only use the sunny weather to pack up. The expedition lasted 58 days, but the climbers have spent long periods hunkered down, taking shelter from heavy snowfall either in Samagaon village or in Kathmandu.
