Massive Push Is On »Explorersweb

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The summit (or pre-summit?) That Sherpa rope repairers reached last night has put many Manaslu teams on the road. And they go fast.

Like a commentator noted yesterday, a peak of 8000 ma already marked the final accomplishment of a long expedition. Now this is just the starting point on the highly traded mountains.

The unusual summit time of 9.45pm also marks the time change. A few years ago, teams kicked off their final pushes to the top with a deadline. When he passed, they turned around for security reasons. Continuing into the night is only possible with large reserves of oxygen and high flow rates.

Even more surprising: Successful climbers Sona Sherpa, Ngima Tashi Sherpa, Tenging Gyaljen Sherpa, Fura Tshering Sherpa, Pasang Nurbu Sherpa and Tashi Sherpa were all back at base camp at 4 a.m. local time.

This not only shows their remarkable strength but their approach: Either they have to make room for clients in the altitude camps and / or they have to come back down to go back up as guides.

The sky had cleared at Manaslu Base Camp by sunset today. Photo: Tashi Lhakpa Sherpa / Seven Summit Treks

Meanwhile, a wave of climbers have now left British Columbia, intending to reach the summit on Monday. Seven Summit Treks reports that more than 40 people are between Camp 1 and Camp 3, with 200 more making their final preparations at base camp.

Elite Exped and Climbing the Seven Summits, for example, will reach Camp 1 tonight, skip Camp 2, and do Camp 3 tomorrow. “Then we go to the top,” they say. 8K shipments hope to peak on Tuesday.

The forecast indicates mixed weather for the next few days, with weakened winds and improved conditions from Sunday evening to Tuesday.

When and how much oxygen?

The speed with which climbers acclimatize and ascend and descend the mountain is also remarkable compared to expeditions of 10 or 20 years ago. The massive use of supplemental oxygen is largely responsible for this. We asked guide Jon Gupta about this before heading to the summit with client Lhakpa Wongchu and another Sherpa mountaineer. They are aiming for a summit on Monday. You can follow their progress here.

Jon Gupta’s location in Camp 1 today. Map: Mount-everest3d.com

“Most teams are happy with a main acclimatization rotation,” Gupta said. “They then rest at base camp before starting their push to the top. It seems that those who use oxygen are content to sleep three or four nights in the mountains.

He added that most sleep two nights each at Camp 1 and 2, then mark Camp 3 before heading back down. Those who leave without O2 add an extra night at Camp 3 and score a little higher before returning to base camp to rest.

Climbers rest and check their equipment at base camp. Photo: Ascent of the Seven Summits

Gupta believes the Manaslu is a “fairly popular mountain for people to try without O2 because of its elevation. [8,183m, in the bottom half among the 14 8,000m peaks]. It has a relatively easy day at the top and generally low technicality.

Yet few climbers this year do without bottled oxygen. So far, only three have confirmed: Anna Tybor from Poland, and Martin Ramos and Jorge Egocheaga from Spain. Others could join them if conditions are right on summit day.

Gupta and his team plan to use oxygen from Camp 3 and maintain a low flow to Camp 4. “From C4 to the top and back, we’ll go with a normal flow of two to three liters per minute. », He mentioned.

About the Author

Angela Benavides

Angela Benavides

Senior journalist, published author and communications consultant. Specialized in high altitude mountaineering, with an interest in everything that surrounds the mountain: from economics to geopolitics. After five years exploring distant professional lines, I returned to ExWeb BC in 2018. I have felt at home ever since!

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