Summer Climbs 2015: 6 Summit Challenge Continues in Pakistan

Earlier this year I told you about Nick Cienski and his 6 Summits Challenge. At the time, Nick was just about to embark on a massive undertaking that would see him attempt to climb six different 8000-meter peaks in a single year. He had hoped to knock off Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu this spring, but unfortunately the Nepal earthquake put an end to those ambitions. Now, Nick has shifted gears some, and identified three other mountains that he will attempt instead. With that goal in mind, he is now ramping up for an ambitious summer in Pakistan.

Following the April 25 earthquake that devastated Nepal, Nick and his team went to work lending support and aid to the country. As with many other climbers, their efforts have helped to rebuild the country that still has a very long road to navigate before any sense of normalcy returns.

In July, Nick will travel to Pakistan to relaunch the 6 Summits Challenge. He will now focus on climbing Broad Peak (8051 meters/26,414 ft), and both Gasherbrum I (8080 meters/26,444 ft) and II (8035 meters/26,362 ft). Together, these three mountains are the 11th, 12th, and 13th highest mountains in the world, and will make for a significant undertaking in the weeks ahead.

This isn't Nick's first time climbing in the region. In fact, he has climbed on Broad Peak twice in the past, reaching the summit back in 1990. He is likely to find that things are a bit different on the mountain now, with more teams visiting on an annual basis. The two Gasherbrum peaks will be a new challenge for Cienski, although after acclimatizing on BP, he'll probably go for a traverse that links the two summits in one long climb.

Following his Pakistani climbs, Nick will travel to Tibet in the fall, where he'll than attempt to summit Shishapangma (8027 meters/26,335 ft) and Cho Oyu (8201 meters/26,906 ft). After that, the plan is to travel back to Nepal to complete the challenge by summiting Manaslu (8163 meters/26,781 ft). Those expeditions are expected to take place immediately after he wraps up the summer triple-header, beginning sometime in late-August.

One thing that hasn't changed with the 6 Summit Challenge is that Nick is using it to raise funds for his Mission 14 organization. This nonprofit is dedicated to stamping out human trafficking, which continues to be a major issue in just about every corner of the globe.

I said it before, and I'll say it again. Summiting six 8000-meter peaks in a single year is going to be tough. Now however, it'll be even more challenging as Nick needs to complete the climbs in a smaller window of opportunity. We'll soon see if he is up to the task. You can follow his progress on Facebook and Twitter as he pushes forward in the weeks ahead.

Himalaya Spring 2015: Puja Ceremonies and a Collapse in the Icefall

There as been another setback on Everest that is keeping the climbers in Base Camp today, despite the need to start their acclimatization rotations soon. Earlier in the week it was bad weather that prevented them from getting on the move, but now it is a collapse in the Khumbu Icefall that has delayed the start of the first rotations up the mountain.

Alan Arnette reports that more than 80 Sherpas were in the Icefall this morning as they continued their work to shuttle gear up to Camps 1 and 2. But the collapse of the ice along the route caused all of them to turn back. Apparently there was a traverse over a large crevasse that required four ladders to complete, and the entire thing came crumbling down. The Khumbu Ice Doctors will now have to search for an alternate route through the dangerous Icefall. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the collapse.

This is not uncommon, and is large part of why crossing through the Icefall is so dangerous. This portion of the mountain is incredibly unsteady, and the Ice Docs work all season long to keep the route safe and open. This sounds like it was a major collapse however, so it could take a day or two for them to find a new path. You may recall that this route was described as safer and shorter than the ones used in the past, and hopefully that won't change following this incident.

Alan also says that his team had its Puja ceremony a few days back. The Puja is an important step for any climbing expedition, as no one can start up the mountain until it is finished. During the Puja, a Buddhist monk brings the climbers and Sherpas together to ask permission from the mountain gods to safely pass up Everest, or what ever other mountain they are climbing. Traditionally, the monk will also bless their gear and ask the gods to keep the climbers safe. While it is taken very seriously by everyone, it is also a time to celebrate and have too.


With the Puja over, the teams are then ready to start the climb, but the unusually heavy snowfall continued on Everest over the past couple of days, preventing anyone from going higher than Base Camp. None of the commercial teams have passed through the Icefall as of yet, and no one other than the Sherpas have been up to Camp 1 or 2. Hopefully that will change shortly, as it is now time to begin acclimatizing for sure. In fact, some of the squads have actually gone off to other mountains to begin their acclimatization process. For instance, American climber Jim Davidson has moved over to Lobuche East where he'll go as high as 6118 meters (20,075 ft) on the summit. He hopes to wrap up that climb today, and head back to Everest BC.

Over on Annapurna, the teams continue to play the waiting game. The weather has remained bad there too, not allowing teams to make their summit pushes. Heavy snows have blanketed the upper slopes of the mountain in powder, making it extremely unsafe. Avalanches are common on Annapurna even in the best of conditions, but with so much snow falling on the mountain, breaking trail is incredibly difficult, and the risks of avalanche too high. For now, everyone must bide their time, and wait for things to improve.

ExWeb has posted a round-up of news from other 8000 meter peaks, and much of the news is the same. Poor weather continues across the Himalaya, including on Manaslu where Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger had hoped to make a spring attempt after their winter climb was thwarted. According to reports, the duo returned to the mountain in early April only to discover that more snow had fallen in their absence and they couldn't even locate their cached gear under all of the powder. They elected to pull the plug on the expedition altogether, and have now returned home.

The same story is being reported on Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, and Dhaulagiri, where ExWeb says a team of trekkers ran into serious trouble a few days back. Heavy snows caught the unprepared team off guard, and they were forced to take shelter in Base Camp where a climbing team offered them assistance. Apparently, whiteout conditions continue there now, making it very difficult for anyone to go anywhere.

Finally, tomorrow marks the one year anniversary since the massive avalanche claimed the lives of 16 porters on Everest. I'm sure it will be a solemn occasion on the mountain as the Sherpas and western climbers all think about that day. Many of the people on the mountain this spring were there last year too, so I expect there will be some memorial services and ceremonies held. I have no doubt that those who lost their lives will be on the minds of the climbers the next few days.

Video: Climbing Manaslu Part 2 - The Summit

Last week I posted the first video from Alex Barber's climb of Manaslu last year, but didn't get the chance to share his second. That was a major oversight on my part because it includes the most important part, Alex reaching the summit of the mountain. You'll find that in the video below, which shares more of his solo expedition without oxygen.

At the moment, Alex is in Base Camp on Annapurna and preparing to make his first acclimatization rotation once the weather permits. He'll be attempting a solo, no O's summit on that mountain this spring as well.

Manaslu: The Summit (Part 2) from Alex Barber on Vimeo.

Video: Climbing Manaslu - Part 1

High altitude mountaineer and RMI guide Alex Barber is currently in Nepal and preparing for a solo summit attempt of Annapurna this spring without the use of supplemental oxygen. But last fall, he made a similar expedition to Manaslu, the 8163 meter (26,781 ft) peak located in the Mansiri Himal district in Nepal. This video shares the first part of that expedition, giving us a glimpse of Alex's trek to Base Camp, the team's puja ceremony, and the early stages of the climb as he acclimatizes on the mountain. It is a good look at a major expedition to the Himalaya, and if feedback is good, I'll share the second part of the climb tomorrow.

Manaslu - Part 1 from Alex Barber on Vimeo.

Himalaya Spring 2015: Climbing Season Off to an Early Start

The winter climbing season has barely passed, and spring hasn't even officially arrived yet, but climbers are already getting an early start to the new climbing season in the Himalaya. The majority of the teams won't begin arriving in Kathmandu for another couple of weeks yet, but several high profile mountaineers are already in Nepal and acclimatizing for upcoming expeditions, including one team that has already arrived in Base Camp on Annapurna. 

According to a report from ExWeb, a team of climbers consisting of Samuli Mansikka, Mingma G. Sherpa, Reza Shahlaee, Muharrek Aydin Imrak and Zdravko Dejanovic, reached BC the first week of March, where they have been busy setting up camp and scouting the route up the mountain. In fact, they have already been able to establish both Camp 1 and 2 at 5100 meters (16,732 ft) and 5650 meters (18,536 ft) respectively. 

Last week the team was joined by 76-year old Spanish climber Carlos Soria, who looks to add two 8000-meter peaks to his resume this year. He intends to not only top out on the dangerous Annapurna, but also summit Dhaulagiri later in the spring. Soria has already completed his first rotation up to Camp 1, and is currently back in BC resting before going higher as part of his acclimatization efforts. 

The plan is for this team to get well established on the mountain as soon as possible so that they can make an early-spring summit attempt. As the season unfolds, more snow will be dumped on Annapurna, increasing its difficulty and raising the chances of a deadly avalanche. Annapurna holds the distinction of being one of the most treacherous mountains in the world, with a death-to-summit rate of around 33%. This team hopes to beat those odds – and reach the top – by climbing as early in the spring as possible. 

Meanwhile, after being turned away on Manaslu a few weeks back, Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger have moved into the Khumbu Valley, where there are continuing to acclimatize. They had hoped to make a winter ascent of that mountain, as well as its east summit, but heavy snows forced them off the mountain. Now, they are planning to return later in the spring and complete the project in better weather. 

As I've mentioned before, mid-March is actually the calm before the storm in the Himalaya. These few expeditions aside, it'll be a few weeks before things really start to ramp up. Most teams are still at home, putting the finishing touches on their planning, and starting to pack for their journeys. Soon they'll fly off to Kathmandu, where the real adventure will begin. Expect some very interesting stories in the days ahead, as the spring climbing season in the Himalaya is always a busy and interesting one. 

More to come soon. 

Climber to Attempt Six 8000 Meters Peaks in a Single Year

We've seen climbers set ambitious goals for the Himalaya before, but Canadian Nick Cienski has set the bar high for 2015. Nick is preparing to launch the 6 Summit Challenge, during which he will attempt to summit six 8000-meter peaks in a single year, a feat that has never been accomplished before.

The challenge will begin in Nepal this spring, where Nick will first attempt to summit Lhotse, the 8516 meter (27,940 ft) neighbor to Mt. Everest. His current plan to top out on that mountain in early May, then descend to Camp 2 where he'll rest before going back up to attempt to summit Everest (8848 m/29,029 ft) sometime around mid-May. After that, he'll descend once again, take a brief rest, and then fly to Base Camp on Makalu (8481 m/27,825 ft) where he'll go for his third 8000-meter peak in as many weeks.

With those three mountains out of the way, and with the summer Monsoon arriving in the Himalaya, Nick will take a much deserved break before returning in the fall for his second set of mountains. He'll use a similar approach as in the spring, first attempting Cho Oyu (8201 m/26,906 ft) before moving on to Shishapangma (8013 m/26,289 ft) and Manaslu (8156 m/26,759 ft). The exact timeline for those climbs hasn't been set just yet, but they should all take place during the stable weather conditions that return to the Himalaya post-Monsoon in the autumn.

Nick is undertaking the 6 Summit Challenge in an effort to raise funds and awareness of Mission 14, a nonprofit dedicated to battling human trafficking around the globe. The 6 Summit Challenge will be used as way to draw attention to this troubling practice, and to help Mission 14 and its partners to work to stamp out the illegal trade of human beings that is all too common in certain parts of the world.

As you can imagine, climbing three 8000-meter peaks back-to-back-to-back in the spring and the fall will be a logistical challenge unlike any other. During both of those time frames there will be three independent teams working on each mountain. Those teams will establish each of the camps, fix the ropes to the summit, and prepare for Nick's climbs. Meanwhile, he'll first focus on acclimatizing on one of those peaks before he launches his summit bids. He will be climbing with bottled oxygen above 8000 meters on each of these mountains, and the logistical support for the expeditions is being handled by the very experienced team from Himalayan Experience.

With the spring climbing season in the Himalaya just a few weeks away at this point, Nick is just one of many climbers getting ready to depart for Nepal. By the first of April, Kathmandu will be crawling with new arrivals as the new season begins to get underway. I'll be keeping a close eye on his progress, and posting regular updates as the season unfolds. Stay tuned for what promises to be a very interesting couple of months once again.

Winter Climbs 2015: Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger Abandon Manaslu Climb

It looks like Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger's attempt to summit Manaslu in winter is over before it ever really got a chance to get underway. Reports indicate that the duo have called for an evacuation from the mountain following a very close call with an avalanche yesterday. They'll now head home and regroup of potential spring expeditions in the Himalaya instead.

The two climbers arrived on the mountain on February 20 with good weather welcoming them to Base Camp. This allowed them to quickly establish Camp 1 and begin scouting the route. Soon there after however the weather too a turn for the worse, with heavy snow falling over the past few weeks. In fact, Simone and Tamara spent much of their time simply shoveling snow to keep the area around BC clear.

Yesterday, while resting in their tent, they heard a deep rumble above them and knew that an avalanche was taking place it swept down the mountain, bringing five meters of snow with it, just outside of their campsite. That close call was enough of a sign to tell them that the mountain is no longer safe, and that it is time to go home.

At the moment, the two climbers are stranded in Base Camp. It is unsafe for them to descend on their own, as the danger of further avalanches is too high. They have called for a helicopter to come pick them up, but the weather is so poor that it is impossible to fly. It could be another day or two before they are evacuated from the mountain, depending on the weather.

This leaves just the team on Nanga Parbat struggling to summit an 8000-meter peak this winter. That squad is back in Base Camp as well at the moment following a failed summit bid this past weekend. Whether or not they make another attempt at the top of that mountain remains to be seen, with the weather ultimately dictating their chances.

Winter Climbs 2015: Bad Weather Thwarts Summit Bid on Nanga Parbat

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

While I was off climbing the tallest mountain in Africa, the combined international team of Alex Txikon, Daniele Nardi, and their Iranian and Pakistani companions have continued to work very hard on completing the first ever winter ascent of Nanga Parbat. Overt he weekend, the team launched a summit bid at last, but true to form, bad weather set in, forcing the entire squad to return to Base Camp, with at least a few of the climbers deciding to head home.

According to a report from ExWeb, the team abandoned their summit push on day two after finding the route was altered dramatically by a recent snowstorm that dumped plenty of powder on the mountain. The mountaineers were able to proceed above Camp 1 but discovered waist-deep snow and encountered several small avalanches, which convinced them it was time to turn back at 5300 meters (17,388 ft).

With unstable conditions prominent on Nanga Parbat at the moment, Alex and Daniele have decided to wait for another weather window before attempting a second summit push. Exactly when that attempt will begin remains a mystery at this time however.

Discretion being the better part of valor, the Iranian team consisting of Reza Bahadorani, Iraj Maani and Mahmood Hashemi have decided that Nanga is simply too unsafe to proceed this year. After surveying the intended route up the mountain, the trio have elected to pull the plug on their expedition and are now preparing to head home. With excessive amounts of snow and the growing threat of avalanche danger, they feel that it is simply too unsafe to proceed.

Meanwhile, over on Manaslu, Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger are stuck in Base Camp as they wait for the weather to clear as well. They arrived on the mountain amidst good conditions a few weeks back, and were quickly able to establish Camp 1 at 5220 meters (17,125 ft), but since then the weather has taken a turn for the worse, preventing them from moving upwards. Heavy snows continue to fall on the mountain, making it very difficult to proceed.

For each of these winter climbs the click is now ticking. With the calendar now officially turned to March, there are just three more weeks of winter remaining. That is plenty of time to launch another summit bid on Nanga Parbat, but on Manaslu conditions are going to have to be exactly right for Simone and Tamara to have a crack at the top. Their late start has put them behind schedule, and now it seems unlikely that they'll get the chance to actually make a summit push. Of course, anything can happen, and three weeks is still plenty of time, but the weather will have to stabilize dramatically for them to have a true chance.

Stay tuned for more updates soon.

Winter Climbs 2015: Nanga Teams Retreat to BC, Moro Departs for Nepal

There is more news from Nanga Parbat today, where the combined international team of Alex Txikon, Daniele Nardi, local climbers Muhammad Ali "Sadpara" and Muhammad Kahn, along with the Iranian squad, have retreated back to Base Camp after establishing Camp 3 on the mountain. The group had been working for five straight days to establish the route and shuttle gear, and are now ready to rest and regain some strength before heading up again.

According to reports, C3 was installed at 6700 meters (21,981 ft) where at least three of the climbers spent the night as part of their acclimatization. They then fixed ropes above that point, but were unable to reach Camp 4 before deciding it was time to descend. The entire squad is still working on acclimating to the altitude, with the exception of Nardi who has been on Nanga for more than a month now.

Dispatches indicate that Txikon and the other late arrivals are in need of some rest, so they'll spend at least a few days in BC now to let their bodies recover. The forecasts indicate that the weather should be good through the weekend, with storms arriving on the mountain on Sunday. That means that there is no weather window for the next few days, which will limit their efforts. In fact, the forecast calls for poor weather for most of next week, with possibly a meter of snow being dropped on the slopes of Nanga Parbat. For now, the teams will just have to wait to see if and when they'll get another chance.

Meanwhile, Italian climber Simone Moro is preparing to set out for Nepal. He'll leave tomorrow to begin his winter expedition in the Himalaya. He will be joined on the climb by talented alpinist Tamara Lunger, who summited K2 without oxygen this past summer.

The duo have set their sighs on the 8163 meter (26,781 ft) Manaslu, which they hope to link with Manaslu East, a peak that is an impressive 7992 meters (26,220 ft) in height. The hope is to complete the climb before the end of winter, which means they'll have roughly 35 days to top out. Both are said to have already been acclimatizing prior to their departure, with the plan of eventually making an alpine style attempt on the two summits once they have scouted the route.

Finally, there have been no updates yet from Andy Kirkpatrick, who had intended to set off for Denali to complete a solo summit of that mountain in February. The latest updates to the Brit's Facebook and Twitter pages indicate that he was heading off on an expedition, but there has been radio silence for the past eight days. Hopefully he is now in Alaska and prepping for the climb, but at this point it is unclear what his plans are.

That's all for today. It looks like things will be kind of quiet for the next few days at least as the weather on Nanga sorts itself out, and Simone and Tamara make their way to the mountain. We'll have more updates soon as the news warrants.

Winter Climbs 2015: Nanga Parbat Teams Unite at Last, Simone Moro Reveals Plans

There is more news from Nanga Parbat today, where the climbers have started to make some progress once again after being stalled out by the weather. Better yet, it seems that all of the remaining teams have now joined forces, and are working together to try to reach the summit for the first time in winter.

Earlier in the week, Italian climber Daniele Nardi had gone as high as 6100 meters (20,013 ft) on the Mummery Rib. He had hoped to solo that section of the climb and potentially make a summit bid. But unstable conditions on the mountain made it unsafe to continue up out of fear of avalanches. This forced Daniele to return to Base Camp to rethink his strategy, although he didn't stay there for long.

Apparently Daniele has decided to abandon his own plans and join the other teams that are currently on the mountain. In fact, he has already gone back up to Camp 2 with Spanish mountaineer Alex Txikon. They were joined by Pakistani climbers Muhammad Ali "Sadpara" and Muhammad Kahn, and together the team was able to establish Camp 2 on the Kinshofer Route at 6100 meters. The entire squad is hoping to continue up to Camp 3 today as they continue to fix ropes and shuttle gear.

Meanwhile, the Iranian team that is on the same route attempted to take a more direct route to C2 but were unable to complete that section of the climb. ExWeb reports that they were forced to turn back and ended up in Base Camp. Presumably they will attempt to go back up to C2 as well as they continue their acclimatization efforts.

This newly combined team is now as strong as any that we've seen on Nanga Parbat this year, and could potentially lead to the first winter ascent. We'll have to wait to see if they'll be able to work together to reach the top, but there is a great deal of experience and skill in place. There is no question that this group can summit, provided the weather cooperates and allows them to. Like the climbers themselves, we'll have to wait to see if that happens.

Finally, Italian climber Simone Moro has revealed his Himalayan climbing plans at last. After teasing us for the past couple of months, Moro has revealed that he and Tamara Lunger will be attempting to summit Manaslu. ExWeb says that more details will be forthcoming but the plan is to apparently link Manaslu East (7992 meter/26,220 ft) with the Main Summit at 8163 meters (26,781 ft). He is expected to hold a press conference today to share further details.

Fall Climbing Season in Nepal Sees Just 20% Success Rate

It was a rough fall climbing season in Nepal with a lot of mountaineers heading home without a successful summit. According to an article published in the Himalayan Times, expeditions that spent the Autumn in the Central Asian country only had a 20% success rate due to unusually bad weather across the region.

According to the article, there were 1385 foreign climbers, spread out over 183 permitted expeditions on 42 peaks in Nepal last fall. Those mountains that saw teams ranged from Nar Phu at 5921 meters (19,425 ft) to the 8163 meter (26,781 ft) Manaslu. Over the course of the season 242 climbers managed to record a total of 382 summits, with some bagging multiple peaks. Of those, the bulk of the successful climbs came on Ama Dablam and Manaslu, which saw 145 and 114 summits respectively. Furthermore, only Nanga Mari (6547 m/21,479 ft) and Nar Phu saw a 100% success rate with four and nine summits.

The other 8000-meter peaks that saw action in the fall included Makalu (8463 m/27,765 ft), Dhaulagiri (8167 m/26,795 ft), and Lhotse (8516 m/27,940 ft). All three of those mountains turned back all comers, with no teams recording a summit on any of them.

Obviously the poor weather in the Himalaya played a role in this dramatic drop-off in the number of fall summits. You may recall that a massive blizzard hit Nepal back in October, claiming the lives of more than 40 trekkers. That snow storm closed passes and dumped more than a meter of fresh powder in some areas, which hindered both trekking and climbing expeditions alike. Teams on Lhotse and Dhaulagiri in particular were hit hard by the poor weather, which was unusually bad even before the blizzard hit.

Still, this is an incredibly low success rate on many mountains that are often used as tune-ups for the bigger peaks. Traditionally those peaks see solid numbers of climbers reach the top as they build skills and experience for Everest or other Himalayan mountains. The article from the Himalayan Times only offers up the statistics however, and doesn't provide any further insight into why the success rate was so low this year.

We'll have to wait to see if this will become a trend or if the fall of 2014 was an anomaly. But with climate change impacting weather across the planet, it is possible that we could see even more big storms and extremely bad weather in the future too.