Manaslu in Nepal

It’s show time in the Himalayas. After all climbers should have completed their acclimatization on the eight-thousanders, the first summit successes have been reported. Yesterday Romanian Horia Colibasanu and Slovak Peter Hamor reached the 8163-meter-high summit of Manaslu via the normal route on the northeast side – without bottled oxygen and Sherpa support. Actually this ascent was only for acclimatization. The two plan to climb the mountain a second time, on a new “long and difficult route” (Colibasanu) on the north side of the mountain.

Nepalese south side of Cho Oyu

Without breathing mask

The first summit successes were also reported from Cho Oyu in Tibet. According to the expedition operator Summit Climb, Lhakpa Gelbu Sherpa and American David Roeske reached the highest point on 8,188 meters on Sunday, without bottled oxygen.

First attempt abandoned

On Shishapangma, Swiss Ueli Steck and German David Goettler have abandoned their first attempt to climb a new route through the South Face. “We are back in basecamp. Weather was not what we expected”, Ueli writes on Facebook. “The season is not finished yet. We are still motivated and we keep trying!”

Slovaks on Everest are safe

On Mount Everest, two narrow good weather windows for summit attempts are emerging: between 14 and 16 May and on 19 and 20 May. Several teams on the south side want to take the very first chance. Meanwhile, the two Slovakian climbers Zoltan Pál and Vladimir Štrba are safe again. As reported, the duo had been caught by an avalanche during their attempt to climb through the difficult Southwest Face. Pál was injured in his eye. The rescue team managed to bring them back to Camp 2, from where they were flown by helicopter to Kathmandu today.

Update, 4 p.m.: According to Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA,) today nine Sherpas of the rope-fixing team reached the summit of Everest from the Nepalese side of the mountain.

Way back to basecamp

Ralf Dujmovits’ concerns were not deceptive. The day after he and his Polish companion Darek Zaluski had decided to cancel their winter expedition on the Diamir side of Nanga Parbat, they narrowly escaped an ice avalanche. The two climbers had just build down their Camp 1 at 4900 meters below the Kinshofer route and were on their descent when the avalanche went down. “We were very lucky!”, Ralf writes to me. The 52-year-old and Darek arrived in basecamp safe and sound. As reported Dujmovits had abandoned his plan to climb Nanga Parbat via the Messner route because of the high risk of ice avalanches.

Daniele’s second attempt

The basecamp on the Diamir side will remain empty only for about two weeks. Then the Italian Daniele Nardi will pitch up his tent there. The 37-year-old from the town Sezze near Rome will try to climb Nanga Parbat solo and in Alpine style via the Mummery ridge. He is starting his expedition so late because he wants to avoid competitive situations on the mountain, says Daniele: “I don’t want to climb with the idea to run on the mountain, the most important thing is the style.” Last winter Nardi had climbed on Nanga Parbat in a team with the Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol. They had reached a height of 6000 meters.

First night in Camp 1

Simone climbing up to Camp 1

Meanwhile on the Rupal side the Italian Simone Moro and the German David Goettler are acclimatizing. The two climbed up to Camp 1 to spend a first night at 5100 meters. The Polish team “Justice for all”, the first expedition this season in Pakistan, had reached a height of 5500 meters already on 26 December.