Expeditions Manaslu 8.163m Expedition, Nepal

Manaslu north east Col Route Camps:

Base Camp (4800M/15,750ft):

Manaslu base camp is located on a rocky moraine with amazing views of the Himalaya. Extreme Expeditions base camp will be setup for almost 35 days. On an 8000m expedition climbers spend most of their time at base camp, so naturally on any long expedition, base camp becomes a home away from home. We establish our camp at a walking distance between meeting points with different group and strategic viewing positions of the Manaslu massif. We will provide a personal tent which becomes your private retreat, a dining tent that is the common area, a shower tent and toilet tent. When you arrive at the base camp it will already be fully established and hot beverages and snacks will be available immediately. Waiting for you there will be your base camp staff and high altitude climbing Sherpa. Prior to your climbing period you will have a Puja ceremony at the base camp for good luck. This is one Nepalese tradition not to miss; it represents safe climbing passage for everyone involved in the expedition.

Camp 1 (5700m/18,700ft)-04hrs:

Once you have reviewed basic and advanced training by your climbing Sherpa guide, you will be ready for your attempt to climb to camp 1 which is at a height of 18,700ft/5800m. In this section of the climb you will encounter mixed terrain including a few crevasses and short ice sections on the first section of glacier. Prior to the first section of glacier you will encounter grassy slopes, rock slabs and moraine. For average climbers it takes about 4 hours. The first section of climbing on the moraine takes about an hour, then you reach the crampon point at the mouth of the glacier, the glacier portion takes about 3 hours. Camp one is divided into two sections, lower camp 1 and upper camp 1, the distance between the two is 100m/328ft.

Camp 2 (6400m/21,000ft)-05hrs:

The climbing from camp 1 to camp 2 is the most technical section on Mt. Manaslu. During this section you encounter the heart of the icefall. The first section is just slogging over snow for about an hour, and then you encounter several steep section of ice, 2 ladder crossings and steep snow climbing. Expect that this section will take you about 5 hours. Expect that you will encounter several steep sections of ice that are 100m at a slope of 65º. For most people this is the crux of the route. Camp 2 is situated above the icefall on a snowy terrace.

Camp 3(6800m/22,310ft)-02-03hrs:

Camp two to camp three is the shortest distance and will be your shortest climbing day. It does not require any ladder crossings, but there are a few crevasses that are roughly a half meter that need to be jumped. The main ropes are fixed by climbing Sherpa’s team. This section for most climbers feels easier, but still it is not to be taken lightly, the climbing is still on sustained slopes and there is exposure to cold and wind. Although in spring there has been reports of direct sun hitting this section making it feel very warm

Camp 4 (7500m/24,606ft):

Climbing from camp 3 to camp 4 feels like a long day, the distance of short nut now you are nearing the death zone. As all climbers as aware the oxygen levels are very low at this altitude so it is expected that any effort no matter how minimum or trivial will feel arduous. In this section you have to climb for 3-4 hours on steep snow that is on a 50-55º slope. This section is dangerous because the snow slope is covering a layer of ice which make ethos section avalanche prone. Comparing with other sections of the route, this portion is extremely physical with sustained steep snow sections at extreme altitude in avalanche terrain.

Summit (8156m/26,759ft)-16-17 hrs:

Summit day, the main goal during the climbing period. Most climbers begin their summit bid at 1:00 am. if all goes well they reach the summit between 7-10 am. Below the main summit is a false summit, the main summit is reached via an exposed ridge. It takes about 4 hours to return to Camp 4 from the summit and another 2 hours to get to camp three for overnight stay. The climbing is not technical in the early part as you ascend through several basins with short snow headwalls. The climb passes the false summit and finishes on an exposed ridge to the true summit for a spectacular view of the mighty Himalaya. Our Sherpa guides will fix ropes break trail and make every effort to assist the group to reach the summit of the 8th highest mountain in the world.