The 2024 autumn climbing season is underway, with most of the attention on Nepal’s Manaslu, often acknowledged as one of the more “attainable” 8000ers. But there are climbers on other 8000ers like Nepal’s Dhaulagiri and Makalu. China reopened Tibet to climb Shishapangma and Cho Oyu. And even a team on Everest’s Tibet side hopes to ski the Hornbein Couloir. Pakistan increased K2’s permit fee, which, I believe, is a good move.
8000ers Tamed?
Over the past few years, I’ve written about how climbing the 8000-meter peaks has dramatically changed. While the purists decry this, opportunities to earn the next Piolets d’Or remain. There are many unclimbed routes and the chance to climb in the off-season, like winter. But it takes dedication and imagination to make your mark on these peaks today.
When I say “tamed,” I don’t want to imply “easy. ” No 8000-meter is “easy,” and those who market it that way must be avoided. Significant risks remain with altitude on the giants, including objective dangers like avalanches, rock falls, and the ever-present danger of sudden storms. Let me remind you that 26 people died on Everest in the past two seasons. Of those, I estimate 18 were “avoidable.”
The methodologies used by the Nepali companies, with Seven Summits Treks at the forefront, opened these massive mountains to a broader pool of climbers. They use many highly skilled Sherpas to establish high camps and install the fixed ropes from the base camp to the summit. Clients will remain at BC or acclimate on a trekking peak like Island and Lobuche before following a well-established boot track through the camps to the summit. Clients use supplemental oxygen at high rates, from four to six liters per minute. Other advances include more accurate weather forecasting and using the same route with camps at the exact location each year, thus reducing the unknowns.
Looking closely at Manaslu as of September 16, 2024, the Nepal Ministry of Tourism has issued 308 permits to foreigners, so adding a support ratio of 1.5 for each foreigner puts around 770 people at the peak. However, early reports say the mountain doesn’t feel crowded. Last year, in 2023, the Nepal government issued 301 permits to foreigners and 394 in 2022.
As usual, the Nepali companies dominate the market. Overall, Nepal has issued 339 permits across ten mountains for this autumn climbing season, with China dominating the countries at 67 and the US coming in a distant second at 33. Other countries with climbers totaling over ten include Russia–27, India–24, France–17, Japan–15, Canada–14, Iran–13, Switzerland–12, UK–12, and Germany with 10 permits.
There is only one team of five on Dhaulagiri and a four-person team at Makalu. China has granted permits to climb Cho Oyu and Shishapangma, but precise numbers are unavailable.
Nepali operators dominate all the 8000ers today, and Manaslu 2024 is no different. Seven Summits Treks reports having 90 clients. Multiple teams are already at Manaslu Base Camp, including:
- 8K Expeditions: 40 members
- Adventure Peaks
- Climbing the Seven Summits
- Imagine Nepal
- International Mountain Guides
- Kaitu Expedition
- Maddison Mountaineering
- Makalu Extreme
- Pioneer Adventures
- Seven Summits Treks
- Wild Yak
On Cho Oyu, Adventure Consultants is climbing from the Tibet side, while a four-person Russian team will make the rare and dangerous attempt from Nepal on the southeast/east ridge route first climbed in 1991 by another Russian team. The Himalayan Times reports that only 21 climbers have successfully topped out from Nepal.
Manaslu Summit
Teams are taking advantage of Manaslu’s nice Autumn 2024 weather, with many already tagging Camp 3. Once the ropes reach the summit and there is a good weather window, teams back at base camp will depart for the summit push. A seven-person Sherpa team from Seven Summits Treks is fixing this season’s route.
Reaching the true summit of Manaslu requires crossing a dangerously corniced, extremely narrow (one person at a time) ridge or dropping below that ridge and traversing a steep slope covered in soft snow or hard-packed ice, depending on the year’s conditions. Either way, reaching the true summit is not for the beginner climber, which matches the profile of many of this year’s flocks on Manalsu.
With so many people on the mountain, a nightmare scenario would have scores, if not hundreds, of people trying to reach the true summit on the same day. Thus, there is a new plan to cross that same ridge instead of dropping down to bypass it. Essentially, they want to reach the summit using the ridge as “uphill climbers,” returning by dropping below the summit and traversing back to the main route. It is an odd strategy given that many people thought they were on the true summit over the past decade but only at the fore-summit due to the high risks of crossing the final section on the summit ridge.
Cho Oyu
From Tibet
Cho is considered one the most achievable of the 8000ers. The climbing is relatively straightforward, with no icefalls and limited avalanche-prone slopes. However, the Chinese increased permits and other fees, making the once-affordable Cho too expensive for many first-time climbers, thus sending them to the less expensive Manaslu. A climbing package from a Western guide for Cho varies broadly between $25,000 to $50,000, while Manaslu is priced at $25,000 to $30,000. You can climb with a Nepali company for half those prices.
Another change for anyone climbing 8000ers in Tibet is the new rule that everyone must use supplemental oxygen above 7000 meters. This applies to Everest, Cho Oyu and Shishpangma. This will discourage many purists and those looking to climb all fourteen sans Os.
Adventure Consultants with four members, one guide and an unspecified number of Sherpas check-in after arriving at Base Camp. They note the development in Tibet that is changing the commercial and cultural environment: “We arrived at Base Camp in less than an hour’s drive from Tingri. It is striking how much has developed recently in this area. In Tingri, old mud brick single-storey buildings are being replaced by two—and three-storey concrete buildings. Tarmac roads have replaced rough rutted trails, and travel times have dropped considerably.”
From Nepal
Wrapping up all 14 of the 8000ers
Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, received his Shishapangma permit. If successful, he will complete the 8000er list. British climber Adriana Brownlee is also seeking to finish the list with Shish. There could be a few more, but they are quiet for the moment.
Everest Ski Expedition Returns
A $1 million expedition to ski the Hornbein Couloir on Everest’s Tibet side, sponsored by The North Face and National Geographic, has returned in 2024 after being canceled last year. The Chinese had issued them a climbing permit but not one for skiing. Upon initial arrival at the border, Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker were denied entry into Tibet.
This year, The Himalayan Times noted that Americans Jimmy Chin, Jim Morrison, Mark Fisher, Tibetans, Nepali Sherpas, and Mingma David Sherpa would make the attempt. The expedition honors Hilaree Nelson, who died while skiing from the summit of Mt Manaslu in 2022. The other members continued to base camp and established C2, but the weather moved in, and the expedition was called off with still no skiing permit.
Pakistan Increases K2 Permit Fees
In what I believe is a good move, Pakistan climbing authorities have increased K2’s per-person climbing permit to $5,000 each and limited each permit to twenty climbers. This may discourage the recent explosion of climbers who lack the proper experience to attempt the peak. In recent years, K2’s small camps high on the mountain have become littered and sticky. They don’t belong there if the operators cannot respect the peak with basic Leave No Trace principles.
Some Nepali operators are upset by the increase and are evaluating whether they will continue to guide Pakistan. Again, this would be good if it reduced the overall traffic. There are many qualified guiding companies in Pakistan, but few support climbers. Even if this increase reduces the volume, it will give the Pakistani industry time to build world-class expertise.
Safe climbing to all.
Climb On!
Alan
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