September 27, 2012

The Manaslu team flew back to Kathmandu by helicopter today, and the sherpa team are on their way out to Arughat with the porters.  Great to know everyone is safe and sound.  Manaslu was tough expedition, but by all accounts Mike, Peter, and the IMG climbers and sherpas did a heroic job participating in the rescue after the avalanche at Camp 3.  Well done, team.  As someone much wiser than me once said:  we may love the mountains, but they don’t care about us.  For next year we will be hoping that the Chinese reopen Cho Oyu!

Eric Simonson

September 25, 2012

IMG leader Mike Hamill reports from Base Camp:  ”The team is doing well and in good spirits considering the events of the past few days. We had a lengthy team meeting today and have decided to leave the mountain for several reasons including continued unstable conditions high on the mountain.  The Sherpa are headed up to C2 early tomorrow morning to bring down the remaining gear and they plan to be back to Base Camp around 10am so we can pack before lunch and head down early afternoon. We’ll spend the night in Sama and fly to Kathmandu the next morning”.

Eric Simonson

September 23, 2012

Manaslu Base Camp (Phunuru Sherpa)

IMG leader Mike Hamill reports that the team has now descended from Camp 2 to Base Camp.   Sounds like it was starting to get windy up high, this morning, with blowing snow.

Now that the team is all down, we will discuss their options, and make a final decision about the expedition plans.

Eric Simonson

September 23, 2012

IMG leader Mike Hamill made it back to Camp 2 and rejoined the IMG Team, after helping with the response to the avalanche at Camp 3.  The IMG team is all doing well at Camp 2 and will spend another night there.  Their plan is to descend to Base Camp in the morning, so we’ll have more info after they get down.

This is a very sad accident, apparently caused by a random act of nature.  When a serac (a big ice block) falls on a slope, it will cause the snow to be dislodged.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the climbers and families.

Eric Simonson

September 22, 2012

IMG Manaslu leader Mike Hamill reports that about 4:30am (local time) a serac fell triggering a slide that hit Camp 3. The IMG team is at Camp 2 and they are all safe and sound.  Mike and several other guides are now responding to Camp 3 to assist.   We’ll be waiting for more info.

Eric Simonson

September 22, 2012

IMG climbers between Camp 1 and 2 (Mike Hamill)

Mike just called from Camp 2 to report that they pulled into camp between 11:00-11.30AM and that the team is doing well and the route conditions were good.  He estimates that 150 people have now been up and down this section now, so it is well kicked-in.  Sherpas carried oxygen from Base Camp to Camp I this morning and then carried member personal gear from Camp I to Camp 2 and dropped back down to base camp after setting up the tents at Camp 2.

Sherpas will take a rest day tomorrow and go up the next day.  Mike and the climbers plan to tag Camp 3 and then descent for a second night at Camp 2 tomorrow. Then, they will see how everyone is feeling, weather, etc and make a plan whether to go up and spend a night at Camp 3 or drop down to Base Camp the following day.  Mike also said the route is now open to Camp 3 and he thinks there were at least 40 people between Camp  2 and 3 today.   No one has been to Camp 4 yet.

Eric Simonson

September 20, 2012

Climbers on the way to Camp 1 on Manaslu. (Mike Hamill)

IMG leader Mike Hamill reported by sat phone that the team took a good hike today to get the cobwebs worked out from their storm days.  A number of teams did move up to Camp 1 today, and some sherpas from another team reached Camp 2 and report that the tents and gear up there are all OK.   Good news.  Now the weather is looking much better and the team members are doing well.  Their plan is to move up in the morning to Camp 1, then go to Camp 2 the following day, with the ultimate goal of this rotation to reach Camp 3.

Eric Simonson

September 19, 2012

September 19, 2012 satellite photo (Nepal Meteorological Forecasting Division).

IMG’s weather forecaster Michael Fagin reports that the monsoon is starting to retreat from the Indian subcontinent.  Good news!  Ang Jangbu reported it rained hard for 50 straight hours in Kathmandu, but that now it is sunny and drying out.  The satellite photo shows the moisture starting to move out of the area.  This is the beginning of the big seasonal switch that we have been waiting for.

Up at Base Camp we had a call from Phunuru Sherpa who reports that everyone had a good rest today and the that weather has now cleared.  The team’s plan is to wait another day to let the snow settle, with the current plan to move up the following day.

Eric Simonson

September 18, 2012

We took another rest day today while the Sherpa team went up to Camp 1 to dig out the tents and pull the fixed lines out of the snow. There’s 6 inches of fresh snow here at Base Camp but the Sherpa reported a meter at Camp 1. The good news is that the lines to C1 are still in place and all the tents and gear at C1 are in good shape.

Mike Hamill

September 17, 2012

We are waiting at Base Camp for the weather to improve before heading up the mountain for our second rotation. We have had several days of rain and snow now, so hopefully it will start drying out soon!  Our goal for this next rotation is to spend 4 nights on the mountain with the first night being at C1 (18,900ft), the 2nd and 3rd nights at C2 (20,820ft), and the final night at C3 (22,600ft) depending on how the team is feeling and weather permitting. The route has been fixed up to C3 and there is a plan in place to fix rope to the summit over the next week or so.  The team is all happy and healthy and excited to get back on the mountain. We have been filling the down time with card games, hot showers, laundry and eating Kaji’s great food.

Mike Hamill