After days of relentless rain and snowfall, blue skies have returned to Nepal, offering a brief glimpse of autumn. But for hundreds climbers and expedition workers, the season is already drawing to a close.

Some expedition company announced cancellation of autumn expedtion before the snow storm, while some expedition operators are formally announcing cancellations for the season

Seven summit treks, country’s biggest outfitter was the first to announce cancellation of expedition right before snow storm

“For the safety of everyone on the mountain, we have made the decision to officially close the Manaslu 2026 season,” Chhang Dawa Sherpa, expedition manager wrote a week ago.

Chhang Dawa is one a mountaineer, who has summited 14 peaks, and organised all record breaking expedition, including that of Nirmal Purja Nimsdai and Kristin Harila

He is quick to analyse the situation and take decision right on time.

Besides, for a company like Seven Summit Treks, the biggest in the country, it was not a problem for them to take decision.

However, new and relative small companies took time to take a decision. They wanted to make a point that they are capable, and strong. They want to market themselves as well.

Some genuinly thought there wont be this much snowfall.

The snow fall is more than 3 meter in places.

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to end the Manaslu Expedition for the 2026 season,” wrote Ngaa Tenji Sherpa, who runs Summit Force Expedition.

He was waiting for the snow stormm to pass to make a decision cosidering the situation after the consistent snow fall for five days.

“Due to extremely poor weather conditions and heavy snowfall, the situation on the mountain has become increasingly challenging. At this stage, continuing the expedition is no longer safe or practical,” he further wrote.

Pem Lakpa Sherpa, co-found of AltiPro Adventure, took a video of Manaslu base camp covered in fresh snow, but it is so deep, almost doom is burried under the snow.

“We stayed a few days to check if the situation will be favorable, but we decided to call off the expedition for the,” he said.

For expedition operators it is a big question of dilemma, they want to help summit their client to be successful. It involves money client’s trust and company reputation, while clients themselves have spent a lot of time, money and underwent a long preparation, which is why they don’t want to quit just like that

Abiral Rai, an IFMGA-certified mountain guide, who works with Climbing the Seven Summits, said it was absolute impossible task to attempt the mountain in this situation. His team was stuck in Samagau for days, and after watching the level of snow and mountain situation, they returned home.

“I don’t think it is easy to climb in such a situation where the snow level is several meter high, and the base camp is compltely under the several meter of snow layer,” he said

He argued that it is not an easy access to the base camp. And then major task of rope fixing comes the next.

Rai says conditions remain unfavourable for climbing. Reaching base camp is difficult, while fixing ropes and moving safely higher on the mountain is even more challenging under the deep snow.

“Autumn season turned out to be unfavorable for Manaslu,” said IFMGA Certified mountain guide Ashish Gurung, who just checked the situation in the field, adding “Besides, we are way too late to start over again. September is an ideal climbing season.”

Now that the workers are collecting their equipments from the base camp, which Gurung said would take few days. Kitchen and climbing materials were found to be below several feet of snow.

Manaslu attracted a record 493 foreign climbers this autumn — a number approaching the scale of a spring Everest season. Yet the weather has so far denied them a summit.

With the exception of the rope-fixing team, Manaslu remains without a summit this season