Manaslu summit push abandoned as heavy snow closes first weather window
Climbers turn back from Camp III as rope-fixing team gives up attempt to reopen route to summit; 493 permits issued in record autumn season
PC: Abiral Rai
The first summit window on Mount Manaslu has closed without a summit, after deep snow and avalanche danger forced teams, including the rope-fixing group, to turn back from Camp III.
Climbers began descending on Tuesday as forecasts warned of heavy snow and rain from Wednesday through September 28, leaving expedition teams facing an increasingly uncertain end to Nepal’s autumn climbing season.
The rope-fixing team had laid the fixed lines to the 8,163-metre summit five days earlier, but continuous snowfall subsequently buried sections of the route, forcing the team to return and rework the lines.
The team abandoned the effort on Tuesday as deep snow and avalanche danger made further work too hazardous.
“Everyone quit from Camp III. The rope-fixing team was forced to give up because of deep snow and avalanche,” Jenjen Lama, an IFMGA guide at Manaslu base camp, said as he prepared to descend to Samagaon.
Several teams had climbed to Camp III in the hope of taking advantage of the first favourable weather window. A Japanese team with Summit Force Expedition had been due to make a summit attempt on Tuesday morning, but climbers decided they needed sufficient time to descend before conditions deteriorated.
Nga Tenji Sherpa of Summit Force Expedition said other teams were also turning back from Camp III after the rope-fixing team abandoned its attempt to re-establish the lines to the summit.
“The chances of a summit on Manaslu this season are looking slim now,” said Nga Tenji, whose three teams were spread between Camps I, II and III.
Chhang Dawa Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, one of Nepal’s largest expedition operators, said his company had decided to close its Manaslu season.
“For the safety of everyone on the mountain, we have made the decision to officially close the Manaslu 2026 season,” he said in a social media post.
“When it comes to the technical challenges of an expedition, we prepare, adapt and find a way to tackle them. But there is one thing we can never overcome: snowfall, wind and mountain conditions are beyond our control.”
“It is never an easy decision, but every successful expedition begins and ends with one responsibility: bringing everyone home safely,” he said.
Many expedition teams have already returned to Kathmandu, while others are descending to Samagaon and plan to wait there for the storm to pass before deciding whether to leave the mountain.
The season had drawn an unprecedented number of foreign climbers to Manaslu, with 493 climbing permits issued so far. Yet the first major summit opportunity has ended without a successful ascent.
With more snow and rain forecast from September 23 to 28, expedition leaders are now focusing on getting climbers safely off the mountain rather than attempting to force a summit in deteriorating conditions.
