ExWeb has done a great job, as usual, listing off the pending expeditions for the Fall 2008 Himalaya season. As is typical for the Fall, there are fewer teams on the mountains, which is often part of the appeal. Many climbers by-pass the Spring Season to avoid the crowds and to soak in the solitude.
The list has expeditions for all the usual suspects, including Everest, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, and more. It seems that the bulk of the climbers are setting their sites on Cho Oyu and Manaslu this Fall, with more teams listed for those two mountains than any other.
While all of the climbs will be of interest, there are a few that stand out in my mind. For instance, there is a Korean team on Everest's South West Face, led by Park Young-seok, who has already topped out on all the 8-thousanders. Also catching my eye was the fact that Nives Meroi, along with husband Romano Benet, has returned to the Himalaya. They're back to climb Manaslu, as Nives works ever closer to her goal of becoming the first woman to claim all the 8000m peaks.
ExWeb also makes a note about Tibet slowly opening back up for visitors. It appears that a limited number of permits are available and a few teams are being allowed in, under a series of restrictions. I've heard through other sources, that all teams coming and going through Tibet are having their backgrounds checked before visas are issued, and that they are being throughly searched upon their arrival at the border.
Many teams are either in Kathmandu already, en route to their mountains, or already in BC. Looks like there should be plenty of news from the area in the next few months, and some great climbs to follow.
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