Summits On Manaslu and Cho Oyu

Earlier in the week I mentioned that weather windows were opening up in the Himalaya late this week, and it seems that climbers are taking advantage of the situation. ExWeb is reporting that there have been successful summits on both Manaslu and Cho Oyu, just as predicted.

On Manaslu, a number of teams have topped out, including climbers on the Dream Guides and HiMex squads. The reports are that the weather was excellent, with winds dying down to allow for a safe climb up to the summit. Spanish climbers Carlos Pauner and Carlos Soria were amongst the summitteers today, with Pauner claiming his tenth 8000-meter peak. The latest updates indicate that everyone is back at Camp 2, and will continue back down the mountain to Base Camp tomorrow.

Over on Cho Oyu, the Field Touring Alpine team is reporting that a German climber reached the summit today, although the details are quite sketchy. The climbers name hasn't been released, nor do we know if this was a solo bid, although conditions high on the mountain are described as dangerous. Meanwhile, other climbers have moved up to Camp 3 and are hoping to make their own summit bids over the weekend.

You might recall that earlier in the week an avalanche above C3 hit several Sherpas who were fixing the lines, and the reports indicated that there were large snow shelfs high up that would make for treacherous climbs. Some of the teams elected to go home, but it appears that others have decided to stay and give it a go. Lets hope they use good judgement and that everything goes well on those attempts.