Travel & Tourism
Yet another avalanche on Mount Manaslu has sent climbers scurrying for cover – and all indications are that many climbers are preparing to pack and leave, abandoning their summit attempts.
This follows a meteorological forecast from officials in Kathmandu that Nepal will likely see medium-to-heavy rainfall beginning Tuesday October 4. The bad weather condition, triggered by a new low-pressure build-up in the Bay of Benganl, will likely continue until the coming weekend, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division.
Over 400 international climbers were planning to scale the eighth-highest mountain this Autumn. Several have already accomplished their mission to scale the true summit of the multi-peaked mountain. But avalanches have already played spoilsport, with two climbers, including a Nepali guide and a US ski mountaineer, losing their lives this past week.
The latest shock came at around 9:30 NST on Sunday morning, when a massive avalanche was seen near the base camp, according to Yubaraj Khatiwoda, director at the Department of Tourism.
“Fortunately, the avalanche didn’t cause any harm,” Khatiwoda told NepalMinute.com, adding, “This has clearly hit the morale of climbers preparing to scale the mountain. The avalanches, occurring, one after another, have instilled a sense of fear among many climbers.”
In view of the bleak weather forecast for this week starting October 4, he cautioned climbers and trekkers heading up to higher Himalayan areas to stay safe. “This is a peak trekking and mountaineering season. But, considering the weather forecast, I’d like to appeal to everyone to stay cautious and safe and not venture out into the wild alone and unprepared.”
Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, a guide at the Manaslu base camp wrote on Facebook that Sunday morning’s avalanche scared off many climbers, but nobody was hurt. (Watch the embedded video captured by Tashi Lakpa Sherpa). Other climbers too have written similar posts.
