Manaslu

Here it is; Manaslu, the 8th highest peak in the world standing at 8163 m. In March 1923, in an interview with The New York Times, the British mountaineer George Leigh Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, and replied, 'Because it's there'. I don't really have a better answer than this as to why I'm going.




I'm going with my friend and guide, Tchouky, with whom I've been skiing, climbing and mountaineering with him for about 4 years now. We talked about climbing Cho-Oyu last year but the situation in Tibet has made climbing there a bit uncertain. As this will be my first high mountain ascent, the peak needed to be on the moderate end of difficulty, i.e. not a technical climb. I find it somewhat ironic that people use moderate and difficult in the same sentence when talking about a peak over 8000 m.




We will leave on September 6, with a return booked for October 20. The schedule allows for the long approach trek as well as a good weather allowance for climbing. Manaslu is somewhat famous for large snowfalls in the climbing season, I read a report from the spring of this year where there was 1.5 m that fell on the base camp overnight. On the advice of Keith Sanford who was there in 2007, I set out to find a set of skis that would suit the climb. We're still working on this. Best case on timing will leave us with a couple of weeks to spare in Thailand, worst cast is having to push back our return.


I'm going to try and post a bit about my training and general preparation, then I hope to keep it up during the climb. From the start, I need to say thank you to my lovely wife who is putting up with me while I prepare.










Map of Nepal














Relative Location of Manaslu























Manaslu Region