In late July, 2022, Nepali mountaineers Pasdawa Sherpa and his uncle Dawa Ongju Sherpa were breaking trail high on the summit ridge of 26,414-foot Broad Peak in Pakistan. The two were working as guides for Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, who was attempting to set a speed record for summiting the world鈥檚 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, which is currently held by Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja.

In an instant, an avalanche swept two Sherpas off the ridge. Alive but shaken, they freed themselves and continued towards the summit, only to be hit by another slide.

鈥淎t that point we knew we should turn back鈥� Dawa Ongju told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淏ut we thought, 鈥業f we live, we live. If we die, we die. It doesn鈥檛 matter.鈥� So we risked our lives and continued on to the summit.鈥�

鈥淲e did it all for Kristin,鈥� he said.

The trio continued, eventually reaching the top. Broad Peak was the eighth summit that Harila reached alongside the two men, and her success and unorthodox climbing strategy drew attention from international media. Other record seekers on the high peaks often use fresh teams of sherpas for each mountain, but Harila told the media that she wanted to make history alongside her two guides, both of whom work for outfitter 8K Expeditions. 鈥淧asdawa and Uncle Dawa are amazing.鈥� Harila told me in May, 2022. 鈥淚 would love to share the record with them. I don鈥檛 need it to be focused on myself.鈥�

But in November 2022, the relationship between the three abruptly dissolved, despite the trio having two more mountains to ascend: 26,864-foot Cho Oyu and 26,335-foot Shishapangma. Both peaks are typically climbed from China, but the country鈥檚 borders were closed due to the pandemic, and Harila couldn鈥檛 secure permits to enter the country. She planned a winter ascent of Cho Oyu from the Nepal side, but Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju were conspicuously absent from her roster. Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju did not provide specifics for why they stopped working with Harila, but a representative from 8K Expeditions said in a March 2023 interview that there was a disagreement over payment.

Harila鈥檚 Cho Oyu bid was unsuccessful, and a few weeks later she announced plans to pursue the speed record on the 14 peaks in 2023 alongside a different outfitter鈥攂ut she invited Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju to join her on her first two climbs in April, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma, so they could complete the 14 peaks together.

国产吃瓜黑料 spoke to Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju in April, 2023, and they admitted that the situation left them with hurt feelings, but they both wished Harila well on her 2023 attempt. 鈥淲e were planning to share the record, so of course this hurts.鈥� Dawa Ongju said. 鈥淲e struggled together, and we put our lives on the line for her. But I give her my blessings.鈥�

Shortly afterwards, their permits to climb the peaks from the Chinese side were not approved, and Harila wound up climbing without them. When their travel plans fell apart for the second time, their feelings changed. Dawa Ongju wrote an icy message on Facebook. 鈥淲e carried all the gear, backpacks, crampons, clothes, water bottles, oxygen canisters, camera, backup batteries, food and all the equipment while giving priority to Kristin. She did not have to lay a single meter of rope nor tie a single knot. After receiving our cancelled [sic] passports back we were shocked and dumbfounded,鈥� he wrote. 国产吃瓜黑料 reached out to the Chinese consulate in Kathmandu about the travel problems but did not receive a response. Six days after their travel plans fell through, Harila summited Cho Oyu, and by the end of May she had climbed four additional 8,000-meter peaks.

Harila also declined to discuss specifics of why she chose to work with a different expedition operator in 2023. 鈥淚 think people believe that this was our project, but the thing is like it was actually my project from the start,鈥� she told听翱耻迟蝉颈诲别听in April 2023.

The dissolved relationship highlights a lopsided power dynamic that has existed for decades in Himalayan mountaineering. Western climbers often earn celebrity status and sponsorship cash for ascending the highest peaks. The media attention generated by these accomplishments fuels their future expeditions, and sometimes even helps them navigate the tricky diplomatic barriers that stand in the way of the mountains. But the high-altitude workers who help them rarely achieve stardom or wealth. Their climbing and survival skills in the world鈥檚 harshest climate are among the best, and their job is difficult and dangerous. And when a problem arises鈥攂e it avalanches or visa issues鈥攖hey are often on the losing end.

鈥淎s Sherpas, we often do not get the credit for the job we do,鈥� Pasdawa says. 鈥淲e labor, but the clients get the spotlight. It鈥檚 hurtful. It would have been completely different if we had a chance to climb in Tibet this year.鈥�

Dawa Ongju and Pasdawa鈥檚 inability to obtain travel visas to China had consequences for their careers. Both men said that completing the 14 peaks would have boosted their value as guides, and given them credibility to branch out into other types of work, like mountaineering education.

鈥淚鈥檝e had 37 successful summits of 8,000 meter peaks in my career. But that alone isn鈥檛 enough.鈥� says Dawa Ongju. 鈥淚 really really want to teach and train other climbers. But people won鈥檛 listen to me unless I have some sort of a record. That鈥檚 what upsets me.鈥�

Many of the current generation of Nepal鈥檚 strongest high altitude workers grew up in the cash-strapped remote villages of eastern Nepal, with very few opportunities for education. Dawa Ongju left school to join the workforce after the third grade, Pasdawa after the fifth. Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju cite their lack of education as the reason they must work on the high peaks. Nepal鈥檚 flagging economy makes finding employment in other industries tricky, and relative to other jobs in Nepal, mountaineering pays well.

In recent years the wider world has slowly opened its eyes to the plight of Sherpa climbers on Mount Everest and other Himalayan mountains. A 2014 study done by 国产吃瓜黑料 found that Sherpa climbers face a workplace fatality rate of 4,053 deaths per 100,000 people鈥攁 rate ten times greater than the U.S. military鈥檚 fatality rate in the Iraq war.听Earlier this spring the , who has climbed Everest a record 28 times. Kami Rita told the听Times that he struggles to support his family of four in a rented Kathmandu apartment, and that he hopes his children pursue a profession away from the high peaks.

Both pay and recognition for Sherpas has been improving in the last few years. Nepalese climber Nirmal 鈥淣ims鈥� Purja, who is not Sherpa, says he鈥檚 seen more acknowledgement of Sherpa climbers鈥� accomplishments within international mountaineering.

鈥淭he Nepalese community have always supported people to make their big mountain dreams a reality鈥攆rom the Sherpas, guides and porters to tea house owners, base camp cooks and teams. Often their contribution has been overlooked. But I think there has been a shift recently in the way the Nepalese climbing community is being recognized for this work, which is really positive.鈥�

Harila, for her part, thinks that climbers generally respect and appreciate their sherpas.

鈥淵eah, of course, climbers care most about saying I reached the summit. But I also understand that is because they have put so much into that,鈥� Harila said. 鈥淎nd they have paid for the service that the fixing team does, the company does, and the sherpas do. So I think most of the time, I see that the climbers are really appreciating the sherpas.鈥�

There鈥檚 also an uptick in Sherpa-owned expedition companies that now take paying customers听to the top of the highest peaks. But among the cadre of record-chasing celebrities in the tight-knit circle of climbers, few are Sherpa.

Part of this is due to the self-promotion skills and international relationships that record-chasing climbers must cultivate in order to fund their expeditions and navigate diplomatic hurdles. Both Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju cited their lack of English and personal marketing as the main factors that have held them back on the global mountaineering scene.

Some Sherpa climbers have tried to make names for themselves by pursuing speed records. In 2022, 31-year-old climber Gelje Sherpa raised funds via the crowdfunding site GoFundMe while attempting to become the youngest to scale the 14 peaks. Like Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju, Gelje was prevented from entering China to ascend Cho Oyu, and instead mounted an unsuccessful mission to ascend it from the Nepal side.

On April 26, Harila summited 26,335-foot Shishapangma alongside a Norwegian filmmaker and two guides: Tenjen Sherpa and Mingma Sherpa. Six days later, she topped out on Cho Oyu. By the end of May, she had climbed three other peaks.

Pasdawa and Dawa Ongju, meanwhile, were on the slopes of Everest, establishing camps and leading new clients on acclimatization rotations through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall. If successful, this trip will mark Dawa Ongju鈥檚 eighth trip to the summit and Pasdawa鈥檚 11th.

Despite his frustration, Dawa Ongju said he wishes Harila good fortune. 鈥淔rom my side, she was my family. I still consider her family鈥� I鈥檒l be so happy if she succeeds,鈥� he said.

When asked if he and Pasdawa could break the speed record on the 14 peaks if given access to Harila鈥檚 resources, his response, punctuated by the clamor of a noisy basecamp kitchen, came quickly:

鈥淲e鈥檇 be able to go twice as fast because we wouldn鈥檛 have to wait for the clients to catch up,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 entirely confident that we could break the record by at least a month.鈥�

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At 9 A.M. on Saturday, October 1, a massive avalanche swept down the lower flanks of 26,781-foot Manaslu and enveloped dozens of tents in the mountain鈥檚 Base Camp. Video of the huge slide . As the snow clouds receded, the damage was visible: approximately 35 tents were buried or torn apart. But everyone in the camp was safe.

Later that morning, another avalanche occurred higher on the mountain, which killed Nepali guide Dawa Chhiring Sherpa, who had been descending from Camp 2 to Camp 1, which is located at 18,700 feet. Dawa had been working with the outfitter Seven Summit Treks, which quickly announced it was ending its expedition.

鈥淭oday we lost an honest and experienced guide, who summited Everest five times and multiple 8000ers. We decided to call off the expedition,鈥� Tashi Lhakpa Sherpa, one of the founders of Seven Summit Treks, told 国产吃瓜黑料.

鈥淭his has been a terrible season,鈥� Tashi Lhakpa Sherpa added. 鈥淭he weather is not really predictable and there has been too much rain in the area.鈥�

Similarly, guiding company Elite Exped, which is operated by famed Nepali climber Nirmal 鈥淣ims鈥� Purja, also called off its mission to reach the top.

update: Following multiple big avalanches & the loss of our dear friends on the mountain, as well as the current & future weather conditions – we have taken the decision to call off this year鈥檚 expedition. Safety is our 1st听priority.

— Nirmal Purja MBE (@nimsdai)

鈥淔ollowing multiple big avalanches and the loss of our dear friends on the mountain, as well as the current and future weather conditions鈥攚e have taken the decision to call off this year鈥檚 expedition,鈥� Purja wrote on Twitter. 鈥淪afety is our 1st priority.鈥�

The decisions to abandon the peak follow a disastrous week on Manaslu. In six days, climbers witnessed three deaths and thirteen injuries, most of which were caused by avalanches. The slides are the product of an unusually snowy August and September on the mountain, which climbers typically ascend in the fall. The peak has historically been considered a practice mountain for alpinists hoping to ascend Mount Everest, K2, and other more technically challenging peaks above 8,000 meters. But this autumn, Manaslu has been one of the most dangerous mountains in the Himalayas.

鈥淚t was crystal clear that conditions are too dangerous, and that there will be more avalanches,鈥� Lukas Furtenbach of German outfitter Furtenbach 国产吃瓜黑料s told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淥perators with avalanche educated guides ended their expedition last week already because of safety concerns.鈥�

Furtenbach 国产吃瓜黑料s abandoned its expedition after the events of Saturday, September 26. That morning, an avalanche at 24,000 feet enveloped a team of climbers, injuring more than a dozen and killing a Nepali guide named Anup Rai. Higher on the peak, ski mountaineering legend Hilaree Nelson, 49, died after falling just below the summit. Eyewitness reports said a small snow slide pushed Nelson off of the ridge where she was skiing, and caused her to plummet thousands of feet.

Rescuers found Nelson鈥檚 body on Wednesday, September 28.

Furtenbach 国产吃瓜黑料s was not the only outfitter听to concede after the deaths of Nelson and Rai. American guiding company Madison Mountaineering canceled its expedition on September 29, citing bad weather and continuous snowfall. 鈥淒ue to the lingering monsoon and heavy precipitation in western Nepal, as well as the continuous snowfall and bad weather, the route conditions on Manaslu are unsafe for us to proceed,鈥� the company wrote online.

Conditions are not expected to improve anytime soon on the mountain, and the upcoming weather forecast calls for rain at lower elevations and snow higher up. On Monday, website that the remaining guided expeditions on Manaslu were retreating from Base Camp to lower elevations.

The decision to leave the mountain marks a premature end to the busiest season ever on the Himalayan peak. More than 400 climbers obtained permits to ascend the peak, with many coming to reach the true summit. In years past, climbers turned around at a point that is anywhere from 20-25 feet lower than a point on a nearby ridge. For 2022, guides fixed ropes all the way to the highest point for the first time.

A handful of climbers reached Manaslu鈥檚 pinnacle in the days after guides completed fixing ropes to the top. Among the few to reach the top were Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila, who is hoping to break Nims Purja鈥檚 speed record on the 14 mountains above 8,000 meters.

British mountaineer Adriana Brownlee, 21,听who is trying to become the youngest climber to ascend all 14 peaks, also decided to cut her ascent short after the avalanche over the weekend. Brownlee was climbing with legendary guide Gelje Sherpa, who helped recover the body of Dawa over the weekend. In a post on social media, Brownlee called the events on Manaslu 鈥渦nimaginable.鈥�

Texting from Samagau, a village near Manaslu Base Camp, Gelje Sherpa lamented the loss of Dawa to 国产吃瓜黑料.

鈥淲e are deeply hurt due to series of disasters in which I lost my close friends,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, we abandoned our expedition.鈥�

Frederick Dreier contributed to this report.听

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On Wednesday, rescuers located the body of missing mountaineer Hilaree Nelson on the southern slope of 26,781-foot Manaslu, Nepal government officials confirmed.

鈥淩escuers retrieved her body from the south slope of the mountain,鈥� said Sachindra Kumar Yadav, liaison officer at base camp. Nelson鈥檚 partner, Jim Morrison, was part of the rescue team that recovered her body.

Nelson, 49, was skiing down from the peak鈥檚 true summit with Morrison when she fell off the mountain a few meters below the top, according to her outfitter Shangri-La Nepal Treks. post, Morrison explained what happened:

鈥淥n September 26th at 10:42 A.M. we reached the true summit of Manaslu in tough conditions. We quickly transitioned from climbing to skiing in cold and wind with a plan to ski around the corner and regroup with our Sherpa team. I skied first and after a few turns Hilaree followed and started a small avalanche. She was swept off her feet and carried down a narrow snow slope down the south side (opposite from climbing route) of the mountain over 5,000 feet. I did everything I could to locate her but was unable to go down the face as I hoped to find her alive and live my life with her.鈥�

Morrison returned to the mountain on Monday with a helicopter crew, but rescue operations were hampered by bad weather. The complex process for obtaining a flight permit in the Manaslu Conservation Area, where the incident took place, also delayed the operation.

On Tuesday, a helicopter search and rescue team spotted objects resembling skis and clothes, but could not confirm because poor weather prevented them from flying any closer. On Wednesday morning, Morrison and other search and rescue personnel returned to the scene and spotted Nelson鈥檚 remains around 9:30 A.M. local time, according to Jiban Ghimire, owner of Shangri-La Treks.

After finding the body, the helicopter dropped Morrison and another Nepali guide at around 21,325 feet, and the pair proceeded to free Nelson鈥檚 remains. 鈥淛im told us that they literally dug up the body from the frozen ice,鈥� said Sachindra. Her body was airlifted to Kathmandu for an autopsy.

鈥淭oday with the help of [Captain Surendra Patel] an incredibly skilled pilot we were able to land at 22,000 feet and search for her,鈥� Morrison wrote. 鈥淸Nirmal Purja] was instrumental in helping organize the best team and resources possible and I found her body with the aid of Mingma Tenzi Sherpa听today at 10:30 am. I鈥檓 in Kathmandu with her and her spirit.鈥�

鈥淢y loss is indescribable and I am focused on her children and their steps forward,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淸Hilaree Nelson] is the most inspiring person in life and now her energy will guide our collective souls. Peace be with us all. Pray for her family and community which is broadly stretched across our planet. I鈥檓 devastated by the loss of her.鈥�

Nelson was among the most accomplished ski mountaineers and alpinists on the planet. A champion extreme skier earlier in her career, she transitioned to ski mountaineering in the late 1990s and quickly became one of the . In 2002, she completed the first ski descent of five peaks in Mongolia鈥檚 Altai mountain range, and in 2005 she skied from the summit of 26,864-foot Cho Oyu without using supplemental oxygen. In 2012, Nelson became the first woman to link two 8,000-meter peaks鈥擬ount Everest and Lhotse鈥攊n one 24-hour climb. She also was the first woman to ski the Makalu La Couloir on 27,825-foot Makalu.

Morrison and Nelson teamed up for one of her greatest achievements: in 2018 the two became the first to descend Lhotse on skis. The expedition earned Nelson a National Geographic听国产吃瓜黑料r of the Year award. That year she was named captain of The North Face鈥檚 Global Athlete Team.听Nelson lived in Telluride, Colorado, with her two sons.

She had traveled to Nepal with Morrison to notch a ski descent from Manaslu鈥檚 true summit鈥攊n previous years, most mountaineers turned around at a point that was anywhere from 20 to 25 feet shy of the highest point. The two were among 400 or so climbers to obtain permits to ascend the peak for the fall season鈥攎ore than double the usual number for the mountain.

Heavy snowfall slowed summit attempts on Manaslu, and late last week climbers reported seeing multiple avalanches on the mountain. On Friday, Nelson wrote on Instagram about the challenging conditions on the mountain, and how they had impacted her progress. She and Morrison had turned back from the summit on Thursday.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 felt as sure-footed on Manaslu as I have on past adventure into the thin atmosphere of the high Himalaya,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭he constant monsoon with its incessant rain and humidity has made me hopelessly homesick. I am challenged to find the peace and inspiration from the mountain when it鈥檚 been constantly shrouded in mist.鈥�

Nelson鈥檚 fall occurred shortly before another tragedy took place at lower elevations. A group of climbers ascending from Camp Four at approximately 24,000 feet was hit by an avalanche, and the slide trapped 14 of them in snow and ice. One climber, Nepali climbing guide, Anup Rai, died as a result of the slide. Website Everest Chronicle reported that Rai was working for outfitter Satori 国产吃瓜黑料s. On Monday and Tuesday, helicopter transport flew multiple injured climbers down to Base Camp from the slide.听 that all of the survivors of the avalanche had descended to lower elevations by Tuesday afternoon.

Abigail Barronian and Frederick Dreier contributed to this report.

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Climbers are flocking to Nepal’s 26,781-foot Manaslu this month, and government officials are anticipating noticeably bigger crowds than normal on the world鈥檚 eighth-highest peak.

By September 15, Nepal鈥檚 department of tourism had issued 394 climbing permits for Manaslu for the fall season, and officials told 国产吃瓜黑料 that they expected the number to surpass 400. A report from September 20 said the number had risen to 404. By contrast, only 193 climbers sought permits in 2021.

Guides and officials told听国产吃瓜黑料 that a variety of factors are contributing to the uptick in visitations鈥攐ne is the end of a about the location of the mountain鈥檚 highest point. For several years, about whether the traditional turnaround point on Manaslu was the pinnacle, or whether its true summit was situated on a ridge line several meters away. Drone photos taken in 2021 show that the traditional turnaround point (labeled C2 in the photo below)鈥攚hich for years has been marked with the traditional Nepali flag and Tibetan prayer flags鈥攊s anywhere from 20 to 25 feet lower than a point on a ridge line beyond. In some years, climbers also turned around at the spot labeled Shelf 2.

Some climbers and guides are adamant that they were unaware of a higher point, while researchers believe the mountaineering community has simply not wanted to venture past the 鈥渇oresummit鈥� due to the increased danger required to reach the highest point. Mountaineers must descend from a shelf on an exposed slope, traverse the peak, and then climb up to the ridge in order to reach the true top.

鈥淲e can clearly see a higher peak in every photo taken in the foresummit,鈥� said Thaneswar Guragai, a climbing researcher. 鈥淚t is not so hard to find.鈥�

The debate appears to be over, and the mountaineering community now agrees climbers must reach the ridge point in order to complete the ascent. In 2021, mountaineer Mingma Gyalje Sherpa鈥攌nown as Mingma G鈥攐f guiding company Imagine Nepal Treks, led a team to the true summit, and one of the members of the group, Jackson Grove, captured and then distributed the drone imagery, which clearly show a disparity in height between the two points. Afterward, the Himalayan Database, a Kathmandu-based group that charts mountaineering expeditions and is the de facto authority on summits, issued a statement confirming that Manaslu鈥檚 turnaround point was going to extend to the ridge.

鈥淭he Himalayan Database has decided that from 2022 it will only credit the summit to those who reach the highest point shown in the drone picture taken by Jackson Grove,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淭his change in summit accreditation is recommended and supported by foreign and Nepali operators who we have consulted in Kathmandu.鈥�

With the new summit in place, some veteran climbers are venturing back to Manaslu to reach the high point, as a way to confirm their spot in mountaineering history. Among the 400 or so mountaineers on the peak are multiple climbers who have ascended the 14 peaks that stand above 8,000 meters.

鈥淎 number of 14 peak climbers have come to rescale the peak just to make sure they climb the true summit and maintain their 14 peak summiteer fame,鈥� said Pemba Sherpa, founder of guiding company 8K Expedition. 鈥淭his is going to be the busiest and most crowded season in Manaslu.鈥�

Earlier this summer, German mountaineering researcher , who chronicles mountaineering feats on the site , said that the disputed summit on Manaslu meant that the list of climbers to ascend the 14 peaks was much smaller. According to Jurgalski, 53 climbers claim to have reached the summits of all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, but only three of them have reached the actual highest points on all the mountains.

Four of Nepal鈥檚 six climbers to ascend the 14 are slated to climb: Mingma Sherpa, Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, and Sanu Sherpa. German climber Ralf Dujmovits, who had completed the 14 peaks in 2009, and Spaniard Jorge Egocheaga, who completed the 14 peaks in 2014, are also back.

Sanu Sherpa, who earlier this year finished his second ascent of all 14 peaks, says he never knew that his two previous ascents on Manaslu actually stopped short of the mountain鈥檚 top.

鈥淚 did not have any idea of real summit and fore summit until this year, when people started questioning my double ascent,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, I want to re-climb the peak to reach its real summit.鈥�

On Thursday, a Sherpa team from guiding company Elite Exped fixed ropes to Manaslu鈥檚 true highest point for the first time in history, which should make it easier for climbers to get there and back. The first ascent of Manaslu occurred in 1956鈥擩apanese climbers Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu reached the foresummit鈥攁nd 20 years later, a joint expedition from Iran and Japan climbed out to the high point. In its statement, the Himalayan Database said it would still honor climbers who reached the points marked Shelf 2, C2, and C3 in the Jackson Grove photo prior to 2022.

鈥淎s we cannot change history, we will make a note in the database that from 1956鈥攚hen the summit was first reached by Toshio Imanishi, Gyaltsen Norbu Sherpa鈥攖o 2021, we accepted the three points mentioned above as the summit due to a lack of in-depth knowledge,鈥� the organization said.

The Nepal government, which issues certificates for successful summits, has yet to make an official statement.

Guides and climbers told 国产吃瓜黑料 that other factors are contributing to the sizable crowds on the mountain. The ongoing closure of the Chinese border due to COVID-19 has kept climbers from accessing 26,864-foot Cho Oyu and 26,335-foot Shishapangma, which has steered more mountaineers hoping for a fall expedition to Manaslu.

鈥淭here is no other 8,000 peak to climb anywhere else this season,鈥� says Bigyan Koirala with the Nepali department of tourism. 鈥淎nd a more obvious reason is that, the number of mountain climbers itself has increased globally and so climbers on all mountains, not just Manaslu, has increased.鈥�

Manaslu is also one of the easier 8,000-meter peaks to climb. Mingma G says that climbers often start with Cho Oyu, which is the easiest of the 14 peaks, and then move on to Manaslu.

鈥淲e are getting Cho Oyu traffic this year,鈥� he says. 鈥淢anaslu has almost 100 percent success rate, and so is also relatively easy to begin with.鈥�

Rubbing shoulders with the new climbers will be a handful of mountaineers who are chasing records on the 14 peaks this year.听Taiwanese climber Grace Tseng and Japanese Naoko Watanabe, are also set to reclimb Manaslu to its true summit. Both mountaineers have already ascended 12 of the 14 peaks, including Manaslu. British climber Adriana Brownlee, who wants to become the youngest 14 peak climber, is听back in Manaslu to re-climb it. She had summited it last year.

Norwegian climber Kristin Harila who wants to set a record of fastest climb of 14 peaks above 8,000m is ascending the mountain as well. This will be her first climb of the mountain.

With so many mountaineers aiming for the summit, there is fear of crowding in the tighter areas of the route. Earlier this year, images of conga lines on K2 quickly spread around the globe.

Bigyan said that the Nepali tourism department cannot rule out crowding and traffic jams on the mountain due to the larger-than-normal collection of climbers. The new route to the summit may also create crowds. 鈥淭he route to the true summit is said to be not wide enough for two way walk,鈥� he said.

But Bigyan said the longer climbing window for Manaslu could thin crowds out.

Some guiding companies area already coming up with ways to beat the crowds. Mingma G told 国产吃瓜黑料 that he may take clients on an alternate route down the mountain, should the crowds get too big.

鈥淲e will use this alternate route if a crowd becomes likely,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o, I don鈥檛 think there will be a jam鈥�

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The COVID outbreak at Everest Base Camp continues to cause chaos on the world鈥檚 highest peak. At least two expeditions have packed up their tents and abandoned their climbs, and China officially canceled the season on the Tibetan side of the mountain.听

The Khumbu听Valley is under lockdown orders. In the once-bustling airport town of Lukla, the local government opened an isolation center to accommodate the growing number of COVID patients descending from Base Camp in helicopters. 鈥淲e currently accommodate 22 infected people, all of them coming down from trekking and Everest expeditions,鈥� said Mingma Chhiri Sherpa, an official for the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, which has jurisdiction over the valley.听

A medical professional at Base Camp who wished to remain anonymous said that a concerning number of asymptomatic cases have also been detected. Unfortunately, contact tracing has proven difficult. 鈥淲e have referred positive cases to descend for a checkup and further testing,鈥� the medical professional said.听鈥淐lose contacts are refusing to descend as it鈥檚 expensive and results take at least a week. I worry that if we tested everyone, the majority would come out positive.鈥�

On May 10, Basque mountaineer Alex Txikon and his two climbing partners canceled their expedition due to concerns over what Txikon called a 鈥渃omplicated鈥� health situation on the mountain. Today, Lukas Furtenbach, managing director of the Austrian outfitter Furtenbach 国产吃瓜黑料s,听 that 鈥渢o climb [beyond] the base camp with these massively increasing corona numbers and risk the lives of our 20 customers, four mountain guides, and 27 Sherpas carelessly听would be irresponsible.鈥� The statement also noted that ascending further would be 鈥渢oo dangerous because there is, of course, much less space in the high altitude camps.鈥�

Despite the growing humanitarian crisis caused by rising COVID numbers that have now placed Nepal ahead of India in terms of and 听per capita, the government is determined to carry on with the season. Director General of the Department of Tourism, Rudra Singh Tamang, told 国产吃瓜黑料: 鈥淭here are media reports about COVID cases at听Base Camp, which we don鈥檛 believe. We approve only official information, which either liaison officers and expedition team leaders provide. We have also not been informed about any company canceling the expedition.鈥澨�

A May 7 press release from the Department of Tourism said: 鈥淲e would like to request that all concerned do not publish or circulate any information that would create fear amongst mountaineers and their families without coordinating with government agencies first. Only disseminate notices that have been verified by the official authorities.鈥澨�

A shipment of rapid COVID tests arrived in Lukla yesterday, and officials are meeting tomorrow to discuss whether or not they should implement widespread testing of expedition members and establish a second isolation center closer to Base Camp.听

Back in Kathmandu, Nepal鈥檚 capital, strict lockdown restrictions have been extended until the end of May. The airport remains closed to all commercial flights. Across the country, 40 percent of all COVID tests are positive. The Ministry of Health and Population has taken over the supply and distribution of medical oxygen, and put rationing measures in place. Despite setting up makeshift treatment centers in empty rooms, sidewalks, and verandas, hospitals still don鈥檛 have enough resources to treat all of their critical patients.听

To make matters worse on the world鈥檚 highest peak, a cyclone is percolating off the west coast of India that appears likely to send bad weather towards Everest鈥檚 crowded slopes. Despite everything, another batch of expedition workers and eager clients are busy preparing to leave Base Camp late tonight to make their way through the notoriously dangerous Khumbu Icefall towards Camp One and, eventually, the summit.听

鈥淲e know there is a risk of catching COVID on the mountain,鈥� said local expedition leader Ang Tshiring Lama. 鈥淏ut if we don鈥檛 climb, our friends will die of hunger.鈥�

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