Manaslu climbed in winter by Alex Txikon & team

The third time is like a charm! Earlier today Alex Txikon reached the summit of Manaslu (8163m) in winter and without the use of supplementary oxygen. He was joined on the highest point by Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, Gelu Sherpa, Maila Sherpa, Mantere Lama Sherpa, Gamje Babu Sherpa and Chepal Sherpa. This is the first integral winter ascent of Manaslu, carried out according to modern winter expedition criteria: arrival at base camp after the winter solstice (December 21st).

The first winter ascent of the eighth highest mountain in the world came about on 12 January 1984 at the hands of Maciej Berbeka and Ryszard Gajewski from Poland. Their expedition reached Base Camp on 2 December and operated predominantly throughout the last weeks of autumn. On 21 December the Poles had already established Camp 3 at 7100 metres. Those were pioneering years for Himalayan winter mountaineering, and history still had to be made.

"We are very tired but tremendously excited" is what the Basque mountaineer wrote to his staff from the summit of Manaslu, which he reached at 9.30am local time. "Now it's time to descend and reach base camp safely, that will be the moment when we reach the real summit." An expedition doesn't end until everyone is safe and sound celebrating at base camp tent, Alex knows that al too well. The winters spent at Nanga Parbat and K2 taught him that.

Txikon had been joined in Nepal by Simone Moro, making his fifth attempt at Manaslu in winter, and the two mountaineers worked synergistically to prepare the route up the mountain by setting up camps, fixing ropes and choosing the best route up the mountain. Experience played a fundamental role in today's success. Txikon and Moro, banking on what they learned during the two previous attempts together, decided to spend autumn acclimatising in Nepal, so as to be ready for the first weather window on Manaslu. After establishing base camp at about 5000m, the team immediately started upwards, establishing the first camps and gearing up to make the most of the weather: the winds had been strong at the end of 2022, but forecast to reduce in intensity at the start of 2023.

On 4 January Txikon, Moro, Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, Gelu Sherpa, Maila Sherpa, Mantere Lama Sherpa, Gamje Babu Sherpa and Chepal Sherpa left base camp and ascended directly to Camp 2, climbing a staggering 1500 meters in altitude. During this ascent Simone Moro was hampered by intestinal issues and, feeling depleted, he wisely chose to abandon his attempt. "I told them that arriving so tired up means not recovering and if I kept going up I would also have to use oxygen and I preferred to ditch it here around 6300 and go back down on my own strength." was Moro's comment on his return to base camp.

In the meantime, on 5 January Txikon and his Nepalese climbing partners continued towards camp 3, positioned just below 7000 metres, where they decided to make a summit push. The result is this extraordinary success, which crowns three years of attempts and sacrifices. This is Txikon's second 8000er in winter, after the historic first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2016 with Simone Moro and Ali Sadpara. All that's left to do now is wait of the mountaineers to return safely to base camp, in order to celebrate this excellent achievement.

by Gian Luca Gasca