All news

Greetings from Sergio and Lucy from Manaslu!

 September 21st. 19-day Manaslu expedition of the team of  the 7 Summits Club. This is the last day of rest. In the morning there was a meeting of the leaders of the expeditions.  The company 7 Summits Trek is engaged in fixing ropes. They reported that a team of Sherpas was making their way to Camp 4 today. And tomorrow to the top. However, by the evening it turned out that the team was able to fix only half the way to Camp 4 due to the large amount of snow. Will try tomorrow to fix to L-4.

However, we decided not to delay the exit. We're going to go to camp 1 tomorrow. On 25.09  the same day as previously, planned assault.

In the evening there was a pleasant meeting with our old friends - Lynn and Noel Hannah. They're planning an assault on the 28th.

Our team (now seven to eight) feels good! All our members have regained their strength in Samagaon and are ready for feats.

  Luda Korobeshko, Director of 7 Summits Club and expedition guide from Nepal:

 September 20.  Day 18 of the  Manaslu expedition. This morning the weather has finally pleased us: we saw the blue sky and white Manaslu, waking up in Samagaon.

   We wanted to leave early in the morning, but it turned out that one of the members, Tom, will not be able to continue the expedition. He is still on the descent from the second camp complained about the pain in hand. Looks like it's a sprain. We were hoping he'd get better down the valley. But  the pain only increased.  He had to take painkillers every 3-4 hours, but at night Tom could hardly sleep. In the end, he decided to finish the expedition. We sent him by helicopter to Kathmandu.

  Having overcome 1300 m of a drop in 6 hours, we came to the Base camp which became native already. It is half-buried by snow. Tomorrow our plan is rest. The day after tomorrow, most likely, we go to storm of Manaslu. Plan is the next: 22 September - Camp 1. September 23 - Camp 3. September 24 - Camp 4. September 25 - Summit and descent as low as possible, ideally to BC.

Luda Korobeshko, director of the 7 Summits Club and a guide of the expedition from Nepal:

Hello from Manaslu from Lucy and Sergio! More precisely, greetings from Samagaon, where the day before yesterday we came to rest in the rain and mud, sheltered from showers and snowfalls…

September 18th. We're in Samagaon. Yesterday we sat until the last minute at the Base camp at 4800 in in hope of waiting for the end of rain. Instead, the rain increased, and the snow began to fall again. We could not stand it and after dinner, wearing all the Gore-Tex and polyethylene, rushed downstairs. We almost had to swim across the rivers - at least, wade through almost knee-deep in water. And we had to knead a lot of dirt. Before sunset, hungry, cold, but happy, we reached Samagaon. And here we rest!

In Samagaon we met one of our best Sherpas, an old friend - Pemba. Incidentally, he is the man who took  video of the last jump of Valery Rozov on Amadablam...

Ludmila Korobashko, expedition guide and director of the 7 Summits Club from Nepal:

 The days of 12-13-14. 14-15-16 Sep. The second acclimatization rotation.

 On Friday the 13th we decided not to go up, and started for second rotation  on Saturday the 14th. In the morning it rained a little. We reached the First Camp in about 5 hours. Now the Camp 1 is changed. Then dozen of new expeditions came with their tents. It snowed after dinner. But we were already in our big, cozy Red Fox dinner tent, where members of other expeditions tried to sneak in from time to time.

  The next morning we tried to get out early to cross dangerous areas before the slopes melted. We put on avalanche sensors, helmets, quickly gathered, but were not the first.  We had to pass some  group on the road. But on steep sections it was necessary to wait long - a rope upwards was only one. This section from  Camp 1 to  Camp 2 is the most dangerous on the route. There are  a lot of the overhanging cornices and seracs here. It was scary, so we hardly rested. We tried to quickly run through the dangerous areas. So we passed several ladders thrown over crevasses, in some places it was very impressive...

   By lunchtime we reached the Second Camp.  There we had discussed long time, how safely is chosen place for our camp. After all, just in this place a few years ago a big avalanche killed dozens of people.  We went to sleep with avalanche sensors on.

  We woke up at 5am, it was snowing. We quickly gathered to be first on descent. But  after 20 minutes on a steep section we again ran into the Chinese. But in the end, we still quickly descended to the First Camp. There we had breakfast and ran on through rain and snow. By 11 am wet, but happy we rushed to the base camp – to dry off, relax and watch the forecasts...

Lyudmila Korobashko, expedition guide and director of the 7 Summits Club from Nepal:

 Day 11. September 13. Day of next Puja and continuation of global flood.

 The sun finally came out in the morning. And we went to Puja at thr Nims camp. After the Puja, Nims invited us to his camp. He said he was rescheduling his flight to Cho-Oyu for one day. We met his team. Very funny and cool guys. His command operator is very similar to Edmund Hillary in his youth.

 At lunchtime we returned to our camp.

Then the rains came again. But we do not intend to change our plans and postpone the rotation exit. Tomorrow morning we go to the Camp 1, the day after tomorrow to the Camp 2.

 Today, two groups ("Bloodthirsty bulls" and "Churchkhela")  climbed to the top of Mount Elbrus. Thereby guides of the  7 Summits Club  closed season!  On the mountain now  it is  already quite cold, down jackets were not removed! But dawn, as always, was very beautiful!

Guides Alexander Dorojukov and Andrey Berezin.

Artem Rostovtsev, guide of the 7 Summits Club: Hi 7 summits! Team Rosary reports on the successful ascent of Mount Kazbek. All members and guides reached the top.  All you had was to wait out the day and in fine weather visit the top. But that's not all the exploits for today. From the summit we ran down to Kazbegi almost without stopping. And the end of the day – it was a gastronomic ecstasy.

A group of the 7 Summits Club with a guide Ivan Dusharin successfully climbed to the top of Mount Ararat. On the day of the ascent, the weather deteriorated, but all members showed the will and reached the top.

 On the same day all people went down to the city of Dogubayazit, where at the Banquet table celebrateв the successful ascent!

Congratulations! Next in the program they will have a tour of local attractions: the Palace of Isak Pasha, the Ark Museum, Lake Van and Akhtamar Island…

Day 9. September 11th. Today in the base camp of  Manaslu  there was a day of amazing meetings.

In the morning Israfil, the most famous Azerbaijani climber, came to visit us. We reminisce our joint expedition to the North Pole, on Denali, Everest. Then came Don Wargowsky, with whom we were together on Denali (now he leads the expedition the Summit Climb). Then we met Arnold Costner, who was a frequent visitor to our EVEREST BC from the North.

 But the main meeting, of course,  was with the hero of this year - Nims (Nirmal Purja), who completes his INCREDIBLE project of 14 eight-thousanders in 7 months. He has 3 peaks left - Manaslu, Cho-Oyu and Shishapangma. And the biggest problem now is Shisha, as Chinese authorities have closed the mountain for climbing this season. Nims hopes for a positive solution to the issue with the Chinese authorities. If not, for Cho-Oyu he is ready to go from Nepal on a more difficult route. But how to deal with Shisha?

 Nims told so many interesting things about himself and his project. For an hour we sat with Israfil in his tent and listened with open mouths. As a result, we invited him to Moscow and Baku. And Nims even agreed....

 And then he came to visit our camp of the 7 Summits Club, where he again told a lot of interesting things and took pictures with the whole group. He also invited us to visit his camp for Puja.

On September 4, a group of six people climbed to the top of Mount Breithorn (4164 meters), located on the border of Switzerland and Italy.  A young girl disabled Zlata Varlamova, a wheelchair user  from the age of three was among the climbers. It is her first and (so far) only summit. A small expedition to the Alps is organized by the club "Extreme Velsk", which is headed by our friend, climber on the "Seven summits" Andrei Podolyan. He personally and two of his companions together with Alpine guides prepared a route for Zlata's ascent. She climbed on jumar and a sledge on the fixed ropes.

The club "Extreme Velsk"  and Zlata express their gratitude to the 7 Summits Club and personally guide Maxim Foygel  for help and organization of this event!

Manaslu. Days 7-8. September 9-10. The first acclimatization rotation outing at 5700 (to camp 1).

The morning of 9 September began with the Puja - blessing of the camp. At 6 a.m. Lama came from a neighboring expedition and began to read prayers. Our Sherpas built a stupa for the Puja. By 8 a.m. all members of the expedition gathered near the stupa. They brought equipment for the consecration and donations.

We lit a fire, the smoke went towards the mountain, which is considered a good sign. Drank the sacred drink and at the end of the ceremony castув tsamps toward the stupa.

About 10 am we left the Base camp. To 12 hours we reached the Crampons Point. Then we put on our crampons and went out on the glacier. There are many crevasses, but all are well marked. Bridges are reliable. The last 200 meters we were given a little hard: three consecutive steps. By the way, this year we put the first camp 150 meters higher than usual. But this place is more beautiful  and secure. And part of the route to the second camp is clearly visible - a somewhat frightening icefall with some overhanging.

 We went from basу camp to first in 6 hours. The vertical drop is about 1000 m. in the evening we measured oxygen (from 65 to 85) - on average, normal. We ate soup with chicken and rice. The first camp we have quite comfortable - there is a dining tent, sleep two in sleeping tents, and even with mattresses. And we allocated to the doctor a separate tent - for his kilograms of medicines. He had already "saved" two members - bandaged sprained wrist and plastered cracked nail.

We didn't sleep so badly. Although almost all had pain in the head, was saved by diacarb and analgesic (with Pentalgin). There were avalanches in the night, but we were almost used to this sound.

In the morning after breakfast we worked with avalanche sensors. Members quickly found everything that Dr. Larin had hidden. And then we all ran down the valley together. We reached the base camp in less than two hours - we really wanted to go to the bath.

Now we wash, rest, gain strength before the second more difficult rotation.

Two groups of the 7 Summits Club climbed to the refuge "National Park".   After lunch, they went to snow and ice training classes, where they mastered the technique of self-arresting with an ice axe and movement on fixed ropes. Tomorrow we plan next rotation of the Pastukhov Rocks. Guides:  Andrey Berezin and Alexander Dorojukov.

Greetings from the slopes of Mount Kazbek, from a group with an original name "Gastronomic ecstasy"! What other name could come to mind after the torture of delicious Georgian cuisine. Everyone noticed the signs of lack of appetite after the 5th and one 4th meals.

 From food we are distracted the need somewhere to go or walk. As a rule, from table to table, for a new gastronomic ecstasy. Or rent for equipment, or up to the shelter,  then we have a plan to go higher.

The mountain is difficult to discuss, they did not show due to the thick fogginess and cloudiness. Unlike food.

Day plan trips was done, we reached the refuge at 3000+. Left to eat again.

And legalize the new name of the group - "Rosary" – see our girls below…

Lyudmila Korobeshko a guide of the expedition:

Day 5. September 7. Manaslu expedition 7 summits Club.

Today we had a day of rest. We spent it at a new altitude - at the Manaslu Base camp at 4700. The bravest part of the expedition - womens - staged bath day. The sun came out before lunch for a moment. And we had time to admire the slopes of Manaslu. But after 12 it started raining, which did not stop until evening. All day long there were avalanches converging to the left and right of our camp.

Tomorrow we are planning an ice training sessions. Day after tomorrow – rotation  in Camp 1 on 5700.

So far, all members feel good.

Autumn comes to the mountains.  The cold breath of approaching winter is already felt. Today two groups of the 7 Summits Club climbed the MT. Elbrus.

 The weather favored the ascent.  They climbed quickly enough. Already at 7.30 both groups reached the top.

Guide Andrey Berezin led the group, which worked on a standard program.  And guide Alexander Dorojukov was with another group who came on the program Blitz - climbing on the weekend.

Lyudmila Korobeshko, Director of the 7 Summits Club:

 On 4 September the expedition team of the 7 Summits Club on Manaslu arrived in the village of Samagaon and started to acclimatization. The flight from Kathmandu to Samagaon was not easy. The pilots bravely found their way through the fog and low clouds.

After lunch, the team went for a walk to lake Birendra, where the Manaslu glaciers flow. Beautiful place. On the way we visited a Buddhist monastery, where we asked a local monk to play us on a shell, which he did with pleasure.

At the lake we took some pictures with the symbolism of the 7 Summits Club on the background of waterfalls.

Guides: Sergey Larin and Lyudmila Korobeshko:

 September 5. This morning we woke up in Samagaon to the shouts of the muleteers. About 100 drivers and mules came to the yard of our loggia. It is a neighboring expedition started supply base camps…

After breakfast we came to the acclimatization rotation to the monastery in the neighboring side gorge. We gained about 500 m on the most beautiful deserted gorge. By 4 PM we went down to the loggia, cooking potatoes, dreaming of…

The guide of the 7 Summits Club, Andrey Berezin: News from a group of "Drinkers in the thorn". Today we went up to the refuge "National Park" and settled in comfortable houses.  For acclimatization, we went to Shelter 11, where we conducted snow and ice training sessions.  The group mastered the skills of using  ice axes and moving on fixed ropes. Tomorrow we go to the Pastukhov Rocks.

Lyudmila Korobeshko, Director of the 7 Summits Club and guide of the expedition, from Kathmandu:

Hello from Kathmandu!  All day today the members of our expedition arrived in Kathmandu. At last we are all assembled. Tomorrow the team flies to Samagaon, on the 3800. There will stay for 3 nights with radial outing in the next valley and then move towards the base camp Manaslu.

Andrey Berezin, a guide of the 7 Summits Club:

 News from Elbrus.  The group called "Drinkers in the thorn" began preparations for the ascent of Elbrus. Today we went to Cheget, got a lot of impressions from the views of the surrounding mountains and ate raspberries. Autumn gradually comes to the mountains. Tomorrow we will move to the refuge "National Park" and continue further acclimatization.

Lyudmila Korobeshko, Director of the 7 Summits Club:

Hello from Kathmandu!  From guides of the Manaslu expedition - Sergey Larin and Lyudmila Korobeshko. Yesterday we arrived in the capital of Nepal. We met with the Director of our office in Kathmandu Mingma and the staff. Today we have already received a permit. So our expedition is officially approved. Tomorrow 6 climbers  arrive.   And 4th of September, we hope to fly to Samagaon at 3800, where we begin to start our acclimatization. Wish us luck!