Manaslu 2019

Ludmila Korobeshko, Director of the 7 Summits Club and expedition guide:

Hello from Kathmandu! Manaslu expedition the 7 Summits Club completed successfully. Everyone climbed to the top. Yesterday we solemnly handed over certificates for the ascent to the members. Everyone's flying home tonight.

 Several records during the expedition : 1) Irina Zisman – record of Russia  3x8000 for one year. Cho-Oyu, Everest and Manaslu. 2) Ludmila Tolstokorova - the oldest climber on Manaslu from Russia.

Come hear about our Manaslu expedition this Thursday at 19.30 at Malyy karetnyy pereulok, 10!

Hi! Here is Ludmila Korobeshko of Manaslu expedition... Today, September 26, we climbed to the top, all persons - 5 members, 2 guides, 8 Sherpas.  We left the camp at one-thirty and about seven in the morning last part was on the top. We are coming down now. We really want to go down to the Base camp, and a little stretched. The first part is somewhere on the approach to Base camp, and the closing  part is near the third camp. And just now it somehow clouded, the sky clouded and the snow began. But we go well we all have to reach down to the base camp. Details later...

Hello! It is Ludmila Korobeshko from the Manaslu expedition of the 7 Summits Club. So we came to Camp 4. In principle, we are doing well. We walked for a long time, because a lot of snow …

Now we are here -  4 hours 30 minutes local time. The sun came out…

…

We will leave at midnight or 1 am, because a lot of other expeditions, some of them are slow. We will try not to be in the tail, to be somewhere in the middle or somewhere in the beginning.

Everyone feels good. A small intrigue – one of members tries to ascend without oxygen.

The rest of us go with oxygen. The weather is great! Tomorrow morning there will be an assault, keep your fists for us…

 Bye, everyone!

Information from Ludmila Korobeshko. The team climbed into camp 3 at an altitude of 6800 m. There are now 5 members, two guides and 9 Sherpas. Tomorrow we plan to reach the high camp 4 at 7400. And on the night of the 25th to the 26th there should be an ascent to the top of Manaslu. Today, the Sherpa team completed fixing ropes and opened the route to the summit. There is a lot of snow, but the trail is already there.

We wish good luck to our team and look forward to new messages!

23/09/2019

Hi ! This is Ludmila Korobeshko from the 7 Summits Club expedition Manaslu-2019. Today all our team left the Manaslu base camp in the morning.  We went up to the first camp, at 5700. It was a little hard, but in principle, we reached it normally. We were a little tired, but now we are recovering.  We had some soup, and in half an hour we would have supper. So early, because we want to go to bed early. Tomorrow we plan to leave the camp at 8 am in order to go to the third camp. That is, tomorrow we have quite a long climb. First in the second camp and forth - immediately in the third.   We already plan to spend the night in the third camp, that is, at an altitude of about 6700. That is, tomorrow we have about a kilometer to gain again…

Listen to the audio message (in Russian):

September 22. Day 20 of the Manaslu expedition of the 7 Summits Club. In the morning we hardly dug up - the whole night it was snowing and by morning the whole camp was covered by 20-30 centimeters.

At breakfast we congratulated Luda Isakova -  Happy birthday!  And then we decided to wait with the start - hoping the snow stops. However, the snow kept falling. Moreover, it turned out that the fixed ropes were not fixed even to the Camp 4. The Sherpas team left in the morning, but turned around before reaching Camp 4.

Taking into account the absence of a prepared route and avalanche danger after snowfall, we decided to postpone the exit for climb for another day.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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!