And then our time came. Another advantage of walking almost without oxygen. Usually, when people reach the summit, they briefly remove their oxygen masks to take photos. Their faces are heavily dented by the masks, and literally a few minutes later, their bodies begin to feel like they've been deprived of oxygen—weakness and dizziness set in. And an urgent need for oxygen.

 Having almost reached the summit, I took off my backpack and clipped it to the rope. And from then on, everything on the summit (oh, you could say I reached the summit without oxygen) was done without a mask or oxygen. I wouldn't say my face was perfect—after all, walking at 8,000 meters in the sun and wind isn't exactly flattering—but my mask certainly wasn't wrinkled.

And we could wait our turn for photos and do all the other things at the summit without any worries, not to mention the lack of oxygen. It still wasn't needed (although the experience of suddenly warming up and accelerating was quite interesting).

 We probably sat for about half an hour, taking photos and looking at the world from above.

And then we headed back down.

Lukas Furtenbach (his team made the first "xenon ascent" of Everest in the spring) even congratulated Abramov on "being the first Russian xenon ascent"—me. I did undergo a short xenon therapy course, but I didn't feel any "extra boost." Not because xenon is bad. But because I set out on an eight-thousander without acclimatization and without training specifically for the speed format. I summited and descended—but at what cost, that's another story.

I'll share a few conclusions.

1. Speed for the sake of speed is a dubious goal.

Yes, 25-30 days in the mountains is too much. People have time to burn out, get sick, or lose motivation. But the "arrived in three days, didn't really see anything, but spent two months preparing" scenario isn't mountaineering, it's a competitive race.

A healthy format for the future is 10-15-20 days. This is enough time to:
• switch from city life,
• rest your mind,
• communicate with people,
• experience the mountain, not just check in.

An expedition isn't just about the summit. It's about the process, the atmosphere, rest, adaptation, and experience. Sacrificing all this for a pretty number is foolish.

2. The shorter the expedition, the higher the cost of failure.

The classic format has a safety margin. You can arrive with a runny nose, lack of sleep, and a busy schedule—and gradually adjust. Recover, complete your treatment, reset your biorhythms, and get into the rhythm of the mountains.

With the speed option, there's no such leeway. You either arrive already "cleansed" of the city noise, or you're overcome along the route. This is especially true for entrepreneurs and managers—the body is preoccupied not with the mountains, but with thoughts of tasks and problems.

3. A true speed climb is expensive and energy-consuming.

If someone thinks they can simply "run an eight-thousander," they're mistaken. To climb quickly and safely, you need:
• 1.5–2 months in a hypoxic tent,
• regular consultations with doctors,
• hypoxic training at specialized centers,
• xenon (expensive and not yet fully understood),
• adjusting your sleep, nutrition, and recovery schedule.

For a busy person, this is disruptive and requires a serious budget and a significant investment of time. It's not something you can "do in between times."

4. How it really happened for me.

I went without acclimatization. I climbed "on pure willpower." And it was probably the most difficult experience of my life—and I've had my share of challenges.

Everything suffered:
• my body,
• my muscles,
• my internal organs,
• my psyche.

I thought about all the unpleasant things, felt fear, anger, and doubt. The pain didn't go away even after the descent. This isn't romanticism, it's not heroism—it's the price for being unprepared.
You definitely shouldn't do this!

5. Oxygen: the main conclusion.

I usually walk at a faster-than-average pace. But here it quickly became clear: I was failing. My heart rate skyrocketed, and I needed two inhales and two exhales for every step. The oxygen was supposed to arrive from Camp II, but I asked for it a little earlier. It felt better, but not critically so. The standard flow rate calculated for acclimatized people isn't enough – more is needed!

Key takeaways:
• With a high-speed format, oxygen may need to be turned on from Base Camp;
• Standard flow rates aren't suitable for someone without acclimatization;
• The faster the ascent, the more oxygen is needed.

What I think in the end:

Super-fast ascents only make sense in exceptional cases – record-breaking, sporting, or individual. Making a new standard out of this is dangerous.

The near future, as I see it:
• expeditions will be shorter,
• but not absurdly so,
• without physical and mental harm,
• with normal recovery,
• with life in camp, not rushed.

10-15-20 days instead of 25-30-40 is a realistic, healthy format for amateur climbers. It will make eight-thousanders more accessible and interesting, without burnout or consequences. But the shortening should be thoughtful, not a fad.

If my experience teaches anything, it's this: you can climb quickly. The question is, at what cost and for what purpose.

 Artem Gurshteyn (report): "So, friends, I'm returning home! The ascent took less than 44 hours (base camp - summit - base camp). The ascent began on September 22, 2025, at 3:30 a.m. The summit was reached on September 23, 2025, at 6:06 a.m. Descent to base camp was on September 23, 2025, at 10:58 p.m.

Arrived at base camp on September 21, 2025, at 12:55 p.m.

Departed for Kathmandu on September 24, 2025, at 7:52 a.m. The entire tour lasted 2 days and 19 hours.

All in all, less than 4 days in my beloved Nepal; I've never had such a fast-paced trip.

The founders of 14peaks Company say it's worthy of a Guinness World Record - time will tell.

The mountain is incredibly beautiful. Manaslu is the 8th highest in the world. The highest eight-thousander in the world, 8,163 meters. I experienced a wide range of emotions upon reaching the summit and had the strength to admire the beauty in detail during the descent.

 Artem Gurshtein:

This story dates back to September 2022, when I was part of the Skolkovo team at Professor Volkov's week-long training, sports, education, and, for some, even thought-activity module, "Two Summits". There, I first encountered mountains (mostly volcanoes and hills), and at the end of the program, we completed a very challenging (for me, at least) ascent of Koryaksky Volcano (3,456 meters). By fate, I was climbing in tandem with Professor Andrey Volkov, a Master of Sports of International Class in mountaineering, recent president of the Russian Mountaineering Federation, and the first rector of the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management.

It was incredibly challenging psychologically, even though I was "attached" to the professor. I was safe, on the one hand, but the sense of responsibility for moving in unison and carefully measuring every step, so as not to, God forbid, stumble and drag the teacher down with me and end up on Wikipedia, took a lot of energy. And at that moment, this climb became one of the most difficult events of my life! Something definitely changed upon my return, but I didn't yet understand what...

Then I learned about the "7 Summits" program and the "7 Summits Club" company, led by Alex Abramov, and in October of that year I climbed Kilimanjaro, and in December and January, Vinson Massif in Antarctica. Then there was Giluwe in Papua, Everest, more week-long "Two Summits" modules in September in Kamchatka, and more volcanoes and challenges.

 While on the third Kamchatka module, I learned that Alex Abramov wants to set a world record for the fastest ascent of the seven highest volcanoes on seven mountains. continents of the planet. I liked the idea and wanted to compete with a renowned climber... In the end, we completed the program in the same time (66 days), climbing to the summit of Antarctica's last volcano together.

 And then this June, Alex calls me and tells me passionately that new records for speed climbing on Everest were set in May and that we could try to prepare for the "fast" Manaslu. And that this would soon change the whole game, and we wouldn't have to spend so much time living in base camps and polluting the environment, etc., etc. Alex's idea immediately resonated with me, and I began preparing – acclimatizing at home. I sleep in a tent, gradually gaining altitude (the highest I slept was at 6,500 meters) and do daily IHT (interval hypoxic training) using a portable GIPOX device (I've completed over 50 IHT sessions from 1 hour to 1 hour 40 minutes). Alex Abramov, of course, is a master; he knew where the fertile ground was, where he could plant his next adventure))) An adventurer can spot another adventurer from afar.

In fact, the ingredients of this soup, called "Quick Manaslu," aren't complicated:

- idea (Alex Abramov) – 50%

- sleep in a hypoxic tent (400+ hours) – 20%

- Gipox IHT (70+ hours) – 20%

- discipline, morning exercises, faith in the outcome (foolishness and courage in common parlance), communication with professionals, support from family and friends… - 10%.

With Alex Abramov in Antarctica

This is already my 17th summit above 8000 meters in my career. 12 Everests, 3 Cho Oyu (once without oxygen), and 2 Manaslu. I don't know if there are any other climbers in Russia who have summited 8000 meters peaks 17 times? Please respond.

The 2025 Manaslu expedition was successful, comfortable, and fast. I look forward to seeing everyone on Everest in the spring of 2026!

Our second group, led by Andrey Berezin, also made it to the summit. Its members are spending the night at Camps 2 and 1. We await information about their descent to base camp tomorrow so we can send them well-deserved congratulations!

Olga Rumyantseva is currently descending to Camp 4, where Andrey Berezin awaits her. The remaining members are descending to the lower camps. Expedition leader Alexander Abramov is waiting for everyone at Camp 1.

The members of the first group are now at Base Camp and preparing for their flight to Kathmandu.

Photos and video from the ascent on September 24

Greetings from Nepal! Hooray, it's finally happened! Alexey and I are now rightfully part of the 8000 Club, and Manaslu has been summited! We spent the night at Camp 1, reached Camp 3, and wondered what to wait. After a few hours' rest, we set out to climb. We were exhausted by the queues, but successfully reached the summit the next morning. We've now completed all forms of mountaineering, but we're not planning on stopping. We still have plenty of ideas!

The second group, led by guide Andrey Berezin, is ascending to Camp 4 at 7,300 meters to begin their summit bid that night.

Tomorrow, Group 1 will ascend to Camp 4 (7,400 m), while Groups 2 and 3 will ascend to Camp 3. The weather is clear, the night is cool, and everything is as planned. Group guides are Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

The weather is favorable, with a good weather window promised. There will definitely be traffic jams along the route, as these are likely the only five days when the summit will be possible. The weather will worsen after September 26th-27th.

We won't be taking Starlink with us to avoid distractions from the climb. Expect results on September 24th-25th.

The weather is improving in the coming days. We have already drawn up an ascent plan, dividing the expedition into three parts:

September 21 - We leave for Camp 1 (Groups 1 and 2).

September 22 - Group 1 goes to Camp 3, Group 2 goes to Camp 2, Group 3 goes to Camp 1.

September 23 - Group 1 - Camp 4; Group 2 - Camp 3; Group 3 - Camp 3.

September 24 - Group 1 - summit push; Group 2 - Camp 4; Group 3 - Camp 4.

September 25 - Groups 2 and 3 - summit push.

Group guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

In the morning, the wet snow continued to fall. Both the trail and the ropes were buried. The snow was knee-deep. All night I recalled avalanches on Manaslu. Back in 2008, I think, 22 people were buried at Camp 2. And then a few years later, 16 people at Camp 3. So, we decided to begin our descent before we were buried too.

Wet snow along the way, and rain at Base Camp. All our clothes were soaked. The only good thing is that the team completed the acclimatization plan. We spent the night at 6,300 meters. Many of us had headaches. Now we'll rest for three days at Base Camp. And after September 20th, when the route is ready, we'll set out for the summit push.

Avalanches are constantly falling from all the couloirs around Base Camp. And by the way, our team still hasn't seen the summit of Manaslu, as the route is covered in clouds, fog, snow, and rain.

Expedition guides: Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Expedition guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Greetings to everyone from the slopes of Manaslu! Our small team descended to base camp after acclimatization climb. We stood in lines, but felt comfortable. We reached Camp III at 6650 m. Overall, we've acclimatized well, and now we're waiting for the ropes to be fixed to the summit.

Guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Greetings from the Manaslu base camp! Today they held a solemn Puja ceremony here. And now we are ready to move higher. Tomorrow we leave for the first rotation, and the internal mood is as if we were already going to the summit. We have been sitting in one place for too long.

Group guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Expedition guides Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

Namaste from Nepal! The Manasl-25 group continued exploring the surroundings of Samagaon today. We visited the monastery closest to us, located at an altitude of 4000 meters. It was cloudy all day, so we did not see the surrounding Himalayan peaks. But this did not stop us from having a good, useful time. Tomorrow we will go to the Manaslu base camp.

 Alexander Abramov:

Today our team gained 500 m in altitude and went above the 4000 meter mark. We climbed to the Pungen Gumba monastery. Tomorrow we go to the Base Camp. Olga Rumyantseva came there today. She highly praised our camp. In the evening, as always, our team doctor conducted a medical examination. Everyone is doing great.

Hello to everyone from Nepal! As part of the 8000 Club's large expedition to the eight-thousander Manaslu, Alexey Sivkov and I also decided to try ourselves at altitude. And today we have already arrived at the base camp at an altitude of 4800 meters. We are accompanied by friends who will stay with us for several days at this altitude.

After three days of village life in Samagaon, the conditions here are, of course, great! We are still getting used to the tent life.

stayed in the village 17 km below us. Tomorrow, the guys will probably walk up. Like the entire expedition, this will be a day of acclimatization at this altitude.

 Photos by Olga Rumyantseva (Life as an adventure)

Namaste from Nepal! The main group of the 8000 Club Manaslu expedition gathered in Kathmandu. We visited the city's sights, participated as spectators in the colorful Indra Jatra festivities. We packed our things, bought the necessary equipment for the expedition. Tomorrow morning we fly to the village of Samagaon at the foot of our mountain. The group's guides are Alexander Abramov and Andrey Berezin.

 My 30th expedition to eight-thousanders has begun. We are going to Manaslu. I have 25 expeditions to Everest, one to Manaslu and three to Cho Oyu. In them, 16 ascents to peaks above 8000 m have been made. I can't believe it myself! Today we received a permit for the mountain and the first participants have arrived. Everything is going according to plan.

 Base Camp, September 2, 2025

 Expedition participants  MANASLU 2025

 FEDOROV EVGENII

PILSHCHIKOV DMITRII

SAGUTDINOV FARID

DYACHUK YURY

AKSENOV ALEKSEI

SKLIAR ROMAN

WOLFSON DANIELLE

KHOMKOV VLADISLAV

KERNITSKIY VASILY

SIVKOV ALEKSEI

RUMYANTSEVA OLGA

ANTIPINSKIY ANDREY

Guides

ABRAMOV ALEXANDER

BEREZIN ANDREI

EGOROV BORIS

The rest of the expedition members are now in the Assault Camp 4 (7400) and are preparing for the ascent tonight! We hold our fists for them! By the way, Yana Zharkova will go on the assault on her birthday. On September 24, she turns 23, and she may become the youngest Russian woman ever to climb the eight-thousandth peak.

Roman Laukart and our Dandy cook at Manaslu Base Camp. Just after the summit.

There is the first member of our group at the summit! Tonight, a member of the 8000 Club expedition Andrey Kazakov ascended to the top of Manaslu WITHOUT additional oxygen! Now Andrey is already in Camp-3. By tradition, we will be able to finally congratulate Andrey on the first eight-thousandth when he goes down to the Base Camp.

The rest of the participants are now in Camp-3. Tonight, part of the team will already storm the summit, and two more participants will make the march to Camp-4 and will prepare for the summit assault tomorrow night.

We wish good luck to the team members!

 The plan:

September 20 - Camp 1

September 21 - Camp 2

September 22 - Camp 3

September 23 - Camp 4

September 24 - assault on the summit of Manaslu 8156m.

 Let's wish the participants good luck!!!

By the way, among them is Yana Zharkova, who may become the youngest Russian woman to ever climb the eight-thousandth peak!

Photos from a professional photographer

Austin Schmitz (USA)

News from the group "Quintessence". Today, September 17th is a wonderful day, a day of rest combined with puja. Puja is a rite of worship of the gods, where a lama reads prayers, consecrates equipment, food and drink. Many participants of other expeditions gathered. And, characteristically, it rained before and after the prayer, and the sun shone during the prayer. All the participants of the expeditions took part in this ceremony. Everything went great. A string with a knot and a white scarf were tied around everyone's neck.

See also. 

 Photos from a professional photographer Austin Schmitz (USA)

 Photos from professional photographer Austin Schmitz (USA)

Today, the Quintessence group goes to the second rotation: the First camp, the Second camp with an overnight stay. We will try to climb above Camp-2 for acclimatization and then go down to the base camp. Big greetings to everyone!

 Breaking news from Manaslu. Viktor Volodin is in touch via satellite. The group reached Camp 1 (5700m) The condition of the route is good. The camp is well equipped, its own large tent-dining room, comfortable accommodation of participants. The weather is good, light snow. Everyone is feeling great and in a good mood. Tomorrow, according to the plan, the climb to Camp 2, communication is also via satellite.

The guide of the 7 Summits Club and 8000 Club Viktor Volodin sends from Nepal:

Hello everyone!  Information from Manaslu Base Camp. The weather has finally recovered today. In the morning, the sun's rays began to gently awaken the whole camp, people began to climb out of the tents and enjoyed the sun's rays. Our group had a rotation scheduled for today before the first camp.  We slowly crossed the five thousandth milestone and then reached the height of Elbrus. Then there was a descent to the Base Camp.  Everyone feels good, tomorrow we rest.

News from the Manaslu expedition. The team reached the base camp. The weather is good, but a little rainy.

A group of climbers on Manaslu has appropriated a name "Quintessence" and flew to the village with the romantic name Samagaon.  The mood is fighting, we are waiting for another participant who should arrive tomorrow.

Colleagues, friends, all the formalities have been completed and permits for Mount Manaslu have been obtained. Departure tomorrow. The group is almost fully prepared for departure to Samagaon, everyone is cheerful. Your Victor Volodin.

 Introducing ourselves:

1. Club 8000 is a closed, elite club of climbers on the highest peaks of the World.

2. Only a person who has climbed on the summit above 8000 meters can become a member of the Club.

3. People who have climbed the peaks of 7000m and above can become candidates for Club membership. That's why we support the Snow Leopard project - the best high-altitude mountaineering school.

 The company "Club 8000"

Under the new project, a new organization was created, the company LLC "Club 8000".

Club 8000 is the first company in Russia that implements the most complex and prestigious project for organizing ascents of all 14 eight-thousand-meter peaks.  Every year we plan 5-6 expeditions to the peaks above 8000 meters.  All our expeditions are led by our super qualified high-altitude guides, climbers of Mount Everest, K2 and other eight-thousandth peaks. The company is headed by Alexander Abramov, the most famous leader of Himalayan expeditions in Russia, an authoritative all over the world, an 11-time climber of Mount Everest.

About 8000.club website

We have opened a new website. On it you will be able to get acquainted with all the climbing programs for 14 eight-thousand-meter and 5 seven-thousand-meter (Snow Leopard).  There will also be an opportunity to register, that is, to become a member of the Club. We will inform you about the progress of our expeditions.

Join the most ambitious and prestigious project "Climbing 14 eight-thousand-meters"!

 The project "14 eight-thousanders" - now it's real! The increased level of training of our Sherpa friends, the improvement of equipment, the use of helicopters and other innovations in logistics. Eight-thousandths have become more accessible. Not tfor everyone, of course, but only to those who want, believe and know how to endure, and everything is real...

Climbing Annapurna (8091m)
March 25 - April 28, $29,150, Alexander Abramov

Climbing Makalu (8481m)
April 12 - June 4, $ 29,250, Lyudmila Korobeshko

Climbing Mount Everest (8848 m)
April 15 - May 27, $ 88,410, Alexander Abramov

Climbing Broad Peak (8051)
June 20 - August 8, $35,870

COMBO Climbing K2 (Chogori) (8611m) and Broad Peak (8051)
June 20 - August 8, $59,900, Alexander Abramov

Climbing Cho-Oyu (8201 m)
September 5 - October 4, $33,000

Climbing Manaslu (8156m)
September 5 - 30, $ 26,420, Sergey Larin

Climbing Dhaulagiri (8167m)
September 5 - October 15, $ 31,900, Lyudmila Korobeshko

Climbing Shisha Pangma (8027m)
September 10 - October 9, $40,910

It is the time for the main news of the expedition of the Project 8000.guide. Yesterday, September 30, the Team of 8000.guide climbed the main peak of Manaslu. And now, which is also important, in full strength and in full health, except for the usual cough after using oxygen, summiters went down to the base camp. Details and more photos later. Due to the windy weather, the participants were allowed to climb at their own pace. Now we have to fly by helicopter to Kathmandu.

Tashi Sherpa: Final countdown on Manaslu. All members and Sherpas are in camp 4 right now
They will start for summit push around 3-4 am. They say it’s very windy right now but weather say the winds will drop from 1am tonight.

Пожелаем им хорошей погоды и удачи!