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There is no doubt that the bulk of the autumn climbing season in Nepal and Tibet is behind us, with most of the teams already come and gone. But there is still news to share from across the region as a few squads continue to wrap up their expeditions and take advantage of a few good remaining weeks before the onset of winter. With that, here are a few news items worth mentioning from the past couple of days.  ExWeb is reporting that a Polish team on Manaslu has pulled the plug on their climb. The group has stayed on the mountain long after the big commercial squads have completed their expeditions and have gone home. Nepali officials say that more than 220 foreign climbers summited the peak this fall, but the eight Poles who were currently there won't be among them.  Shifting weather conditions and increased avalanche danger are to blame for the end of the expedition. Apparently, more than a meter of snow fell on the mountain earlier in the week, which is making it very diffi...

We've noted on several occasions that the autumn climbing season in the Himalaya is already starting to wind down, and with summits this week on Manaslu, Cho Oyu, and Shishapangma, that looks like an accurate assessment. But, things aren't completely over yet and there is still news to share, particularly from those 8000 meter peaks, which remain a hive of activity. We'll start on Manaslu once again, where the summit waves continue. At this point, more than 120 foreign climbers have summited the mountain, along with an additional 100 Sherpa guides. Still, the season may not be over just yet as nearly 200 permits were issued to visiting alpinists in Nepal, so roughly another 60-70 could still summit. Obviously some don't make it to the top or didn't even make it to the mountain to begin with, but I would expect another large group to top out sometime this week before the mountain goes silent once again. Sadly, there is bad news to report from Manaslu as one climbers ...

To say that it has been a busy couple of days in the Himalaya would be an understatement. This past weekend saw a significant number of summits on several mountains, along with a few historic achievements in the big mountains. And while the commercial climbing season is starting to wind down, there is still a number of big expeditions that are still ongoing. We'll start this update on Lhotse, where Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison made history over the weekend. The duo became the first to ski what is often referred to as "the Dream Line" from the summit of the fourth highest peak in the world. This route is more than 7000 feet (2133 meters) in length, starting at the 8516-meter (27,939 ft) summit and dropping down to Camp 2. This massive descent has been partially skied in the past, but this was the first time anyone has done its entire length. According to The Himalayan Times , Nelson and Morrison reached the summit of Lhotse at 1:27 PM yesterday afternoon local time. Th...

We've been monitoring the progress of the climbing teams on Manaslu and Cho Oyu all week long as summit bids have launched both mountains. Now, as the weekend draws near, it seems that both peaks are busy as a good weather window looks to continue over the next few days, bringing opportunities to finish the season early and send most of the climbers home. A major summit push is definitely underway on Manaslu , the eighth highest peak in the world at 8163 meters (26,781 ft). Earlier today, more than 60 climbers topped out on the mountain, marking what appears to be the start of large wave of alpinists heading to the top. With roughly 200 foreign climbers, plus an equal or greater number of support Sherpas, on the mountain this season, it looks like things could get very busy there over the next few days. Amongst those reaching the summit this morning was Kami Rita Sherpa, the man who holds the record for the most summits of Everest. This past spring, Kami Rita topped out on Everest ...

Yesterday we had word that the first summits of the fall climbing season in Nepal had occurred on Manaslu, but we also knew that it wouldn't take long before more would follow. It seems that prediction was accurate, as several other climbers topped out today in what is expected to be a continuous wave over the next few days. The Himalayan Times is reporting that 12 climbers summited Manaslu today amidst a good weather window that is expected to continue into the weekend. These climbers were all members of the Seven Summit Treks team, including six foreign clients and six Sherpa guides. The group that touched the top include Claudia Cristina Elizabeth Bento, Pedro Augusto Hauck Da Silva and Bernardo Pereira Mascarenhas Da Fonseca from Brazil, Spanish climber Ramon Romero Gallego, Dolores Hesham Abdelminem Al Shelleh from Jordan and Wimjan Peeters from Belgium. They were joined on the summit by Karma Sherpa, Chhangba Sherpa, Tashi Sherpa, Dawa Sange Sherpa, Dawa Dorchi Sherpa...

A team of rope-fixing Sherpas, along with a couple of foreign climbers, have notched the first summits of the season on Manaslu today. Their successful attempt on the 8163-meter (26,781 ft.) mountain paves the way for commercial teams to follow as the autumn climbing season takes a turn towards the finish line. According to The Himalayan Times , the four Sherpas were part of the Seven Summit Treks climbing team and included Gyaljen Sherpa, Mingma Tenjing Sherpa, Tenjing Chhimbi Sherpa and Temba Bhote. They were followed closely by Brazilian climber Moeses Fiamoncini and Spaniard Sergio Mingote, who essentially topped out just behind the rope-fixing team. Reportedly, the weather is currently quite good on Manaslu, which could mean that other teams will launch their summit bid this week as well. They'll need an extended weather window heading into the weekend if they haven't already left Base Camp. With nearly 200 foreign climbers on the mountain however, not everyone has compl...