Manaslu 26th August 2023

Leader - Stu Peacock.

27th September 2023 - Safely Down

The team are now all safley down the mountain and back at base camp, taking some time to rest and refuel.

26th September 2023 - Summit Success!

Stu called to say that they have reached the true summit of Manaslu! After a blustery evening in camp they set off in good weather for the summit. They are all very happy and are back at camp 4 heading now to camp two to rest.

24th September 2023 - Camp 3

Stu Called they are at camp 3 It has been a very hot day so they are brewing up to get the fluids in ready for the move to camp 4 tomorrow.

22nd September 2023 - Preparing to move up

Our Sherpa team left basecamp today with supplies to get the camps set up for the team moving up. The team will set off from the comforts of base camp: Angmu's cooking, the card games and the pringles tomorrow, so it's one last day of eating everything in sight.

The team will move to camp 1 tomorrow.

20th September 2023 - Chilling

Stu phoned in today, the team are begining to make plans for their summit attempt. While they wait for the weather window and their recovery to align they are playing a lot of cards and just generally chilling watching movies etc, base camp is comfortable. We will put an update on when they begin to move up.

19th September 2023 - Eat, sleep, repeat

The team have come back to base camp and now they have one job while they wait for the weather window, and that is to top those energy levels back up. They will do this with the help of Angmu sherpa who will be cooking them up some tastey treats!

18th September 2023 - 2nd rotation Complete

We're now back down at base camp, after our second rotation on the mountain, enjoying a well earned rest. All the team reached camp 3. Martin and Luke stayed for several hours before dropping back to camp 2 to sleep. Jon and myself slept at camp 3 and yesterday pushed on a little further to reach the col at 6850m.
Now it's time to rest, let the sherpas finish their work of getting kit and oxygen in place and looking for the best day for our summit day.

16th September 2023 - Acclimatisation

The weather has been hot but the team worked very well in the heat and moved up to camp 2 to sleep before touching camp 3.

14th September 2023 - Resting

While the team are resting at base camp they are making plans for the next stage of their acclimatisation. Tomorrow they will move up to camp 1 with the plan to sleep or touch camp 3 before they once again return to the comforts of base camp.

13th September 2023 - Back at Base Camp

The team are back at Base Camp after a successful rotation, which saw some of the team sleep at camp 2.

Today the whole team came back down to Base Camp where Sherpa stew was waiting for them (that’s a thick broth like soup not our Stu!) which was appreciated by all. Clothes washing was done post shower and a well-earned rest for everyone now after this successful first rotation. Now the team will rest and recuperate and I’m sure have many more bowls of Sherpa Stew!

11th September 2023 - CAMP 2

Today the team have went up and touched camp 2. The skies were clear and it was a hot day. They will sleep tonight at camp 1 and in the morning they will either descend back to to Base Camp or they will go up for a night to camp 2.

9th September 2023 - Oxygen Briefing

Rest day today, but still covered the oxygen briefing and how to use a gamo bag. Nobody volunteered to get in it, so we just talked it through and showed how it's used. Tomorrow we head to C1 to sleep for two nights. Hopefully if the rope fixing team have worked their magic we will try and touch camp 2.

8th September 2023 - Puja Ceremony

Today the team have had their Puja ceremony to have their climbing equipment blessed and to grant them safe passage on the mountain. It's been a wet day for the team, tomorrow they are having another rest day while they wait for the rope fixing team to rig higher on the mountain. Weather dependant it's hoped the rope fixing will get to camp over the next couple of days.

7th September 2023

Today we went up to camp 1 upper 5760m. The weather was a bit wet to start with and cloudy, but it didn't stop us. We were the only people on the mountain today our sherpas carried all the equipment needed for camp 1 and we put 1 tent up to stash everything in. Tomorrow is our puja Ceremony and our first "do nothing" day since Dharapani. On Saturday we plan to sleep at camp 1. We're not sure if the ropes to camp 2 will be fixed by then, but if they are we'll plan to load carry and then sleep at camp 2 if we can.

The view from our mess tent and at Camp 1

6th September 2023 - Views

We went for a walk today to just past crampon point, which took us to 5200m. It was a lovely morning and we got our first look at the mountian, although the summit is hidden from here. We could see where camp 4, 3 and 1 roughly are located. Finally starting to feel a bit more real for people now we can see our objective. The team were surprised to see a TV at base camp last night. This clearly goes against their strict mountaineering principals ........ So we watched our first film last night in our comfortably heated mess tent.

5th September 2023 - Base Camp

The team have arrived at Base Camp at 4850m, sadly it was cloudy and raining from about 4200m, so the mountain has remained hidden to the group. Angmu our cook has made us a lovely lunch of Chips and saussage. The team will now begin to acclimatise towards the next stage of their journey. The team will also have a Puja Ceremony .

Before embarking on the challenge of climbing Nepal's highest peaks, climbers participate in a spiritual puja ceremony. This ritual is a vital tradition ingrained in the mountaineering culture of the region, where the mountains are revered as deities and considered protectors of the land. With the mountain as a backdrop, climbers and local guides gather around a sacred altar laden with offerings, including incense, flowers, fruits, and butter lamps, and often a few beers. A Buddhist Lama from the nearby Monastery leads the ceremony, invoking the blessings and protection of the mountain gods for a safe and successful journey.

4th September 2023 - Acclimatisation at Samagon

Today the intrepid team went for a walk following the route to base camp, up to a height of 4200m, which is about 700m height gain. We stopped by a stone built tea hut for half an hour, watching some of the glacier breaking up and crashing down the mountain side, before descending back to Samagon. There was a large mule train on its way up to base camp and helicopters were buzzing around making their calls to base camp as well.

3rd September 2023 - Trek To Samagon.

We've had an enjoyable 5 days trekking from Dharapani to Samagon via the Larkya La pass. Other than rain this morning the weather has been kind to us. The trail has been very quiet only seeing three other non-Nepali until Samagon. We've been rewarded with some dramatic views and also our first view of Manaslu, when we were trekking to Bhimtang.

Our first stop was in Surki with a lunch stop in Gowa. The lodges at Surki had quaint little Alpine style dorms. From Surki we continued through the forests to Bhimtang at 3700m. Our original plan was to have an acclimatisation day at Bhimtang, but we had heard that Dharamasala, on the other side of the Larkya La pass was not open. So in order to shorten the day over the pass, we moved two hours up the valley to Fedi at 4300m.

Trying to make the best of the weather we left Fedi at 5:30am on the 2nd Sep to cross the pass. We awoke to clear blue skies and thankfully it stayed that way all day. We made good progress up to the pass and decided to stay at the high point of 5160m for an hour to make the most of the height gain. From there it's a long gradual descent to Dharamasala and Samdo, where we stayed last night.

Today we awoke to heavy rain and the odd bit of thunder. As it was only a short 2 hour walk down to Samagon, we decided to delay until 9am before setting off. The rain eased after an hour and we walked into the village in sunshine. Clouds are currently blocking our views of Manaslu, but we are here until the 5th, so hopefully we'll get some glimpses before we head to base camp.

29th August 2023 - Jeep Ride to Dharapani

It's all about adventure. 20 minutes into the journey from Besisahar we came across our first landslide. We didn't know if there were anymore and there had been heavy rains over night. Thankfully a digger was already in action and after an hour and twenty minutes we were back on our way. The roads were much quieter than last October as we made our way along the annapurna trail, and slightly less bumpy than I remember. We made good progress for a few more hours and then, 10 minutes before our lunch stop, there was a loud bang under the jeep, we hit something hard. We travelled on for a short journey, but then the driver had to stop as lots of smoke was eminating from the back of the vehicle. They thought it was the exhaust had been dislodged and rubbing the tyre, but we pointed out that the wheel appeared to be off centre. Turns out the drivers side rear leaf suspension had snapped. We made it to the lunch stop and the driver carried on a short way up the trail where he was able to get it replaced. Truly amazing watching the mechanic working at the roadside.

Thankfully we had no more incidents or landslides and made it to Dharapani for 3:15pm, where we're now relaxing.

28th August 2023 - Arrival in Besi

The traffic was relatively light enroute to Besisahar today, so the driver made good progress. Lunch stop by the river on the way and only two queues of traffic on the way, where road works are taking place. There's been some significant land slides asking the way, but thankfully these had been cleared before we made our journey. We unwound with a relaxing brew and biscuits before sorting out the rooms. Tonight it's Dahl bhat chicken curry on the menu for dinner and as the saying goes in Nepal... Dhal Bhat Power 24 hour! Tomorrow we leave the minibus behind and make our journey to Dharapani by jeep.

27th August 2023 - Team in Kathmandu

The whole team has finally arived into Kathmandu this morning and are now relaxing. Martin and myself completed the food shopping this morning. So, final kit checks this afternoon and good luck meal tonight and we will be ready for the journey to Besisahar tomorrow.

21st August 2023 - Ready For The Off

This weekend the team will fly to Nepal to begin their adventure of climbing Manaslu, "The Mountain of The Spirit", the eighth highest mountain in the world. Once we meet up in Kathmandu, we will make our final preparations before departing for Besisahar and then on to Dharapani, where we will start on trek into base camp via the Larkya La pass.