Gorkha, Sept. 22: Several climbers attempting to scale Mount Manaslu have started returning home without making their summit attempts due to heavy snowfall and continuous rainfall in the region.
Karma Chhewang Lama, ward chairperson of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-1, Samagaun, said climbers began returning after waiting for nearly two weeks for weather conditions to improve.
According to Lama, continuous rainfall has brought around five feet of snowfall in areas surrounding Mount Manaslu. “We have never seen anything like this before. It keeps raining and snowing,” he said, adding that the government has advised people to remain alert from September 24 to 28 due to the adverse weather conditions.
Lama said climbers who have returned are unlikely to come back for the expedition later this season even if the weather improves.
Local businessman Prabal Lama said rainfall, which has been extremely rare in the Manaslu region in previous years, has continued for nearly two weeks this year.
“I have been seeing climbers regularly coming to the base camp since 2014, but I have never witnessed weather like this in the past 12 years,” he said. “It has been raining nonstop this year. Snowfall has also been heavy. There is up to three feet of snow at the base camp, while Camps I, II and III have already received around seven to eight feet of snow.”
He said climbers began returning after assessing the increasing risks posed by the weather.
However, Mingmar Chhiring Lama, a hotel operator in Samagaun, said a large number of climbers were still in the area despite some returning because of the deteriorating weather.
“Some climbers also returned without climbing the mountain in previous years, but this year the number appears to be higher, probably because of the unfavorable weather,” he said. “Around 10 percent may have returned so far.”
Mount Manaslu, standing at 8,163 metres, is one of the world’s renowned eight-thousanders. Around 500 climbers have obtained permits to attempt the mountain this autumn season.
Last year, 493 climbers, including 366 men and 127 women from 67 countries, obtained permits in 41 expedition groups. The government collected Rs 224.814 million in revenue from the permits.
