KATHMANDU, AUGUST 27
The Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation issued the season's first climbing permit to attempt to climb Mt Manaslu in the autumn season.
After handing over the season's first climbing permit to a 14-member international team from 8K Expeditions, DoT's director Rakesh Gurung conveyed his best wishes to the team for the success on Mt Manaslu and requested the international members to help bring more tourists to the country.
According to Lakpa Sherpa, Managing Director at 8K Expeditions, Isabella Maria Hassmann, a 25-year-old female climber from Germany will be leading the 8K's first expedition with other members including Ihnat Sauchanka from Belarus, Zeeba Khan Sajnani from India, Peter Lochner Conrad from Germany, Julia Lyubova (UK), Tan Kah Peng (Singapore), Sang Ik Nam (South Korea), Rainer Martin Krause (Germany), Indra bahadur Rai (USA) Sebastien Rene Figliolini (France), Stephen Brain Gray (UK), Deokjin Kim (South Korea), Frank Erwin Heer (Switzerland), Nicolas Raymond Lhoist from Belgium and Robin Kamal Behl from India. According to Sherpa, 8K Expeditions will have more than 40 international climbers on Mt Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, in the autumn season.
Expedition operators estimate that there would be more than 200 foreign climbers attempting to climb the 8163-metre peak this season. Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Expedition Director at Seven Summit Treks, said his company would be running expeditions with over 70 members on Mt Manaslu this season. SST has already mobilized a rope-fixing team on Mt Manaslu as the Expedition Operators Association Nepal assigned SST for fixing the summit route this season. "Base camp is being set up and international expedition members have also been arriving in Kathmandu to begin their climbing activities," Sherpa added.
"Seven Summit Treks has undertaken the rope-fixing responsibility on Manaslu (8,163m) for Autumn 2024, under Expedition Operators' Association Nepal (EOA-Nepal)," according to Chhang Dawa Sherpa, director at the SST.
Chhang Dawa Sherpa will lead this year's rope-fixing effort. The SST Manaslu fixing team includes Tenging Gyaljen Sherpa, Pemba Tashi Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, Pam Dorjee Sherpa, Namgel Dorjee Tamang, and Angdemba Sherpa, SST confirmed.
"Our earliest team of Sherpa climbers and base camp staff has already reached base camp to ensure an efficient expedition operation afterward," Chhang Dawa said.
