French lady abandons Manaslu summit bid due to weather
KATHMANDU: An extreme weather condition on the Mt Manaslu (8,163 m) has shattered a French woman’s dream to be the first female mountaineer to climb the world’s eighth highest peak in the winter season, according to the expedition organiser.
“Heavy snowfall and high wind in the higher camps have forced Revol Elisabeth Marie Bernadette to abandon her climbing bid on the Mt Manaslu on Monday,” Rishi Bhandari, Managing Director at Satori Adventures, said.
The team along with two base camp staffers was on its way to Samagaun after packing up its base camp logistics, Bhandari quoted the French mountaineer as saying.
Bernadette-led two-member expedition was the only winter expedition on the Mt Manaslu this year.
She had reached up to the height of 7,300 metres to search for the summit window, Bhandari informed.
As she chose to attempt to climb the peak in the alpine style, her climbing partner Giambiasi Ludovic Jean was there to assist her up to the Camp II, he added.
Initially, she had a plan to attempt to reach the summit point on Tuesday morning in an attempt to set the world record.
Spanish climber evacuated
Meanwhile, one of the two Spanish climbers, who were attempting to climb the world highest peak, was evacuated to Kathmandu after he complained lung inflammation, according to Mingma Sherpa, Managing Director at Seven Summit Treks.
Carlos Rubio (28) was evacuated from the Mt Everest region while his team leader Alex Txikon reached the Camp III, he said.
Rubio and Txikon had headed to the Mt Everest to try to climb the world’s highest peak using the normal route without supplemental oxygen this winter while only Nepali mountaineer Ang Rita Sherpa made it to the top without oxygen in 1987.
“Rubio is now undergoing treatment at the Norvic International Hospital in Kathmandu and his condition is out of danger,” Sherpa said, adding that Txikon and other supporting members were doing well at higher camps.
Txikon, who has already summitted 11 eight-thousanders so far including Nanga Parbat recently, would continue his climbing bid, he said.
According to the Department of Tourism, his two-member team was the only expedition that obtained the climbing permit for the Mt Everest this winter.
