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Kathmandu

Kathmandu to Syala

Syala to Samdo

I waited with anticipation for the sun to rise and hit the mountains. Wow! The subtle changes of the light on Manaslu are terrific, turning from grey to pink to orange to yellow and then to white, all within a few minutes.

Wow! The subtle changes of the light on Manaslu are terrific, turning from grey to pink to orange to yellow and then to white, all within a few minutes. (click to enlarge)

The campsite was already occupied by a Spanish group, so we stayed at the Maili Manaslu Hotel, Shyala, Gorkha. The lodge is being run by a mother and her daughter. The girl laughs liberally while mom sits silent, but smiling. I ate my dinner of rice and vegetable curry (hey, this isn't daal baht, is it), I watched as the girl cut mini-potatoes and fried them in a cast iron type pan on a small wood stove. I told her that potatoes were my favourite. She offered me a bowl, which I gratefully accepted. They were fantastic, though a bit spicy.

The Maili Manaslu Hotel in Syala is being run by a mother and her daughter. They generously gave me some of their delicious potatoes. (click to enlarge)

A half hour before Larkya Phedi, through a break in the mountains caused by Larkya Glacier, I had a sensational view of the full width of the north face of Manaslu from the East Pinnacle to the Main Summit. The normal route of ascent goes to the right and then crosses the large plateau to the summit.

From just before Larkya Phedi, I had a sensational view of the full width of the north face of Manaslu from the East Pinnacle to the Main Summit. (click to enlarge)

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Samdo to Annapurna Circuit

Dharapani to Manang

Manaslu Itinerary

Manaslu References

Here is my crew and I on the Larkya La (5213m) on the Around Manaslu trek. From left to right: cook Schandra, porter Ram, porter Satis, and guide Gyan Prasad Tamang (gptamang@hotmail.com).

Around Manaslu crew on Larkya La (5213m), from left to right: cook Chandraman, porter Ram, porter Satis, guide Gyan Prasad Tamang, Jerome Ryan. (click to enlarge)

Here’s another closer view from Bimtang of the summit plateau of Manaslu with the East Pinnacle (7992m) on the left and the summit to the right.

Here’s a close up view from Bimtang of the summit plateau of Manaslu with the East Pinnacle (7992m) on the left and the summit to the right. (click to enlarge)

Gyan asked me to wait for him in Chame (2710m) in case he would have trouble with the police. And it is a good thing he did because there's a magnificent view of the Manaslu Southwest face from here.

From Chame there's a magnificent view of the Manaslu Southwest face. (click to enlarge)

Updated: March 2010. Click on an image to see the FULL size with a caption.

Manaslu - 8163m - #8 In The World

Manaslu (8163m), with the emphasis on the second syllable, is the eighth highest mountain in the world, located to the east of Annapurna, with the summit a shattered rock tower.

Peak XXX of the Indian Survey, the name Manaslu is derived from the Sanskrit word Manasa and can be roughly translated as Mountain of the Spirit. Manaslu was previously known as Kutang l, tang being the Tibetan word for flat place which describes the summit area.

The 177km trek Around Manaslu was only opened for trekking in 1991. It's a fantastic trek from the lowlands to the mountains, and quite literally goes Around Manaslu, with excellent views of Manaslu's east, north, west, and south faces. The region is still relatively untouched because it is a closed region of Nepal requiring a special permit. There are also great views of Himal Chuli (7893m), Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29, 7871m), and Shringi Himal (7187m). The highest point of the trek is the Larkya La (5213m).

Manaslu First Ascent - Toshio Imanishi On Manaslu Summit May 9, 1956 Manaslu First Ascent - Gyaltsen On Manaslu Summit May 9, 1956 Manaslu First Ascent - Japanese Colourized Image Of Gyaltsen On Manaslu Summit May 9, 1956

Manaslu First Ascent

The Japanese made the first ascent attempt on Manaslu in 1953 via the northeast face, reaching 7750m before turning back. The Japanese attempt in 1954 was stopped by villagers who refused to let them enter the area.

In the spring of 1956, the Japanese were back with a 12-member team led by Yuko Maki. After establishing Camp VI at 7800m, the first ascent of Manaslu was completed on May 9, 1956 by Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa, who had already climbed Makalu with the French in 1955. On May 11th, Kiichiro Kato and Minoru Higeta reached the summit via the same route.

Other notable ascents:

The first ascent of the precipitous and dangerous Manaslu Northwest Wall of rock and ice was completed on May 17, 1971 by Kazuharu Kohara and Motoyoshi Tanaka, part of an 11 man Japanese team.

The first ascent of the Manaslu South Face to the West Ridge was completed on April 25, 1972 by Reinhold Messner. This was the third ascent of Manaslu overall. Messner's second 8000er ended in tragedy when a fierce storm came up and he had to fight for his life to reach their high camp. Franz Jager, who turned back, was caught out in the storm and died. Andi Schlick and Horst Fankhausen braved the storm to try and find Franz, but Andi got lost and also died.

The first ascent of Manaslu by a woman, and, in fact, the first ever ascent of any 8000er by a woman, was completed on May 4, 1974 by Naoko Nakaseko, Masako Uchida, Mieko Mori and Jambu Sherpa of a Japanese women's expedition.

The first ascent of Manaslu in winter was completed on January 12, 1984 by Maciej Berbeka and Ryszard Gajewski from Poland. It was the second winter ascent of an 8000er by Poles after Everest in 1980.

My Top 5 Memories Of Manaslu

1. Manaslu East Face - perfect sunrise view from Syala as the sun slowly streaks down the face.

2. Manaslu East Face - another perfect sunrise view from Sama, just up the trail from Syala.

3. Manaslu West Face - I was treated to an unexpected view of the summit plateau area from Bimtang.

4. Manaslu Southwest Face - Chame on the Annapurna Circuit has a great view of the South Face.

5. Manaslu People - I met many extremely compassionate and hospitable local people, especially an older woman who treated me to boiled potatoes.