Earlier in the week I posted an update on the 2011 fall Himalaya season in which I noted that many teams were now in their respective base camps, resting, and keeping an eye on the weather. Most had completed their acclimatization rotations, and were now enjoying some down time before they started their first summit attempts. Fast forward a few days, and plans are now in place to make those bids, with climbers starting to head back up their mountains as early as today.It looks like Monday or Tuesday will be summit day on Manaslu. Both the Altitude Junkies and Himex teams are reporting that a weather window is expected to be open on that mountain for early next week, and they're now moving into position to take advantage of it. Heavy snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, but after that, things look good, so both teams are climbing to Camp 1 today, and will proceed higher over the weekend, putting themselves in position to summit on the 26th or 27th. Presently, ropes are fixed all the way to Camp 4, but Sherpas will be working in front of the teams next week to place the lines all the way up to the summit.
The IMG team reported in that Camp 3 was established on Shisha Pangma a few days back as well, opening the door for the climbers to begin their summit attempt on that mountain too. Weather reports are looking good, with little to no snow in the forecasts, so it appears that they'll start their ascents in the next few days. A second IMG team on Cho Oyu, along with a squad from Jagged Globe, are preparing for a summit attempt on the 27th as well after finishing their acclimatization rotation at Camp 2.
With the weather holding steady into next week, it looks like everyone is hoping to top out before an expected shift in the jet stream sometime around the beginning of October. Most of the climbers have been on their mountains for more than a month now, and are eager to stand on top. Hopefully the good weather, and their health, will hold out for a few more days. It looks like early next week will be very busy in the Himalaya.
