Manaslu Autumn Climbing Season Ends Prematurely After Deadly Avalanches and Heavy Snowfall

At Base Camp below Mount Manaslu, where nearly five feet of fresh snow has buried tents and obliterated trails, expedition operators made the collective call this week to abandon the 2026 autumn climbing season. The decision, finalized as climbers retreated from the mountain's upper slopes, follows a localized avalanche at Camp III that killed Indian-German climber Dhrubajyoti Guha and his Nepali guide, Phursemba Sherpa. With a deep low-pressure system advancing from the Bay of Bengal and threatening to dump up to 350 millimeters of additional snow on the 8,163-meter peak, outfitters prioritized survival over the summit.[1][2][4][5]

The fatal slide occurred on the night of September 19, striking a tent pitched between 6,300 and 6,800 meters. According to Makalu Adventure, the expedition organizer for the two victims, the pair had pushed ahead to rest for an early summit attempt while six other team members retreated to Camp II due to intense winds. High-altitude search and rescue teams located the bodies the following day, buried beneath nearly seven feet of snow. The fatalities brought the season's death toll on the world's eighth-highest mountain to four, following the earlier deaths of a Singaporean climber and a Nepali porter.[2][3]

The deteriorating conditions forced a mountain-wide exodus. Alpinist Climber Expeditions, which had successfully rotated its clients to 7,100 meters, brought its entire team back to Kathmandu. "Our guide, who has climbed on Manaslu for many seasons, described this year's pattern as something he had not seen before on this mountain," the company stated, noting that the upper slopes had filled with unstable slab. Even the professional rope-fixing team, which had successfully opened the route to the summit on September 17, turned back from subsequent rotations rather than cross the loaded upper sections.[2][4]

Local officials and operators echoed the unprecedented nature of the weather. Karma Chhewang Lama, ward chair of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-1, observed that continuous rainfall in the region had resulted in massive snow accumulation at higher elevations. "We have never seen anything like this. I don't know what has happened. It keeps raining and snowing," Lama noted. Furte Sherpa of Satori Adventures summarized the industry's consensus: "Mountains will always be there, but life comes first. Once it became clear that the safest decision was to turn back because of the weather, our team decided to return home safely."[5]

The premature closure halts what was expected to be a record-breaking season. The Nepal Department of Tourism had issued 493 climbing permits for Manaslu this autumn, generating approximately $1.47 million in revenue and drawing hundreds of support staff to the region. Now, helicopters are ferrying the remaining climbers from Base Camp down to the village of Samagaun and onward to Pokhara or Kathmandu. As the incoming cyclone system threatens further disruption across the Himalayas, operators are shifting their focus to the 2027 season, leaving the fixed lines on Manaslu buried under the autumn storms.[4][5]

The premature closure halts what was expected to be a record-breaking season. The Nepal Department of Tourism had issued 493 climbing permits for Manaslu this autumn, generating approximately $1.47 million in revenue and drawing hundreds of support staff to the region. Now, helicopters are ferrying the remaining climbers from Base Camp down to the village of Samagaun and onward to Pokhara or Kathmandu. As the incoming cyclone system threatens further disruption across the Himalayas, operators are shifting their focus to the 2027 season, leaving the fixed lines on Manaslu buried under the autumn storms.[4][5]

The premature closure halts what was expected to be a record-breaking season. The Nepal Department of Tourism had issued 493 climbing permits for Manaslu this autumn, generating approximately $1.47 million in revenue and drawing hundreds of support staff to the region. Now, helicopters are ferrying the remaining climbers from Base Camp down to the village of Samagaun and onward to Pokhara or Kathmandu. As the incoming cyclone system threatens further disruption across the Himalayas, operators are shifting their focus to the 2027 season, leaving the fixed lines on Manaslu buried under the autumn storms.[4][5]

The premature closure halts what was expected to be a record-breaking season. The Nepal Department of Tourism had issued 493 climbing permits for Manaslu this autumn, generating approximately $1.47 million in revenue and drawing hundreds of support staff to the region. Now, helicopters are ferrying the remaining climbers from Base Camp down to the village of Samagaun and onward to Pokhara or Kathmandu. As the incoming cyclone system threatens further disruption across the Himalayas, operators are shifting their focus to the 2027 season, leaving the fixed lines on Manaslu buried under the autumn storms.[4][5]