Why Manasu expedition is very famed?
The special features of Manaslu Conservation Area has been declared as conservation area in 1998 by the government of Nepal. It covers an area of 1663 sq. km. The area harbors a mosaic of habitats that inhabits 33 species of mammals, 110 species of birds, 11 species of butterflies and 3 species of reptiles. There are approx. 2000 species of plants, 11 types of forests and over 50 species of useful plants. The bio-climatic zones vary from subtropical to Nival. The altitude rises from a mere 600m to the summit of Mt. Manaslu (8,163), the eighth-highest peak in the world.
The eighth-highest mountain in the world, Manaslu 8163 meters high, was first climbed on May 9, 1956. A Japanese expedition team first achieved the success of climbing Manaslu. Yuko Maki led the expedition while Toshio Imanishi from Japan first summited Manaslu along with the Sherpa, Gyaltsen Norbu.
Manaslu Expedition is 99 % success rate in Manalsu. Climbers often start with Cho Oyu, which is the easiest of the 14 peaks, and then move on to Manaslu. Manaslu has almost 100 (99 %) percent success rate, and so is also relatively easy to begin. As of December 2022, there have been a total of 89 deaths on Mount Manalsu. The first death was recorded in May 1971, with the last being in October 2022.
Manaslu Expedition Camp I at 5700 meters at the bottom of the North Peak right above the glacier in a protected area. Expedition Camp II is located in the safe section of the climb in a relatively flat area at 6400 meters, although at this campsite there can be a lot of snow accumulation. Climbing from Camp II to Camp III is one of the shortest days and only takes around 3 hours. We make our Camp III at the elevation of 6800 meters just below the col to avoid the very strong winds, so we ensure that all our tents are anchored properly. The route continues up the remaining glacier climbing steep sections of snow and ice with safety towards Camp IV at 7400 meters, which is the last camp on our Manaslu expedition. Finally, we have to traverse past, sadly exposed remnants of former expeditions, smashed tents and dumped rubbish to reach the Summit, a tiring day involving a 6 to 8 hour climb.