Manaslu Base Camp after heavy snowfall had damaged some of the tents.
The South Face of Manaslu is a Himalayan ‘big wall’, involving steep rock climbing at high altitude. Pushing out the route on the huge rock face, I found the lead climbing challenging and satisfying. It was certainly no snow plod. We had to fix ropes and, at one point, we rigged up a cableway, like a mini téléphérique, to transport the team’s equipment up the steep rock barrier to the Upper Manaslu South Glacier, nicknamed the Butterfly Valley. This 5km-long glacier-filled valley is like the Western Cwm on Everest, it is exposed to avalanches from surrounding peaks on both sides and leads up to the final summit slopes of Manaslu.
Big wall climbing – 600m of serious technical rock climbing on the South Face of Manaslu.
Just crossing the glacier to the bottom of the big wall from Base Camp was like a giant game of Russian roulette, with massive avalanches frequently scouring the route. It was a scary two-hour trek to the relative safety of the rock face. We had to gauge the threat and decide when the next avalanche was likely before moving; if we had been caught out in the open we would have been wiped out. Once an avalanche goes airborne, you can be killed by the pressure wave, a huge blast of air that forges ahead of the roaring snow like an explosion; large avalanches can completely wipe out villages and flatten forests.
During that two-hour approach to the shelter of the wall, I often felt as though I was on a military patrol, constantly looking for the nearest cover of a big boulder or crevasse in case we came under ‘effective enemy fire’. In that scenario, the enemy was the constant threat of avalanche and rock fall, which was as lethal as any gunfire or mortar attack. It was always a relief to reach the cover and safety of the South Face. Climbing the vertical and overhanging 600m rock face was the key to the ascent, but not easy at this altitude. Overcoming it took nearly three weeks of effort, determined teamwork and technical rock climbing. Higher up in the Butterfly Valley between 5800m and 6000m the steepness eased and the climbing was back on snow and ice, where in addition to the avalanche danger there were hidden crevasses to cope with. As we made our way up the hanging glacier towards the steep snow and ice slope which led to the summit, the atmosphere was excitably amicable. In a curiously masochistic way, we all relished the challenge of ferrying heavy loads higher up the mountain and setting up a camp ready for the summit push. Our training sessions had instilled in us the ‘all for one and one for all’ ethic and we worked together well. Originally Himalayan expeditions had involved a team of many climbers pushing higher and higher up a mountain, establishing and stocking camps with equipment and food. When all the tents were in place, usually only two climbers from the group would make the final summit push. The ethos of L’Esprit d’Equipe, to which Benoit and all of us were dedicated, was to get every member to the top, not only as an obligation to our sponsors but also as an illustration of teamwork. Eventually an assault camp was established at about 7400m, leaving a 750m final ascent to the top.
The Butterfly Valley (Upper Manaslu’s South Glacier). The route went well to the left to the col, avoiding avalanches from the hanging glaciers and seracs on the peak’s summit slopes.
Benoit nabbed a good weather window and reached the summit first, bagging another 8000er for his collection. I was acclimatised, fit and ready for a summit bid with one of the Italians, but we had to retreat as his feet were numb with cold and he was concerned that frostbite was setting in – so we climbed down to warm his toes in the tent. We spent the night keeping as warm as possible, melting snow for water and fuelling up with fluid and calories before making another bid for the top.
Benoit Chamoux and Pierre Royer in Base Camp, satisfied but exhausted.
True rest is difficult to achieve at high altitude, sleep is fitful and fitness deteriorates. We knew that we had to make another summit bid the next day, so prepared and rested as well as we could. Luckily the weather remained clear and settled and we confidently set off for the summit, this time with no cold feet. The final narrow ridge to the summit with a big drop on either side was much steeper than I expected. I could not let my concentration wander, as one trip or slip would send me sliding thousands of feet to my death. I remember the air being crystal clear and very cold, about -20°C. The views were amazing, it was one of those days when it seemed that you could see forever and I felt tremendously privileged just to be there. I managed to get a summit photo of me holding a picture of my daughter, Fiona, who was only a toddler at that time.
The expedition was a great success, no one died and all the L’Esprit d’Equipe climbers made it to the top and back without frostbite or other injury. Bull Computers was very pleased with the publicity and decided to continue the funding. The mountain was first climbed in 1956 from the north side by a Japanese expedition. As an added bonus for me, 33 years after that first ascent, I had become the first Brit to reach the summit.
On the summit of Manaslu, 15 May 1989, holding a photo of my daughter, Fiona. This was my second 8000m peak. I never imagined then that I would go on to climb them all. In this photo she is only a child; by the time I had finished all 14 she was grown up and had her own little boy.
REINHOLD MESSNER
Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner is an icon of almost mythical status. His contribution to mountaineering, especially among the Himalayan and Karakoram 8000ers, is unequivocal. His achievements are a benchmark.
In 1986, he became the first person to have climbed all of the 8000m peaks, one year ahead of Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka.
Climbing all 14 peaks is a quantifiable and inspirational goal in mountaineering, just as the four-minute mile, first run by a Briton, Roger Bannister, paced by Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, is in athletics. More than a thousand people have run a four-minute mile since 6 May 1954. So far fewer than 30 have climbed all 14 8000m peaks and it will be a long time before a thousand people have managed it. Running a four-minute mile takes dedication, technique and tremendous effort; climbing all the 8000m peaks requires all of the above but also carries a high risk of death.
Where’s my pint? With iconic Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner, the first person to climb all the 8000m peaks.
Messner pushed the boundaries of stamina and determination as well as overcoming tragedy and setback to achieve success. He is a survivor and has inspired many mountaineers. He broke many psychological barriers during his mountaineering career, not least surviving many days in the death zone above 8000m.
As a young Alpinist I was influenced by his books, his climbing style and his ethics. He is an exponent of climbing fast and light and made daring rapid, solo ascents of big Alpine faces. He held a speed record on the North Face of the Eiger for some years, climbing it in ten hours with Peter Habeler in 1974. In the Himalaya he endured a traumatic descent on Nanga Parbat during which his brother Günther was killed; Reinhold survived the experience but with severe frostbite and had all his toes amputated. Nevertheless he went on to climb all the 8000m peaks.
There is no doubt that Reinhold Messner is one of the world’s greatest ever mountaineers. Distinctive looking, with a thick mane of hair, he is outspoken and has strong opinions on mountaineering and many other topics. I met him at the British Embassy in Kathmandu when he was a Euro MP for the Italian Green Party and we talked as much about European Politics as we did climbing.
