Txikon conquers Manaslu in winter, Simone Moro has to give up

The climber from Bergamo, after giving up last year due to the meteorological situation, had to stop at 6300 meters due to intestinal problems which forced him to return to Katmandu.

Friday 6 January 2023 4 minutes reading time

Simone Moro's fifth attempt to climb Manaslu, 8163 meters, in winter unfortunately also failed. Precisely in the year in which the weather gave a good window for the ascent, the Italian climber had already informed yesterday through his social profiles that he had been blocked by a debilitating physical ailment. Yesterday, Moro had written "Hi guys, the ca*otto cheated me. Up here is camp two but I went down, the ca*otto took all the strength in my legs. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow the plan is to go up and I don't want to get anyone in trouble, least of all myself with the risk of getting stuck at 6400. There are Alex and Chhepal who are arriving at camp 2. I told him that arriving so tired up means not recovering and if I had continued to go up I would also have had to use oxygen and I preferred to leave it here around 6300 and go back down on my own". This morning at 9.30 local time, the favorable weather window with only a strong wind pounding the summit, Alex Txikon and Chhepal Sherpa with the other Tenjen Lama Sherpa, Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, Mingtemba Sherpa, Chhepal Sherpa, Pemba Tasi Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa reached the peak. Thirty-nine years after the first winter ascent on Manaslu, which took place on 12 January 1984 by the Poles Maciej Berbeka and Ryszard Gajewsk in 1984. Since then the eighth peak in the world has only been reached by five expeditions and a total of 22 climbers during winter, the last of which dated back to more than twenty years ago. Shortly after the news arrived from base camp, Simone Moro, from Kathmandu, congratulated Alex and the expedition, also giving information about his state of health. The climber from Bergamo will undergo checks and commented "SUMMIT!!! for Alex and the team who reached the summit of Manaslu in winter 39 years after the first winter ascent on that mountain. Congratulations!!! ...... Fate wanted me not to be there, but that the whole team realized the project. Fate didn't even decide that I lost the motivation… Another constructive goodbye to the Nepalese mountains and now I'm waiting for Alex to party with him and the whole team" [instagram: CnEWYtCsIR6]

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