Hardwear Sessions

By Guy Willet from Dream Guides

On 28th September Guy Willett skied Manalslu, which at 8156m is the world's 8th highest mountain. Guy's ski descent is the second ever descent of Manalsu, with the first being in 1981. This just goes to show how infrequently successful ski descents of 8000m peaks are made. (*note - the 'completeness' of the Austrian 1981 descent is still to be confirmed - Guy's could be the first 'complete' ski descent)

About Guy: Guy is a British IFMGA Mountain and Ski Guide based in Chamonix. Along with MHW athlete Kenton Cool, he runs Dream Guides. He has many steep descents to his credit in the Alps and first descents in Greenland and Alaska.

The Route: North East Face route (in ascent & descent) with deviations to avoid rappelling steep icy sections.

Manaslu ski route (Click to enlarge) | Photo Courtesy of Dream Guides

The Ascent

Basecamp is at 4850m and a moraine walk and rocky step lead to 'Crampon Point' (5050m), where the route joins the glacier and roping up becomes the norm. The route to Camp 1 weaves through crevasses before heading to the top of a rocky promontory on the right at 5750m, just below the Icefall.

Camp 1 weaves through crevasses. I Photo Courtesy of Dream Guides

Leaving the tent at C1 the route continues up a short snow crest to 5850m, where it joins the Icefall and traverses left through several complex crevasses and crosses under an active serac at 5900m (this is the one serious objective danger on the route, but thankfully one is exposed to the potential avalanches for only a minute). After the traverse, we are at the Hour Glass - a V shaped snow slope of 40-45 degrees of 100m providing access through the steepest part of the icefall. Thereafter, weaving through huge crevasses, up ice steps, steep snow and ice crests, the route takes us to Camp 2 at 6300m where the glacier mellows. A simple snow slope (with a few crevasses) brings us to Camp 3 at the North Col (6800m) and truly amazing sunsets.

Snowslope leads to steep glacial ice cliffs. I Photo Courtesy of Dream Guides

Camp 3 to Camp 4 (7450m) is a tough day. A steepening snow slope leads to steep glacial ice cliffs (near vertical) at 7100m. Fixed ropes aid progress but difficulties are sustained until just before camp. Summit day follows straight forward snow slopes to almost 8000m where the slope narrows and steepens to 40 odd degrees as it nears the summit (8156m)

Manaslu summit | Photo Courtesy of Dream Guides

The Descent

Skiing with supplementary oxygen from the top down to 7450m, Guy skied the North East face route (the 'voie normale'), deviating from the line of ascent several times to avoid having to rappel steep icy sections. In all Guy took his skis off once to make a short rappel (5m) over a crevasse at 6200m (in a white out).

Skiing with supplementary oxygen | Photo Courtesy of Dream Guides

I skied the ascent line to C4 in difficult breakable crust and took a 45 minute break to warm my freezing feet. From C4 I skied the exposed line of ascent on chalky snow of 40-45 degrees to 7250m, where I traversed several hundred metres to the skier's right to avoid the ice cliffs. Some great turns down the huge face followed by a traverse back left brought me past C3 and onto the steady snow slope to C2 at the start of the Icefall. The Icefall proved difficult, with many steep sections with big crevasse falls punishing any mistakes. Inconveniently, convection clouds had built up and I was in frequent whiteout. I had to take my skis off once at 6200m to make a short rappel (5m) over a crevasse, but otherwise managed to negotiate the obstacles on skis. Skiing the Hourglass was a real highlight - steep skiing, on an improbable line and in a 'mad' environment! Weaving through crevasses and over snow bridges in poor visibility, on the way back to base camp was stressful but uneventful (I was a few hundred metres away from the ascent line, which by this stage was bare ice and not skiable).

Guy on the descent. | Photo Courtesy of Dream Guides