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            Mera Peak Expedition Report 2021
        

Mera Peak Expedition Report 2021

A team from Alpinist Climber Expeditions climbed Mera Peak (6,476m), the highest trekking peak in Nepal, in October 2021. The expedition was guided by IFMGA Mountain Guide Prakash Sherpa.

The trip followed a route through remote Sherpa villages, forest trails, and high alpine camps in the Hinku Valley, ending with a summit push across the Mera Glacier. This report covers the full itinerary, from the trek out of Sotang through acclimatization at Khare to the climb from High Camp to the summit.

Expedition Overview

• Peak: Mera Peak (6,476m), Mera North summit

• Region: Hinku Valley, Makalu Barun National Park, Solukhumbu District, Nepal

• Summit date: 26 October 2021

• Starting point: Kathmandu, with a jeep drive to Sotang to begin the trek

• Route: Sotang → Juke → Chholim-Kharka → Khote → Tangnag → Khare → High Camp → Mera Peak summit

• Guiding: Prakash Sherpa, IFMGA-certified Mountain Guide with Alpinist Climber Expeditions

• Weather: Clear skies through most of the trek; high winds in the hours before the summit push

Full Expedition Report

Day 1: Kathmandu to Sotang

The expedition began with a long jeep drive from Kathmandu to Sotang, a large village that served as the starting point for the trek toward Mera Peak.

Day 2: Sotang to Juke (2,200m)

From Sotang, the team hiked three hours to Juke, a small and remote Sherpa village at 2,200 metres. Juke is not on the usual trekking route, so few trekkers pass through. Along the trail the group saw a Himalayan squirrel, wild birds, and deer.

Day 3: Juke to Chholim-Kharka (3,600m)

The next stage climbed to Chholim-Kharka at 3,600 metres, a five-hour walk through forest thick with rhododendron and fir. The change in vegetation marked the team's steady gain in altitude.

Day 4: Chholim-Kharka to Khote

Day four was the longest so far: a seven-hour day that skipped the usual stop at Kholakharka camp and went straight through to Khote. The day started with a long, steady ascent to 4,500 metres across rocky ground. Not far past the high point, the group reached Panch Pokhari, five glacial lakes visible from the trail. Porters carrying heavy loads for the lodges were also on the trail.

Khote sits beside a wide river and has grown into a small hub with a cluster of lodges. It was here that the team had its first sight of Mera Peak, and clear night skies over the peak after dark.

Day 5: Khote to Tangnag (4,300m)

From Khote the trail eased into a gentler day, following the river toward Tangnag at 4,300 metres, with big mountains rising on either side the whole way. Partway along, the group stopped at a Buddhist monastery built into a rock cave which was one of the trip's quieter, more memorable moments.

Day 6: Tangnag to Khare (4,900m)

The walk to Khare continued in the same easy rhythm, past more striking mountain views, with a tea stop along the way at the Dig Kharka tea house to rest and rehydrate before altitude made that harder to do.

Days 7–9: Acclimatizing in Khare

Khare, at 4,900 metres, was where the team spent three full days preparing the body for what came next. The first day was dedicated to a straightforward acclimatization hike to 5,200 metres. On the second, the group walked up to Mera Base Camp and back down to Khare to sleep, gaining altitude exposure without staying high overnight. The third day was kept for rest and for sorting gear — boots, crampons, and everything else needed for the push above.

Day 10: Khare to High Camp (5,800m)

With the team acclimatized, they geared up in Khare and set out for High Camp at 5,800 metres. The five-hour walk crossed onto the Mera Glacier, with Everest, Makalu, Nuptse, Cho Oyu, and Lhotse visible behind them as they climbed. High Camp is located behind a large rock formation; because of the altitude, the last stretch took longer than it looked like it should. Only two groups were preparing to attempt the summit the next day, so High Camp was quiet. After dinner, the team wished each other luck and went to sleep early.

Day 11: Summit Day — Mera Peak (6,476m)

The team woke at 3 a.m. and had porridge and tea from the group's cook before setting out at 4 a.m. The other group at High Camp had already left, though the two parties crossed paths on the route up. The team climbed through the night, with high winds picking up in the final hours before dawn.

After three hours of climbing, they reached the summit of Mera Peak at 6,476 metres, with clear views of nearby peaks over 8,000 metres. They were alone on the summit. After thirty minutes taking photos, the team began the descent, continuing back down to Khare the same day.

Challenges

• The seven-hour push from Chholim-Kharka to Khote, including a steep ascent to 4,500m over rocky terrain with no stop at the usual Kholakharka camp

• Building a proper base of acclimatization at altitude — three full days at Khare, with graded hikes to 5,200m and to Mera Base Camp, before the team could safely move higher

• The final stretch into High Camp, where thin air made a visually “close” landmark feel much farther away

• High winds in the hours before the summit, adding a physically demanding edge to an already long push

• A demanding descent on summit day, covering the return from 6,476 metres all the way down to Khare in a single stretch

Highlights

• Wildlife sightings on the first day out of Sotang — a Himalayan squirrel, wild birds, and deer

• The remote, rarely visited village of Juke

• Rhododendron and fir forest on the climb to Chholim-Kharka

• The beautiful sight of Panch Pokhari's five glacial lakes

• First views of Mera Peak and clear night skies from Khote

• A Buddhist monastery built into a rock cave near Tangnag

• Panoramic views of Everest, Makalu, Nuptse, Cho Oyu, and Lhotse from the Mera Glacier

• A quiet, uncrowded High Camp shared with just one other group

• Reaching the summit alone, with thirty minutes to take in the view before heading back down

Safety

Every stage of this itinerary was shaped around the physical condition of the team, with IFMGA Mountain Guide Prakash Sherpa making the calls on pace and timing throughout. The three-day acclimatization block at Khare with a graded hike to 5,200 metres, a trip to Mera Base Camp and back, and a full rest day gave the group's bodies time to adjust before the push to High Camp and beyond.

On summit morning, the team's cook made sure everyone had porridge and tea before setting out into the cold, and the group climbed together through the night and the high winds that picked up before dawn. The entire team returned safely to Khare, without incident which was a result of following the guide's judgment at every stage, with the expedition operated by Alpinist Climber Expeditions.

Conclusion

This Mera Peak climb combined remote villages, forest trails, and a demanding but achievable summit day, with views of five of the world's 8,000-metre peaks from the top. The team's success came down to pacing the climb to match their condition and following an IFMGA-certified guide's judgment at each stage — a combination that develops the fitness, skills, and acclimatization habits needed for future high-altitude climbs.

For climbers planning their own ascent, our Mera Peak Expedition follows a carefully paced itinerary designed around acclimatization, mountain skills, and the demands of the summit day. Alpinist Climber Expeditions has been leading guided climbs to Mera Peak, with IFMGA-certified guides, since 2021.

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Climbers described long queues on the fixed ropes, especially through the crowded, icy section between Camp 1 and Camp 2, and on the narrow final ridge that leads to Manaslu's true summit, which can only hold one or two people at a time. A mountain built for small, careful teams was suddenly hosting a crowd. That combination, a narrow summit and hundreds of climbers all aiming for the same short weather window, set the stage for the difficulties that followed. Traffic Jam in Manaslu 2026 Season The Danger Builds: Avalanches on the Upper Slopes Manaslu's upper mountain is known among guides for its avalanche-prone slopes, and this season made that reputation clear early. An avalanche swept down near Camp 4 and buried a freshly fixed section of rope, just hours before the rope-fixing team planned to use it. No one was hurt in that incident, but it was an early sign of how loaded and unstable the snowpack had become. Persistent snowfall over the following days made conditions worse, not better. Layers of fresh, loose snow sat on top of older snow, creating the unstable slab conditions that guides watch for closely. Our own team, positioned on the mountain at the time, could see and feel how quickly things were changing. Heavy Snowfall in Manaslu Base Camp Tragedy on the Mountain: Two Lives Lost During this period, a slab avalanche struck a tent at Camp 3, killing a foreign climber and his guide, who had pushed higher than the rest of their team in hopes of an early summit attempt. A rescue team later found them buried under roughly two meters of snow. This loss affected the entire mountain, not just the team involved. Climbers, guides, and outfitters from every expedition, including ours, felt the weight of it. The ACE team holds the memory of these two lives in our thoughts, and we offer our condolences to their families and their expedition family. A Narrow Escape for Our Own Team During this stretch of unstable weather, one of our guide's tent was buried by snow. Luckily, he was not inside and had went outside just before the snow sturk the tent and buried it. There was no serious damage to any of our members or our climbing Sherpa guides. It was a close call, and a clear reminder of how quickly conditions on Manaslu can turn serious, even at camps that are normally considered safe. We share this not to alarm anyone, but because it is part of an honest account of this season. Every member of our team, guides and clients alike, came home safe. We are deeply grateful for that. One of our guide's tent buried by snow. (Luckily, the guide was outside the tent in that moment) Racing the Cyclone As if avalanche danger were not enough, the weather forecast added more pressure. A cyclone forming over the Bay of Bengal was tracked heading toward Nepal, expected to bring heavy new snow and force every team off the mountain before it arrived. That left teams still on Manaslu with a hard choice: wait it out for days or weeks, call off their climb and go home, or rush a summit attempt with less rest and more crowding on the ropes than anyone would prefer. This kind of pressure is exactly when accidents tend to happen. Rushed decisions, tired climbers, and a shrinking safety margin are a difficult combination on any 8,000-meter peak. Our Team's Highest Point: 7,100 Meters Our team completed two full rotations to prepare for the summit push, and once the route was fixed, we climbed to 7,100 meters, the highest point reached by any team on Manaslu this season. Reaching that height took real skill, discipline, and teamwork from our Sherpa staff and our clients. 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About Alpinist Climber Expeditions Alpinist Climber Expeditions has run Himalayan climbs and treks in Nepal since 2021, guided by IFMGA-certified mountain guides and experienced Sherpa climbing staff. Safety has always come first in every decision we make, on Manaslu and every mountain we climb.

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According to ExplorersWeb, a mountaineering news site that has followed the 2026 Manaslu season closely, high avalanche risk led several outfitters to end their seasons this same week, with climbers and rope-fixing staff alike returning to Base Camp. Even the professional rope-fixing team responsible for maintaining the line toward the summit turned back rather than cross the loaded upper slopes. This was shaping up to be a record season on Manaslu, with permits reportedly issued to more than 500 foreign climbers and a similar number of supporting guides. A large number of operators on the mountain confirmed that they were closing their Manaslu 2026 season for the safety of everyone involved. It says something about how serious conditions had become for everybody on the mountain, not only for smaller teams like ours. Helicopters carried climbers from Base Camp down to the village of Samagaun, and on to Pokhara or Kathmandu, as teams evacuated over the following days. Our own clients and Sherpa staff followed a similar path home. Why We Didn't Wait It Out Waiting is sometimes the right choice in the mountains. This time, the numbers did not favor waiting. Forecasters were tracking a large storm system building over the Bay of Bengal, expected to reach Nepal within a day or two and bring more heavy snow, with helicopter flights likely grounded for weeks. A similar storm hit Nepal's mountains around this time last year and kept high trails closed for an extended stretch. Climbing permits for Nepal's 8,000-meter peaks are usually valid for about a month, with some room to extend by one or two weeks before the season closes at the end of November. Even with that extra time, a storm expected to last for weeks, combined with a summit route that would likely need to be refixed from scratch afterward, made a return summit push very unlikely for us this season. Good conditions on Manaslu can also close as fast as they open. In the 2025 season, 659 climbers reached the summit, but nearly all of them did so inside a single nine-day window in late September. When that kind of window does not appear, there is no shortcut around it. Waiting and hoping does not build a safe route up an 8,000-meter mountain. Not the Only Ones to Turn Back Roughly 90% of the expedition teams on Manaslu this season have now left the mountain. A small number of teams are still at Base Camp, hoping conditions might improve enough for one more attempt, but the chances of a safe weather window opening again this season are low. Safety Is Not Just a Slogan for Us At Alpinist Climber Expeditions, we say that safety comes first, but we would rather show it than just say it. Reaching the summit is the goal every climber trains for, and it was ours too. But it has never been the only measure of success we hold ourselves to. Success, for us, also means making the right call when conditions turn dangerous, and bringing every client and every staff member home safely. Manaslu 2026 Expedition ACE Team We are proud of the effort, patience, and teamwork our clients and our Sherpa team showed this season, from the trek in, through two demanding rotations, to the decision to turn back. This is what real mountain guiding looks like, on the easy days and the hard ones. In the mountains, there is one thing every guide eventually learns to respect: nature decides, not us. Manaslu will still be there next year, and so will we. About Our Guide and Team This expedition was led by Prakash Sherpa, an IFMGA-certified mountain guide, working alongside our full team of experienced Sherpa climbers. IFMGA certification is the highest standard in mountain guiding worldwide. It means our lead guide has trained not only in climbing, but in weather judgment, rope systems, rescue skills, and expedition leadership. That training matters most in exactly this kind of moment, when the safe choice and the popular choice are not the same thing. Alpinist Climber Expeditions Since 2021 We have run Himalayan climbs and treks in Nepal since 2021. Every expedition we lead is guided by experienced Sherpa climbing guides, with the same safety-first approach behind every decision, on Manaslu and on every mountain we climb. What Comes Next We are preparing a follow-up article that looks more closely at what happened on Manaslu this season, the conditions our team and others faced, and why every climbing team should respect the mountain's limits. Watch this space for that update. If you are planning a future Himalayan expedition, our team would be glad to help you plan a climb built around the same safety-first approach you have read about here. FAQs Why was the Manaslu 2026 season called off? Heavy snow loaded the upper slopes with unstable slab, and several of Nepal's largest operators ended their seasons the same week. A forecast cyclone threatened weeks of further snow and grounded helicopters, so Alpinist Climber Expeditions brought its full team home rather than push higher. How high did Alpinist Climber Expeditions reach on Manaslu in 2026? After completing two rotations, our team reached 7,100 meters, the highest point of any team on Manaslu this season, before turning back due to avalanche danger and incoming heavy snow. Safety, not the summit, guided the final decision. Why did Alpinist Climber Expeditions end the Manaslu 2026 climb? Heavy, unstable snow on the upper mountain created high avalanche danger, and a big storm was forecast to bring more snow for weeks. We chose to bring our team home rather than wait for conditions that might not improve this season. Did the team reach the summit of Manaslu in 2026? No. The team reached 7,100 meters, the highest point of any team this season, but turned back before the final push for safety reasons. Was anyone hurt on our expedition? No. Every client and every staff member returned to Kathmandu safely. One of our tents was buried by snow but none of our team members were hurt. Were other teams also leaving Manaslu this week? Yes. Around 90% of teams on the mountain had left or were leaving, including some of Nepal's largest operators. Why didn't the team wait a few more weeks for the weather to clear? A large storm system was forecast to reach Nepal within a day or two and was expected to ground helicopters and block trails for an extended stretch. Even with extended permits, a safe summit window this season became very unlikely. Who guided this expedition? The Manaslu 2026 Expedition organized by ACE was led by Prakash Sherpa, an IFMGA-certified mountain guide, together with our full Sherpa climbing team.

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Manaslu Expedition 2026 Update: Summit Push Plan and Weather at Base Camp

Heavy snow has covered Manaslu Base Camp. Our team has finished its acclimatization rotation and is preparing for the summit push. But on an 8,000-meter mountain, the weather makes the final call. Alpinist Climber Expeditions is on Manaslu (8,163 m) in Nepal, led by IFMGA guide Prakash Sherpa. This page shows where the team is and what the summit push plan looks like. We will update it as things change. Heavy Snowfall in Manaslu Base Camp Expedition Overview Mountain Manaslu, 8,163 m, the 8th highest mountain in the world Location Gorkha District, Nepal (Manaslu Conservation Area) Season Autumn 2026 Guide Prakash Sherpa, IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide Base Camp Near Samagaun Weather now Heavy snowfall and unpredictable conditions Current status Resting at Base Camp Where the Team Is Now The team is resting at Manaslu Base Camp. Heavy snow has fallen, and the weather is hard to predict. When conditions are like this, moving up is not a good idea. We will go higher only when the weather and snow conditions allow it. The Rotation Is Complete Our climbers have finished their acclimatization rotation on the mountain. They will be waiting at base camp till the snowfall settles down and favourable conditions are met. The Summit Push Plan This is our original schedule. It may change if the weather changes. Date Plan 19th Rest at Base Camp 20th Move to Camp 2 21st Move to Camp 3 22nd Move to Camp 4. Start the summit push at 10 pm 23rd Summit day. Return to Camp 2 24th Return to Base Camp 25th Pack up at Base Camp 26th Trek to Samagaun 27th Rest day in Samagaun 28th Flight to Kathmandu Because of the snow, the team is holding at Base Camp. We will post the new dates here when the plan is set. Why Does the Summit Push Start at Night? On 8,000-meter peaks, many teams leave the last high camp at night. This lets them reach the top in the morning and come down while there is still daylight. It also helps the team avoid strong winds and clouds that often come later in the day. Why Fresh Snow Matters Heavy snowfall makes the route slower and harder to see. It can also raise avalanche risk on the slopes. Guides usually wait for the snow to settle and for a clear weather window. Waiting is not a delay in the plan. It is part of the plan. Safety Comes First • The team has completed its acclimatization rotation. • The team moves only when the guides are happy with the conditions. • Weather decisions are made together by the guide team. What Comes Next The team will be waiting at base camp for favourable conditions while resting and acclimatizing their body as safety is always the number one concern and the summit comes second. If favourable conditions are met, the team will be preparing for the summit push accordingly. About This Expedition Alpinist Climber Expeditions is a Nepal-based company that has run Himalayan expeditions since 2021. Our climbs are led by IFMGA certified guides and experienced Sherpas, with safety as our first priority. If you dream of climbing a Himalayan peak, you are welcome to explore our upcoming expeditions.

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Mera Peak Expedition Report 2021

Expedition Overview