Satori Adventures has, with a very heavy heart, decided to call off this year’s Manaslu Autumn 2026 Expedition.
During the Autumn 2026 climbing season, approximately 480 foreign climbers including our climbing members, along with an estimated 500 Nepali support staff, had hoped to reach the summit of Mt. Manaslu and achieve another remarkable milestone of courage, determination, and endurance. Sadly, that aspiration has now come to an end for all climbers.
The company sincerely apologizes with all the climbers who came to Nepal from abroad with their trust and confidence in us, as well as to our dedicated Sherpa guides and all other support staff who stood firmly with us throughout the expedition for the loss, disappointment, and hardship caused by this decision.
As experienced expedition operators and mountain guides, we understand that mountaineering is a serious undertaking, one that is ultimately governed by nature and its powerful forces. We also should acknowledge that, in the face of these forces, human capabilities remain limited.
For us, the safety of every climber is our first and foremost priority, followed by successful expedition. The happiness that success brings cannot be replaced by the disappointment of an unsuccessful expedition. However, every failure teaches us many valuable lessons and makes us better prepared for the future.
There are five key elements that determine the safety and success of a Himalayan expedition: There are five key elements that play an important role in making a Himalayan expedition safe and successful:
- Weather conditions
- The individual experience and physical capacity of the climber
- The personal mountaineering equipment used by the climber
- The experience and capability of the Sherpa guides
- The expertise and experience of the expedition management company
For this year’s Manaslu expedition, four of these five elements were exceptionally strong and well prepared on our side. The remaining and decisive factor was weather. This autumn, the weather conditions became increasingly unfavorable and unsupportive for safe climbing operations.
The Manaslu climbing operation began with the route-opening and rope-fixing team. The route-opening and rope-fixing team successfully completed its work at approximately 9:25 p.m. on September 17.
Following the completion of the route, many climbers began their acclimatization rotations. However, on September 18 and 19, Manaslu experienced exceptionally heavy snowfall, which buried sections of the route and the fixed ropes.
In the course of this heavy snowfall, Dhruba Jyoti Guha, a German national of Indian origin climbing with Makalu Adventure, and his guide, Phursemba Sherpa, tragically lost their lives after being buried approximately seven feet beneath the snow at Camp III in an avalanche on September 20. This tragic loss occurred while they were resting at the camp as part of their summit schedule, separated from the other members of their group.
Furthermore, the Meteorological Forecasting Division and other weather-information agencies have warned of deteriorating weather conditions across Nepal from September 24 to 28 due to a developing low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal and the possibility of a cyclone. The forecasts indicate the possibility of heavy rainfall and snowfall during this period causing more troubles in the mountains.
In view of these increasingly adverse weather conditions, the associated risks, and our responsibility for safe operations in the mountains, we were forced to take this necessary decision.
Whether they are our climbing members, our Sherpa guides, or our dedicated Base Camp team members, we consider everyone an integral and close member of our own family. The loss or injury of even one member would be irreparable for us. It is with this responsibility in mind that we have taken this step.
On a hopeful and positive note, we would like to say that the mountain will remain where it is, while mountain weather and climatic conditions will continue to change. We sincerely request the entire climbing community to remain understanding and hopeful, knowing that the mountain will continue to offer opportunities in the future.
We deeply value the trust placed in us by our climbers, guides, staff, and partners, and we fully recognize the disappointment, and loss that this decision has caused. We remain committed to learning from this experience and to carrying forward our responsibility to organize safe, responsible, and professionally managed expeditions in the future.
Rishi Ram Bhandari
Managing Director – Satori Adventures Pvt. Ltd.
General Secretary – Expedition Operators Association of Nepal (EOA-Nepal)
Coordinator – Route Opening and Rope Fixing Operations, Manaslu Expedition Autumn 2026
