Nicholas Rice: Manaslu Dispatch

2009 Solo Manaslu Expedition

Dispatch Thirty-one: April 23rd, 2009

Day Thirty-one: Rest Day in Base Camp; Summit Plans

Today, I woke up and Tsering and Kipa helped me splint the tent pole that had broken while I was in high camp. After this, I headed up for breakfast then did some laundry. I got word that there would be a summit window opening around the 26^th. Everyone in my camp decided to head up tomorrow. I wanted to see more specific information about wind speeds around the proposed summit date They proved useful in deciding on when to leave base camp. On the 26^th, winds were forecast to be around 50km/hour; wind speeds as low as 15km/hr can virtually debilitate a climber at 8000m not to mention increase the possibility of frostbite and hypothermia. Winds were scheduled to decrease on the 27^th and the weather was forecast to be stable till the 30^th. I figured it would be best to wait a day or two so that the crowds would be off the route and the snow would be more stable. I spoke with Lina about this plan and she agreed that we needed to be patient so that we would be appropriately positioned for summit day on the best possible day.