Winter Expedition on Annapurna Pushes Forward Despite Setbacks

The team attempting a winter ascent on 8,000-meter peak Annapurna prepares for a summit bid amid challenging conditions and team attrition.

Annapurna Base Camp / Alex Berasategi

Alex Txikon Sidelined on Annapurna

Elite mountaineer Alex Txikon from Lemoa (Basque Country) has climbed 11 of the 14 8,000-meter peaks – the highest mountains in the world.

Txikon, embarking on his 11th winter expedition in the Himalaya, has hit a major roadblock as he attempts a second winter attempt on 8,000-meter peak Annapurna (26,545 feet) one year after a failed winter effort.

Falling ill, Txikon left the team and endured appendix surgery in Kathmandu. His return to the team appears unlikely.

Alex Txikon / Alex Txikon website - alextxikon.com

This season he teamed-up with Mattia Conte of Italy, Waldemar Kowalewski of Poland, Sajid Sadpara of Pakistan and the Seven Summit Trek’s sherpa team.

Kowalewski hopes to join the team soon in Nepal after battling visa issues in Bangladesh. The team previously acclimatized on Ama Dablam (22,349 feet) before traveling to Annapurna base camp ahead of the official winter climbing season, which began on the winter solstice on Dec. 21.

Winter Ascents of Himalayan peaks present an additional set of challenges and dangers than the more traditional climbing seasons in the spring and fall months – namely colder than normal climbing conditions and less support.

Txikon, a purist winter-season climber, made the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat with Simone Moro of Italy in 2016. Txikon also summited Manaslu in January 2023. Moro traveled to the Himalaya again this winter to pursue another summit on Manaslu.

Update on Annapurna

It appears members of Txikon’s winter Annapurna team will take a shot at the summit in the coming days. After battling extreme wind and frigid temperatures, members of the team made it to camp 4 at 6,700m (21,981 feet). They have returned to Base Camp to prepare for a summit push.

Angela Benavides reported on the team’s progress in an article for ExplorersWeb.

“It was very cold, down to -25°C and windy at times, but otherwise, we enjoyed clear skies,” Sadpara said from Base Camp on Jan. 2. “The forecast [is for] high winds until January 8, but after that, we plan to try and reach the summit.”

Sherpa climbers Chhepal and Lhakpa Gelu, with the assistance of Sajid Sadpara, fixed the route to Camp 4. Climbers Sarah Abdovais and Mattia Conte recently arrived at Camp 2. The monsoon winds have blown much of the snow from Annapurna’s icy faces, making climbing conditions extremely treacherous. Though Sadpara welcomes the slick conditions.

“Snow conditions are now perfect, with all the excess powder snow swept away,” he told ExplorersWeb. “High winds ... are the main challenge during winter expeditions. We faced no avalanches or seracs falling above Camp 2, but we had to deal with 50kph winds and bitter cold.”

Avalanches remain a concern for the team as they push from Base Camp through four camps to the summit, and icy terrain will continue to challenge the remaining climbers on the steeper sections of the upper mountain.

Sajid Sadpara - Camp 1 Annapurna / Saji Sadpara

Annapurna

Annapurna I, the 10th highest mountain in the world, stands 8,091 meters (26,545 feet) in the Himalayas. Its name, derived from Sanskrit, means "Goddess of the Harvests," symbolizing abundance.

Despite its name, Annapurna's slopes are unforgiving, with a reputation as one of the deadliest peaks due to high avalanche risk, unpredictable weather, and complex terrain.

The mountain's fatality-to-summit ratio makes it one of the most feared climbs in mountaineering.

Despite its early fame as the first 8,000-meter peak ever climbed, Annapurna bemoans a grim climbing record, with a fatality-to-summit ratio of over 30%, making it one of the most perilous peaks.

The mountain’s climbing history began with a groundbreaking achievement.

In 1950, Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal of a French expedition successfully reached the summit, marking the first human ascent of any 8,000-meter peak. This historic climb, led by Herzog, remains legendary for its boldness and challenges - accomplished without the technological advancements of modern mountaineering.

The team faced severe frostbite and other hardships during their descent, with Herzog losing his fingers and toes. Their ascent was chronicled in Herzog’s bestselling book Annapurna, inspiring generations of future climbers. (Related Article)

Annapurna / CEW - Shutterstock