17-Year Old Becomes Youngest American Woman to Summit Manaslu

Asha Noor Shehryar summited Manaslu, and became the youngest American woman to scale the 8th highest mountain in the world..

Asha Noor Shehryar on Manaslu / The Himalayan Times

Himalayan Climbing Season Heats Up

Teams from around the world have returned to the Himalayas for fall climbing. The ‘second’ climbing season in the Himalayas has begun. The ‘first’ climbing season, which began in March and ended in June, is known as the ‘pre-monsoon’ period. The post-monsoon season begins in September and concludes in December. It is during these annual timeframes that the jet stream temporarily leaves the top of the Himalayas, allowing mountaineers an opportunity to climb to the Roof of the World’. There are fourteen 8,000-meter peaks in the world – all located in the Himalayan Range.

17-year old Woman Summits Manaslu

There has been much activity on Manaslu, the 8th highest peak in the world. Manaslu is located in the Mansiri Himal range of the Nepalese Himalayas, stands 26,781 ft., and is known as the "Mountain of the Spirit," Manaslu is a prominent and revered peak targeted by elite climbers. Madison Mountaineering and Climbing The Seven Summits both have teams working toward summit bids that should take place in the coming days assuming the weather continues to cooperate. PAHICHAN and The Himalayan Times have reported several recent successful summits over the past several days. Notably, on September 23rd Asha Noor Shehryar became the youngest American woman to scale Manaslu – an incredible achievement for the 17-year old alpinist.

Thaneswar Guragai, General Manager at Seven Summit Treks, reported that Asha and her guide Ngima Dorchi Sherpa reached the Manaslu true summit at approximately 4:00 a.m. Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, is the youngest male climber in world to scale Manaslu, and  Sui Cho Yuan, 16, from China was the youngest female to attain the summit in 2023.

Manaslu / PAHICHAN

Climbing Manaslu

Climbing Manaslu is a formidable challenge renowned for its technical difficulty and unpredictable weather. Manaslu was first summited on May 9, 1956 by Japanese Climbers Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen. With their historic achievement, Manaslu became an important and integral element of Japanese climbing culture.

Manaslu / Sunil Tamang

The most common route to the summit of Manaslu is the Northeast Face. The climb begins from the village of Samagaun, where climbers trek to the base camp situated at approximately 15,750 ft. From base camp, climbers navigate a series of higher camps: Camp 1 at approximately 18,700 ft.; Camp 2 at around 21,000 ft.; Camp 3 near 22,300 ft.; and Camp 4 at 24,400 ft. The move to Camp 1 involves a steep, crevasse-laden, glacier climb. Moving from Camp 1 to Camp 2, climbers face extreme avalanche danger while traversing a dangerous section known as the "Japanese Cwm." The route to Camp 3 involves negotiating a series of ice walls. Above Camp 3, the high altitude becomes a significant factor, introducing extreme cold, strong winds, and reduced air.