Nepal on Sunday dispatched a team to open the climbing route and fix ropes on Mount Manaslu ahead of the 2026 autumn season, with more than 300 foreign climbers expected to attempt the world's eighth-highest peak.
The Expedition Operators' Association of Nepal (EOAN) along with the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), held a farewell ceremony for the seven-member rope-fixing team at Hotel Manaslu in Kathmandu.
The team will leave Kathmandu on Monday and begin preparations to establish the route and fix ropes to the summit of the 8,163-metre mountain for climbers during the autumn season.
EOAN President Dambar Parajuli and NMA President Fur Gelje Sherpa handed the Nepali national flag and flags bearing the logos of the Department of Tourism and EOAN to team leader Chhiring Bhote during the ceremony.
The flags will be placed symbolically on the summit and retrieved after a successful climbing season.
The team comprises Chhiring Bhote, Lopsang Bhote, Pam Dorjee Sherpa, Furi Sherpa, Ngima Sherpa, Karma Sarki Sherpa and Pasang Gyaljen Sherpa.
EOAN said more than 300 foreign climbers, along with Nepali guides and mountaineers, are expected to attempt Manaslu this autumn.
The ceremony was attended by Member of Parliament and First Vice President of NMA Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal President Sagar Pandey, Nepal Tourism Board private-sector board member Pemba Sherpa and other tourism-sector representatives.
EOAN has increasingly taken responsibility for deploying teams to open routes and fix ropes on major Himalayan peaks, including Mount Everest.
