Legendary alpinist Simone Moro will be joining forces with teenage climbing prodigy Nima Rinji Sherpa to attempt a breath-taking climb this winter, scaling the 26,781ft / 8,163m Manaslu mountain alpine style.
If successful, the 18 and 57-year-olds would become the first to summit any of the ‘eight-thousanders’ using the alpine style in winter. This means they’ll be battling ferocious winter conditions without fixed ropes, gear caches, Sherpa support, fixed camps, or supplemental oxygen.
The eight-thousanders are the world's 14 tallest peaks, each boasting a summit higher than eight thousand feet / 26,246ft and all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges.
Climbing Mount Everest for the first time in 1992, alpine legend Moro earned his stellar reputation by becoming the first to ascend four eight-thousanders in winter - Shishapangma in 2005, Makalu in 2009, Gasherbrum 2 in 2011, and Nanga Parbat in 2016.
Although he’s 39 years younger, Nima Rinji Sherpa is perhaps just as highly regarded. In October, the Nepali sensation made history by becoming the youngest person to summit all 14 eight-thousanders.
The pair will be joined on Manaslu by thrill-seeking Polish-Portuguese film-maker Oswald Rodrigo Pereira, who’ll document the journey on camera.
Should they successfully summit Manaslu, the trio will make history, becoming the first to successfully apply the alpine climbing style to one of the world’s tallest, and most challenging mountains.
Dubbed the ‘killer mountain’, Manaslu has claimed 80 lives since 1956 and has a 9% fatality rate. Alongside its various technical difficulties, the mountain is prone to avalanches. In 2012, an avalanche killed 11 people at Manaslu’s third camp. Conditions are even worse in winter when temperatures can drop as low as -4°F / -20°C at the summit.
Despite, the inevitable challenges, Moro is looking forward to getting started and is eager to mentor young Nima Rinji.
“I want to help Nima Rinji become a future professional mountaineer. Sherpas are strong, but they are either guides or porters. None do technical alpinism full-time,” he told Explorers Web.
“He is already a strong indoor climber, so let’s try to make him a technical alpinist too.”
Nima Rinji, who’ll still be 18 when the pair begin their ascent added: “I’m beyond excited, and of course, safety will always be our top priority.”
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