Travel advisory - Snowstorms in Annapurna National Park

I have been reading about this tragedy almost everywhere, nothing can be said right now all we can do is wait.

I have to take issue with that tired old phrase "unseasonal" heavy snow when discussing bad weather in Nepal in October.

I experienced very heavy "unseasonal" snow (over 1 metre deep in 24 hours) when doing AC (for my first time) in mid Oct 2005 - we spent 5 nights at Manang as AC was effectively closed. After that we were able to carry on (though with some difficulty, especially when we crossed Thorung La), but many other people had their treks ruined as they were more time limited (I was in Nepal for 2 months that visit). As far as I am aware, no trekkers were killed due to that storm, but 17 climbers (Nepalis and foreigners) died on one of the Annapurnas in an avalanche. I also heard that over 100 yaks died, due to suffocation and exposure.

Last year hurricane (or typhoon?) Phailin dumped a lot of heavy snow across the Everest region in particular in Oct (both "my" guides were up there at that time), though as far as I know no one was killed by it. As well as 2013, in at least 2 other recent years there was quite a bit of disruption in the Everest region due to bad weather (though again, I think there were no fatalities). My main guide spent 8 consecutive nights at Lukla waiting for his next clients to fly in one Oct about 2-3 years ago - he was OK as the agency he was working for at the time was paying him, and he said it was very social for all the guides. No doubt others will know of other specific periods of "unseasonal" bad weather in Oct (I think there was a very heavy dump of snow, with trekker fatalities, in Oct 1995 - I was not in Nepal that year).

I am not, repeat not saying people should not trek in Oct, far from it, but they should always be aware of the risks, especially high up, if the weather turns bad. Saying that bad weather in Oct is "unseasonal" is not only inaccurate, but could cause some people to be, understandably, less careful, especially with regard to keeping an eye on any build up of cloud (which usually means trouble when you're high up).

I agree with rdcomments. Bad weather is possible in the mountains at any time. People need to have the equipment, mainly suitable clothing and some spare energy food such as chocolate, and knowledge to deal with such things. The importance of getting out of the wind cannot be overstated. They also need to have spare days so that they can wait out poor conditions. These things are true for any trek, at any time.

I do not mean the above as a comment on the people affected by the recent events. They are general comments.

A question for those of you with extensive mountaineering experience: How long would you think it would take for about a meter of widespread snowfall to clear out in areas like around TL? From what I understand, there's been about 80mm of rain in the Annapurna range from this storm, which is roughly equivalent to about a meter of snow. Obviously the actual depth is going to significantly higher in the actual pass - maybe 5-10 times as much. A week for something like TL to open up?

Thanks Joe for this timely summary. At least on the pictures the blue sky is back so this will help with rescue operations. A German website reported that most deaths occurred between the villages of Kangla and Fu, I wonder if they mean Kang La pass and Phu, which would be a side trip away from the main circuit, with far less places for shelter and presumably little infrastructure such as mobile phone coverage in case of emergency.

Pardon me for a comment on "solo trekking is never recommended". Solo trekking allows you to listen to your body. You can always stop for an extra day without holding the group up. You can turn around without any discussion. Nobody is disappointed if you decide not to go higher up. You don´t have to exhaust yourself trying to keep up with the faster hikers in your group, and you don´t have to wait for the slower ones. I´m a great fan of solo trekking, it has severe disadvantages in the less likely case of trouble and severe advantages in the very likely case that you´re not a perfect match for your group.

Post 4 - I understand your question, and I only have limited snow experience re trekking, but I'll have a stab at an answer. Hopefully others will be along as well on this.

In Oct 2005, we had about a metre (3 feet) of snow from Manang upwards. In places the snow had been shovelled off roof tops (as the weight could well cause roofs to collapse), so in some narrow passages it was very deep - I actually struggled quite a bit in places just to get out of Manang when we finally re-started trekking (though the 5 nights there were actually great fun - it was very social, lots of chatting, jokes, laughter, drinking, rumours (some very silly...) - most trekkers then were indy trekkers, due to the Maoist insurgency and the advice not to go trekking, but I digress).

Basically we walked in a narrow grove much of the way from Manang up to about the low camp at Thorung Phedi. Sometimes this was almost waist deep, other times just above the ankles. From the Thorung Phedi high camp, where we stopped for a cup of tea on our crossing day (we stayed at the low camp), until about 1 hour from the top of the pass, from re-looking at my photos, the snow was little different from when I did AC in Dec 2012 - ie about 2-3 inches deep on the trail, no doubt much deeper off the trail. However we were the last people over the pass that day, and got near the top about 12-1pm - for the last hour we were walking into the wind that builds up in the valley below (to the west) - the wind whipped up spin drift and basically filled the grove in the trail, which by then was about waist deep. This last hour to the top was extremely hard going - I was basically breaking trail thru the snow, and I was getting very cold (despite carrying about 17 kilos back then). We stopped at the tea hut at the top of the pass, did not take any photos at the top (it was too cold and there was a lot of snow blowing around - I was shivering), then after putting some more clothes on, we headed down - after 30-40 minutes we were out of the wind and everything got much, much easier.

As well as the very social atmosphere at Manang, the contrast of the pristine white snow against the incredibly blue skies from Manang to about 1 hour from the top of TL made for some amazing, fantastic views and photos, so the snow had its compensations. I did not hear about people crossing days later having any real problems - in my experience bad weather lasts only 2-3 days in Oct - Jan, so that is why it is fairly easy to wait it out (and much, much safer to do this).

In Oct 2013, Phailin dumped about 600mm (2 feet) of snow across much of the Everest region. Someone who did the 3 High Passes in Dec 2013 sent me some astonishing photos of hard, projecting ice on the west side of Cho La (a steep, high pass) - it seems it was the Phailin snow that had been formed into weirdly shaped, hard ice. It was totally different from anything I saw when I did the 3HPs in Jan 2010 and Dec 2010 - Jan 2011, when there was very little ice on the sides of the high passes - there is always thick, hard ice on the top of Cho La.

As above, see what others say, but conditions may be very localised. I am still planning to do the 3HPs again this Dec - Jan.

It's true that severe weather can occur at any time at altitude, but this has been a particularly severe weather event linked to Cyclone Hudhud, which also caused many deaths in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. I think the message has to be that people always need to respect the weather conditions and the advice of local people. Over the years, I've been caught in unexpectedly heavy snow a number of times in Nepal and there are risks that people don't consider even in light snow, such as mistakenly following stream beds instead of sticking to the trail. It's essential to have a healthy respect for the environment you are trekking in - it's always wiser to delay a trek or even cancel it rather than trying to push through in dangerous conditions. On which subject, porters and guides are often pressured by trekkers into continuing treks against their better judgement - remember that you are responsible for any staff you hire, and this includes making sure porters and guides are equipped for the conditions and not put in harms' way.

Post 5: you can trek with guides paid on a "daily rate" basis (this is what I now do - my last 5 treks were done this way, s will my next trek). Trekking this way it is totally unnecessary to have to stick to an itinerary, or a particular pace - I have the same independence as an indy trekker, but the company and so on of a guide (and I get on really well with my guides, who are brothers).

There are a number of ways of going trekking - it is not just either a group or solo. Even with other indy trekkers you can agree to stop and start as you wish - this is what I have done when trekking with other indy trekkers.

I have never trekked in any type of organised group.

Hi All,
I had a friend who was in Chhomrong on Sunday. How long would he have taken to get close to Thorung La? I am hoping he had not got too close when the weather hit!!! We can't reach him by phone. I don't know what direction he was doing the circuit in. Any advice much appreciated.
Thanks.