What? you think people/groups/etc may be spreading lies and profiteering from such a tragedy....have you heard of TAAN?! And for that matter I would suggest that the likelihood of money passing to the govt by such groups and large tour operators will have a major effect on any decision making.
Roger
The Himalayan Times is reporting that trekkers are being asked to be cautious trekking in the west of Nepal because of Cyclone Nilofar. More snow is predicted in the coming days and the advice is for travellers to stay below 3000m while the cyclone is passing through.
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.
Good to hear and know you are still heading out there... likewise. like all nature lovers, we do the wait and see game however also not let the weather totally dicate our actions. as long as we exercise respect for nature, caution and well lots of praying! as they would say in pakistan, inshallah! cheryl
The Himalayan Times is reporting that lots of people are heading to the Annapurna region, despite travel warnings over Cyclone Nilofar. It's a reminder of how difficult any new warning system will be to enforce, even if it is adopted. Closing trails as a precaution in the event of bad weather would almost certainly save lives in the long term, but such a measure would not be well received by many trekkers, or by the local people who depend on the short tourist season for their livelihood. In both cases, the authorities will be accused of overkill if a storm turns out to be less severe than expected, and they will be accused of not doing enough if a trail is left open and conditions deteriorate, putting trekkers in harms' way. Striking the right balance between taking sensible precautions and over-reacting is likely to be a challenge.
Typical of the Himalayan Times. Cyclone Nilofar was widely reported as having weakened on 30th October. This story was posted on 1st November!
I can't see a warning system working for anything other than popular trails (ABC, AC, EBC). We were in the middle of rural lower Dolpa when the storm hit. I don't see who would have informed us.
As long as "trekking in Nepal" is promoted to people with little to no mountaineering experience, history will repeat itself. Better go and get some experience of being on the hills before attempting anything in the Himalaya.
Nepali guides are a mixed bag (in terms of mountain experience). As long as there is no agency regulating/training them, again, history will repeat itself.
In other countries, guiding is a proper profession. For example: where is the equivalent of a "Casa de Guias" in Kathmandu? It just doesn't exist. As an independent trekker, where do I go to get mountain information (e.g. I'm currently trying to find information on conditions at Dhaulagiri Base Camp). There just isn't anywhere.
The government would do well to set up such centres in, say, Kathmandu (Thamel) and Pokhara with proper reports of conditions from people on the ground around the country. Bodies such as the NMA are just useless fronts for the government to suck money from tourists.
Information is good but it makes very little sense to change travel plans because of a storm near Oman. Real problem in my eyes is that people do treks like AC with only one spare day in Kathmandu in the itinerary.
I took off being informed about the new cyclone thanks to Joe_Lp here. Haven't seen a drop of rain since Kathmandu and cloudless blue skies from morning to evening for at least a week now. I have plenty of time so in case of bad weather I would have stayed where I am.
Otherwise nothing has changed up here, weather forecast even in Manang seems impossible to get, ACAP office empty, no mobile phone reception anywhere near Thorong La. Still ice and snow on large stretches of track above 4900 m saw many people slipping. Ice cold strong wind on top must cover face against frostbite. Still girls in sneakers. Permit last checked a week ago so in case of problems no one would know who is in the danger zone. Greetings from Kagbeni
Hey
IM thinking about trekking on my own either in the area of Lukla / gokyo or AC: Is Nepal having especially bad weather for the season ? Is this not advisable ?
Is the weather in Nepal especially bad for the season ? Im heading to either Lukla or AC to trek on my own...
Hi Daniel,
What happened in October was unexpected but not unheard of at this time of year. Most years, the weather in Nepal is affected by a couple of cyclones in the Indian Ocean, but Cyclone Hudhud was a strong weather system and it came a long way north so it caught many people off guard.
I would have no issues trekking in either the Annapurna region or Solukhumbu (the Everest region) at this time of year, but I would always recommend checking the weather locally before you start trekking and talking to local people as you go so you have the best information possible. The best way to stay out of trouble is to be informed about the weather and take shelter if conditions turn bad, rather than pushing on in the hope that things will get better.
It also makes sense to carry things you might need in case of trouble - all-weather clothing, a survival bag, a means of purifying water, a means of navigating (compass and map or GPS). Nine times out of ten, you won't need everything, but it's better to carry stuff you don't need rather than not have things you do need if you get into trouble.
General wisdom is to trek with a companion if you can, but if you do trek unaccompanied, make sure someone knows when you are leaving, your route, and when you will finish your trek. That way someone will know you are missing in the very unlikely event that anything does go wrong.
I'd also say don't be too paranoid about safety - be prepared but remember that hundreds of thousands of people trek every year in Nepal with no problems at all.