Everest & Legends: Autumn 2025 Himalayan Round-Up
As the Himalayan climbing season transitions toward the quieter months, 2025 will be remembered not for mass summits, but for bold, boundary-pushing feats – and for the shifting landscape of Alpine-style climbing as much as for peaks topped.
Jim Morrison’s Historic Ski Descent on Everest’s North Face
On October 15, American climber Jim Morrison, aged 50, etched his name into mountaineering history by completing the first ski descent from the summit of Mount Everest via the infamous Hornbein Couloir on the North Face. His 6½-week push, supported by a full team including Sherpas and filmmakers led by Jimmy Chin, was more than a climb – it was a tribute. Morrison scattered the ashes of his late partner, Hilaree Nelson, who died on Manaslu in 2022, at the summit.
The descent itself was brutal: from summit to Camp I on the Rongbuk Glacier in four hours and five minutes, down 50-degree slopes. At one point, bare rock forced him to remove skis and abseil nearly 200 meters. Sponsored by The North Face and National Geographic, the expedition will be documented in film.
The Farewell to a Legend
This season also marked the passing of a mountaineering icon: Kancha Sherpa (92), the last surviving member of the original 1953 Everest expedition, died at his home in Kathmandu’s Kapan. His life spanned the greatest era of Himalayan exploration – from early expeditions to today’s extremes – and his passing closes a chapter in climbing history.
Manaslu: Quiet, but Significant
On Manaslu the autumn season drew to approximately 400 summits. Nepal issued mounts of permits (457 climbers from 47 teams), and 192 reached what they claimed as the true summit. A Russian team remains, attempting a new line on the Southwest Face – proof even a “finished” 8,000er can still surprise.
Cho Oyu: Speed, Summit, and End of an Era
On Cho Oyu over 25 climbers summited this season. Major teams like Adventure Consultants and Madison Mountaineering topped out, while veteran guide Chhiring Sherpa finished his 8,000-meter mission with a speed climb from Base Camp to summit.
Makalu & Dhaulagiri: Mixed Outcomes
Makalu remained unconquered this season due to deep snow – Russian climbers halted at 7,867 m on the 8,485 m peak. Meanwhile on Dhaulagiri more summits were confirmed: names like Jorge Egocheaga, Ping Lu, Catherine Bury, Nurbu Sherpa, Taraman Tamang and Pavlo Sydorenko all reached the top.
First Ascent of Jannu East: A Himalayan Milestone
In what may be one of the most significant first ascents of 2025, French alpinists Benjamin Védrines and Nicolas Jean summited Jannu East (7,468 m) – an unclimbed Eastern summit of the famed Jannu massif. In four alpine-style days they climbed the 2,300-meter north face and ridge, then descended in one fast push. Védrines described the achievement as “the greatest achievement of my mountaineering career.” It marks one of the last great Himalayan problems solved – and in true “light and fast” style.
The Season’s Broader Shift
The year’s observations suggest a bigger trend: climbers are moving away from large-scale expedition models toward minimalist, alpine-style ascents, even on big Himalayan walls. Today’s mountaineering focuses as much on style, speed, and purity as on height.
At the same time, the season is already shifting focus: next up are peaks like Puncak Jaya (Carstensz Pyramid), Kilimanjaro, Antarctica’s Vinson Massif and later in the year, Aconcagua. The climbing world’s “big wall” moment was this autumn – but many big ascents will still come in places far from the Himalaya.
Final Thoughts
Between Morrison’s ski descent, the farewell to a climbing legend, a Himalayan first ascent, and deep snow-halted attempts, autumn 2025 has proved to be a season of contrasts – rapidity and patience, boldness and respect, completion and still-to-climb challenges.
If mountaineering once sought nothing but summits, now it seeks meaning – in how the mountain is climbed, who climbs it, and why.