Two people pose for a selfie in a mountainous village setting. The person on the left, wearing a green puffy jacket and reflective blue ski goggles on their cap, looks calmly at the camera. The person on the right, in a bright blue jacket with reflective goggles pushed up on their cap, has their arm around the other and is grinning widely. Behind them is a stone and timber guesthouse with a green roof, concrete steps, and a rocky hillside with sparse trees.

Simone Moro & Nima Rinji Start Winter Manaslu Push

Anano Atabegashvili | December 4, 2025
8000m, Himalaya, News
Two people pose for a selfie in a mountainous village setting. The person on the left, wearing a green puffy jacket and reflective blue ski goggles on their cap, looks calmly at the camera. The person on the right, in a bright blue jacket with reflective goggles pushed up on their cap, has their arm around the other and is grinning widely. Behind them is a stone and timber guesthouse with a green roof, concrete steps, and a rocky hillside with sparse trees.

Nima Rinji Sherpa and Simone Moro in Lukla. Photo: Simone Moro

Simone Moro is back in Nepal, launching the acclimatization phase of his winter Manaslu project together with 19-year-old Nima Rinji Sherpa. The pair have moved into the Khumbu Valley and will first climb Mera Peak (6,476m) before heading toward Manaslu.

They flew to Lukla yesterday and reported today from Khote, the nearest village to Mera Peak. Moro explained that their plan on Mera is ambitious: climb to the summit and remain there for a couple of nights to prepare for the extreme conditions ahead.

This season’s Manaslu attempt will follow strict alpine-style standards – no support staff, no supplementary oxygen, and the climb will begin after astronomical winter starts on December 21.

At 58, Simone Moro remains one of the greatest winter Himalayan specialists. He is the only climber in history to have completed four first winter ascents of 8,000m peaks:

  • Shisha Pangma (2005)
  • Makalu (2009)
  • Gasherbrum II (2011)
  • Nanga Parbat (2016)

Moro has already attempted winter Manaslu six times, making this one of the defining projects of his career.

His partner, Nima Rinji Sherpa, brings a very different but remarkable background. Last year, at just 19, he became the youngest climber ever to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks. However, this will be his first major ascent done in pure alpine style, without the fixed-rope infrastructure common on normal-season climbs.

This season marks their second joint attempt on winter Manaslu. Last year, they acclimatized on Ama Dablam, but poor conditions on Manaslu prevented an alpine-style push.

So far, Moro and Nima Rinji’s attempt is the only confirmed expedition to an 8,000-meter peak this winter.

German climber Jost Kobusch has decided not to return to winter Everest, and there has been no announcement from regular winter Himalayan figures such as Alex Txikon.

With Manaslu often considered one of the most difficult 8,000ers to climb in winter – due to storms, cold, and avalanche risk – the duo’s alpine-style strategy makes this one of the boldest projects of the season.

Summiters Club will continue following Moro and Nima Rinji as they progress through acclimatization on Mera Peak and move toward Base Camp.

Source: Explorersweb