Manaslu | 1978 NE Face

A Japan expedition to Manaslu in 1978 via NE Face, led by Seiji Shimizu. Summit reached on 7th October 1978. 4 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2143
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID MANA78301
Peak ID MANA
Year 1978
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 NE Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Japan
Leaders Seiji Shimizu
Sponsor Japanese Expedition to Manaslu
Success 1 False
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1978-09-09
Summit Date 1978-10-07
Summit Time -
Summit Days 28
Total Days 32
Termination Date 1978-10-11
Termination Reason 5
Termination Notes Abandoned at 8000m due to deep snow and shortage of food
High Point (m) 8000
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 5
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 3
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 6
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep True
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(09/09,4200m),C1(15/09,5350m),C2(18/09,5900m),C3(23/09,6500m),C4(27/09,7150m),C5(05/10,7500m),xxx(07/10,8000m)
Route Notes Kato & Shimizu - 17 Oct 78 Did no climbing on West Face. Only on NE Face but had received East Ridge permit and looked at it from BC but did climb on ridge because too difficult. C1 and higher camps where on NE Face. Highest point reached on 7 Oct about 8000m. Then deep snow and not enough food to wait for it. On 27 Sept tried summit attack. Deposited equipment at C5 site but bad weather. Stayed 3 days at C4 and then had to go down. Many avalanches on 23 Sept when Dhaulagiri I had accident. Had to stop because such deep snow would require 7-10 day's wait after 7 Oct and hadn't enough food for such a wait. Fixed ropes buried in snow. Much effort to get it out of and started avalanche. If good weather, 17 days BC to top possible with such small party. Dr to C2 - very costly route to C2 No accidents, avalanche, sickness - all well. Shimizu wants Manaslu again. Kato wants Gosainthan (Shishapangma) joint expedition of 25, otherwise 2-man 8000m, Manaslu or Annapurna with skis if snow bad. Shailendra Raj Sharma, Tourism - 12 Oct 78 Abandoned due to bad weather; planned to make C5 at 7600m on 28 Sept and to attempt summit on 29th, but bad weather could not make C5 on 28 Sept. Had to wait for good weather until 5 Oct. On 5 Oct 2 Japanese and 3 Sherpas went from C4 at 7150m (27 Sept) to pitch C5 at 7600m; had to pitch camp at 7500m and stayed there. On 6 Oct snowfall on C5. 7 Oct weather little improved and 2 Japanese attempt summit; because of bad weather reached 8000m only. Too tired and weather very bad returned to C4 on 7 Oct. Decided to leave BC 11 Oct. Health good. SR Sharma, Tourism - 17 Aug 78 Manaslu expedition's permit was originally for East Ridge. Permission to switch from East Ridge to NE Face will probably be granted tomorrow. Shimizu & Kato - 18 Aug 78 West Face route, same as 1971 Japanese route. Leader + Dr leave KTM 22 Aug by truck and bus and then walk about 14 days to 16 days with 50 porters. Kato by helicopter 20 days later. 6 HA Sherpas including Sirdar Pemba Norbu. BC about 7 Sept Climbing time = 18-20 days 5 fixed camps above BC, C5 about 7600m Use oxygen maybe only sleeping above 7500m probably; also C5 to summit. Most of route is difficult because rock wall of 100m overhangs. Shimizu was on route in 1971.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2446982
Year 1978
Summit Success False
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) ne face

Members

4 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Yasuo Kato M 1949 Japan Climber Omiya, Saitama, Japan Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Seiji Shimizu M 1945 Japan Leader Tokyo, Japan Member of office staff of sports-equipment manufacturing company Details Other expeditions
Sokichi Tanaka M 1940 Japan Exp Doctor Takasaki, Gunma, Japan Neurosurgeon Details Other expeditions
Pemba Nurbu/Norbu Sherpa M 1949 Nepal Sirdar Namche Bazar, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

6 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
MANA78301 AAJ Cheney, Michael J. - - 53:272 (1979) -
MANA78301 JAC Shimizu, Seiji Manaslu, Climbing by 2-Man Party - 74:117-121 (1979) -
MANA78301 IWA - - - 67:146 (1979) -
MANA78301 IWA - - - 67:44-45 (1979) -
MANA78301 - Kato, Yasuo To the Plume of the Mountains Chuokoron, Tokyo - jK69
MANA78301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12197927201/Asia-Nepal-Manaslu-Attempt - - -