SkiArena ambassador Jasmine Lagger on Nepal expedition
This is currently the burning question for Andermatt Swiss Alps employee and SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun ambassador Jasmine Lagger. She left about a month ago to climb the Manaslu in Nepal – peaking at an altitude of 8,163 m, it’s the eighth highest mountain in the world.
After nearly two weeks, the small group of three climbers has already reached the base camp at around 5,000 m and started acclimatisation. "I still have to get used to camping at the base camp. Besides the cold and the snow drizzling onto the tent, snow and ice avalanches thunder down on the right and left”, tells Jasmine. Already the next day the sleepless nights are over. The climb up to Camp 1 at 5,200 m has begun, and the day’s exertions will make for a deep, relaxed sleep.
The following leg up to Camp 2 brings the group to an altitude of 6,200 m. The air is noticeably thin, and even the simple boiling of hot water takes time. So far, Jasmine has been spared from headaches and altitude sickness. And each day on the mountain, her anticipation of tackling the final leg of the expedition increases. "How willing am I to fight to reach the very top, and – more importantly – once again the very bottom of the mountain? I will probably be able to answer this question only after my adventure is over."