Dhaulagiri I

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

I first came to Dhaulagiri in the autumn of 2025, just days after summiting Manaslu.

At the time, it was simply the next 8,000-metre mountain I could attempt. I flew back to Kathmandu after Manaslu, spent a few days recovering, then flew directly to Dhaulagiri Base Camp on September 30 to join 8K Expeditions and climb once again with Ashok Lama.

Coming from Manaslu, I was immediately aware that Dhaulagiri was a very different mountain. Known as the White Mountain, it has a reputation for bad weather, heavy snowfall and avalanches.

From Base Camp at around 4,750 metres, you can't actually see the summit. But you can hear the mountain. Avalanches regularly thunder down somewhere above you, a constant reminder of what you're climbing beneath.

TOO MUCH SNOW

I arrived already acclimatized from Manaslu, so there was no need for a traditional series of rotations.

Instead, we spent around ten days at Base Camp waiting through persistent heavy snowfall. By the time a summit attempt became possible, more than 1.5 metres of snow had fallen in the previous few days.

In hindsight, we were doomed before we even started.

The fixed lines had disappeared beneath the snow and much of the established route was gone. We had to break trail through deep snow almost the entire way, moving slowly while constantly assessing the avalanche risk around us.

We continued higher, eventually reaching just above Camp 2 at around 6,800 metres.

Then the mountain made the decision for us.

THE MOUNTAIN SAID NO

A large avalanche came down above Camp 2 directly across the climbing route toward Camp 3.

Nobody was caught, and thankfully everyone was safe, but the route itself had effectively been destroyed. Fixed lines were gone and the terrain between Camp 2 and Camp 3 was no longer realistically passable without a substantial Sherpa team returning to establish a new route and fix new ropes.

Our expedition was over.

It was incredibly frustrating. I'd come straight from the success of Manaslu ready to climb another 8,000er, only to be stopped by conditions completely outside our control.

But I left Dhaulagiri knowing one thing:

I had unfinished business here.

A LESSON I HAD TO LEARN TWICE

Dhaulagiri taught me something important, when a mountain opens and conditions are good, you need to be ready for the first opportunity.

Don't assume another weather window will come.

Ironically, it was a lesson I would later disregard on Khan Tengri. Teams had successfully summited the week before, and it was easy to believe another opportunity would come.

It didn't.

This time, returning to Dhaulagiri, I don't intend to make the same mistake again.

RETURNING IN 2026

One year later, I'm back.

And this time it's personal.

Dhaulagiri and Manaslu are the two 8,000-metre mountains available to me in Nepal this autumn. I've already summited Manaslu, so there was never much doubt about where I was heading.

But I'm not returning to Dhaulagiri simply to repeat the 2025 attempt.

I'm changing the way I climb.

The objective this time is to summit Dhaulagiri without supplemental oxygen.

At 8,167 metres, Dhaulagiri is one of the lower 8,000ers, and I believe it's the right mountain for my first serious attempt to climb above 8,000 metres without bottled oxygen.

I've never been higher than approximately 7,800 metres without O2. I don't know exactly how my body or mind will respond beyond that point.

That's precisely why I'm here.

A DIFFERENT STYLE

Xenia and I will be climbing much more independently than I have on my recent 8,000-metre expeditions.

We'll carry our own equipment, establish our camps as we move higher, cook for ourselves and contribute to the rope-fixing effort whenever possible.

Because this is our first no-O2 attempt on an 8,000er, we've chosen to share one Sherpa between us as an additional layer of safety.

Above 8,000 metres without supplemental oxygen, judgement and decision-making can deteriorate significantly. Having someone there who can recognize when we're no longer making sensible decisions could prove invaluable.

We're also not pretending emergency oxygen doesn't exist.

Three bottles will go high on the mountain: two for our Sherpa and one emergency bottle shared between Xenia and me. The objective is to climb without using it. If that emergency bottle becomes necessary, the no-O2 summit attempt is over, but getting down safely matters more than any statistic.

INTO THE UNKNOWN

Physically, I feel good.

Khan Tengri was an excellent preparation for Dhaulagiri, and we've now had roughly two weeks away from the mountain to rest, recover and eat properly.

But this expedition introduces an entirely new variable.

I've climbed multiple 8,000-metre mountains, but I've never climbed an 8,000er without supplemental oxygen.

Then there's Dhaulagiri itself.

Strong winds, extreme cold and unstable weather are part of the mountain's reputation. I've had friends suffer serious frostbite here, and without supplemental oxygen the cold becomes an even greater concern. I've already experienced firsthand what Dhaulagiri's avalanche terrain can do.

There are a lot of unknowns.

That's the point.

THE NEXT STEP

For me, this expedition isn't only about adding another 8,000-metre summit.

It's about learning how I perform at extreme altitude without supplemental oxygen and developing the skills, judgement and experience required to climb this way in the future.

I want to move beyond simply reaching high summits and continue developing as a high-altitude mountaineer.

Right now (7/Sept/26), we're in Kathmandu resting, preparing equipment and completing the final logistics. I've been designated the 8K Dhaulagiri team leader, which means we also need to complete the expedition permits before leaving Kathmandu.

The current plan is to depart in the next few days and, rather than flying directly into Base Camp as I did last year, trek in with the Base Camp team.

Then we start again.

One year later.
Same mountain.
Different approach.

This time, we mean business.