1)    Customization: We firmly believe that Himalayan climbing should not be a cookie-cutter “one-size-fits-all” approach or even a “two-sizes-fits-all” approach. We offer the largest variety of expedition options (see “expedition options”) and have created new and novel approaches to climbing Manaslu so that you can have the expedition that fits your needs and your budget. Please look closely at out expedition options and contact us directly for more information. We want you to have the best complete Manaslu experience from start to finish. As a smaller team, we can fully customize your expedition to you, and in fact we encourage you to customize your program. Our personalization and client care are second to none. DON’T get lost in the numbers and join a large team where quality and personal attention suffer. You and your Manaslu climb are too important.

2)    Best Value: We guarantee you the best expedition at the best price. We implore you to do your homework and look closely at what others offer in terms of customization, base camp accommodations, quality of food, guide experience, logistics, hotels, acclimatization schedule, Sherpa expertise, personal service and professionalism. We firmly believe that comfortable, well-nourished, healthy climbers are strong and successful climbers on the mountain. A Manaslu climb is too important to not look closely at the details and we are here to answer your questions. We want you to feel 100% confident in joining our expedition. We have created an expedition that incorporates everything that will make you successful and have stripped it of every aspect that could hinder your success. We have spared no expense and yet still offer you the best rates in the industry. 

3)    CTSS Owner Mike Hamill oversees the expedition: Mike Hamill, 6 times Everest summiteer,  leader of 25 x 8000m expeditions has custom designed and oversees all the logistics and execution of our Himalayan programs.

4)    The best guides: This is hugely important- please research the quality and experience of your guides thoroughly. All of our guides have stood on top of Himalayan peaks, most of them many times, and have proven themselves at altitude time and again. Don’t pay top dollar for inexperienced guides.

5)    “Manaslu Executive”: With the roll-out of our “Manaslu Executive” add on option this year we are redefining what the Himalayan climbing experience is, from start to finish. Some climbers will choose our traditional service option and will no doubt live in excellent style and comfort. Those that choose our ‘Manaslu Executive” option will live in unparalleled comfort and luxury- the best Manaslu has to offer. This extra can be added on to any of our climbing options. (Please see our “Manaslu Executive” option for more info) Don’t go with another outfitter and be left wanting. We firmly believe that comfortable, well-fed climbers perform much better at altitude and are more successful.

6)    Highest paid Sherpa: We purposely pay our Sherpa more than anyone on the mountain so that they are happy and take care of our clients, and so we can attract the best talent. Our world-class team of Sherpa are hand-picked by Sirdar Tendi Sherpa and CTSS owner Mike Hamill to ensure we have the cream of the crop. They are all close friends who we have complete confidence in. Because they are paid well they go the extra mile to make sure base camp is exceptional and that our clients are extremely well taken care of. Once they’ve been selected for the team, they go through intensive training and a 5-day review process which includes mountain medicine, client care, technical rescue, and guiding principles before being ok’ed to work. We believe in our Sherpa and know that they will do a great job for you and become friends for life.

7)    The Best Food: CTSS has the best chefs and food, hands down. Our teams are consistently blown away by the quality of food and hygiene at base camp. Our head chef trains at 5 star restaurants during the off season. Think lemon crepes, cheese omelets, chicken cordon bleu, pizza, fresh fruit almost daily, fresh salads, steaks, apple pie, fresh croissants and cinnamon rolls, and moist chocolate cake. We can keep quality high because we are a smaller team- in a larger team, quality suffers.

9)    We believe in Team: Part of what makes us so successful at CTSS is our team mentality. We strongly believe working together, supporting each other, and climbing as a cohesive group, both climbers and Sherpa, helps each individual stand on top.

CTSS prides itself on offering the best expedition at the best price. Because of this we offer many amenities that other companies don’t. We have carefully worked through all of the details of our expedition to offer you every nuance that can help you be successful and comfortable and stripped our program of anything that could hinder you.

“The 2018 8000m expedition was the most organized I’ve ever been on… The camp facilities were first rate, with amazing food (plenty of it). Our chefs and kitchen boys ensured there was an endless supply of hot drinks and water. Our team of Sherpas worked tirelessly. The amount of carrying they did was immense, not to mention effectively leading the line fixing. Their contribution was huge and I can’t thank them enough. Thank you Tendi, and to you Mike. See you on the next one –  Everest hopefully.” -Richard W (UK),  8000m Client and Summiteer

Some of the many amenities in just our base model climbs include:

• Accommodations at a premium hotel in Kathmandu
• Team jackets and hats for all Manaslu climbers
• The best food on Manaslu AND all-you-can-drink fresh coffee from Himalayan Java coffee roasters. Think lemon crepes, fresh baked goods like croissants and cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat weekly, hearty soups, chicken cordon bleu, burgers, fresh salads, chocolate cake and puddings for dessert, etc
• A light weight, state-of-the-art oxygen systems to maximize your summit chances. Our oxygen system weight 4.5kg total as opposed to the much larger American oxygen system that weigh 8.5kg that some companies use. This 4kg/9lb difference make a HUGE difference on summit day when every ounce counts.
• The best weather forecasts money can buy sent to us daily to make sure you get the right weather window.
• A solar array with backup generator for charging devices on international plug adapters
• The most well-trained and highest paid Sherpa on the mountain
• Large single sleeping tents with lush 4” thick sleeping pads that insulate from the cold and a liner on the bottom of the tent to keep out dampness. And of course, a pillow
• Hand wash stations with mirrors in both the foyer of the bathroom and the foyer of the dining room
• A communications tent with ample charging stations
• A wide array of healthy and nutritious upper mountain food to suit a wide variety of palates.
• A very well-appointed dining tent and hang-out tent with comfortable chairs and blow-up couches
• A movie projector and speaker system to watch movies in either the hang out tent or the dining tent.
• A two-room toilet tent (one room for hand washing) and sit down toilet
• A hot shower with two rooms: one for changing and one for showering
• Comfort food brought directly from the USA including real Maple Syrup, Nutella, BBQ Sauce, salt and pepper grinders, Cholula Hot Sauce, snack food for the mountain, a selection of decaf and caffeinated teas, ranch dressing, to name a few

Choose our Manaslu Executive option for many more creature comforts… (see “Manaslu Executive” option for more information)

Climbing Manaslu requires serious fitness, an ability to perform well at altitude, the mindset to be away from home for 6 weeks, and a desire for rugged adventure travel. Climbers need to be well experienced with solid cramponing skill and familiarity with glacier climbing and fixed line climbing. Prior experience on high altitude peaks is expected. If you want to join this expedition but are concerned with your experience level, we can work with you to get you up to speed prior to the climb. Please let us know and we can help.

Our Manaslu Cultural Trek requires solid fitness and able to carry a pack of around 10 pounds uphill for 4-5 hours comfortably. Trekkers can choose whether to continue on to the high pass after leaving the summit team or descending by the same route in.

Manaslu is still a very remote and rugged place with few of the creature comforts we have come to expect in the west so don’t plan on being pampered with smooth roads, 5 star tea houses, and blazing fast internet. We try to give our climbers all of the creature comforts that we can but at the end of the day this is remote Himalaya, and true adventure travel!

“As a whole, our CTSS team had the best chance on the mountain by a mile. We had the strongest support, a great deal of experience behind us and a leader with a whole lot of heart.” -Ross V

Manaslu is a unique peak that offers pleasant climbing, mild terrain, fixed rope climbing and the experience of a final airy arete; features that are essential training for peaks such as Everest. It is however important to emphasize that climbing an 8000m peak is a serious undertaking and requires serious preparation. Your climb begins long before you reach the mountain. We encourage you to incorporate training into your daily routine at least 6-9 months in advance of your Himalayan climb. As your climb rolls around you want to be in top physical and mental condition.

While a mighty climb and a spectacular goal, Manaslu also offers the perfect training ground to prepare for even bigger peaks like Everest. On Manaslu you will become accustomed to the feel and function of oxygen systems, gain experience ascending fixed lines in severe temperatures and even sleeping and eating at extreme altitudes. All of these skills take time to integrate but by the end of this expedition they will have become second nature.

We approach the mountain from the North East Route and employ a slow acclimatization schedule into our schedule. Many expeditions rush this process and suffer the consequences during the summit bid because of it. This is not our strategy. We employ the “carry high, sleep low,” principle of high altitude mountaineering by carrying up to our next camp and then returning to a lower altitude to sleep before moving to the higher camp the following day. From base camp we will make three forays up the mountain to successively higher altitudes to prepare for the summit bid, with plenty of time to rest back at base camp in between.

Our base camp is first rate. We spare little expense making you feel as comfortable as possible. Our top notch cooks make you the healthiest food possible with strong hygiene standards. Each of our climbers has their own tent at base camp where they can feel at home when not socializing in the group dining and hangout tents. We have a state-of-the-art communications tent and we receive up-to-date weather reports and have satellite phones for group use.

In between acclimatization rotations up the mountain we spend time strategizing our weather windows, skills training and troubleshooting to make sure you’re fully prepared for the climb ahead. We find much of the stress of a summit bid can be alleviated by early preparation.

Tentative Itinerary: (Day 1 is the day the team meets in KTM) This itinerary is only a rough estimate and will be determined by weather and acclimatization. All climbers need to be adaptable and roll with the schedule if it changes for the benefit of the team. This is adventure travel at it’s best and things never go exactly according to plan! We recommend climbers arriving to town one day early to avoid travel delays or issues with lost baggage. Added expenses of this extra day (hotels, food, sightseeing, etc) are the clients responsibility. Please let us know if we need to organize logistics for your early arrival or a single rooming option.

As with all of our programs we strongly recommend you have travel insurance for your Manaslu departure that includes trip cancellation as program fees are non-refundable in the instance of your cancellation, unforeseen events beyond our control, including but not limited to, illness, injury, strike, natural disasters, civil unrest, terrorism, flight cancellation, lost or stolen passports, a rejected or denied visa application or climbing permit. 

Our expeditions are fully inclusive except for items/services of a personal nature. Please take note that the following is not included:

One cannot underestimate the importance of having the right team of Sherpas to support a Manaslu summit bid.
Sherpas are integral to almost any aspect of a Manaslu expedition and perform crucial roles as climbing partners such as carrying loads and fixing ropes on the mountain, organizing gear and building camps amongst many other jobs. You will quickly notice not only their importance but also their many other positive traits: hard work, humility, friendliness, gregariousness, not to mention strength.
Our team of Sherpa is simply the cream of the crop and are lead by our sirdar Tendi Sherpa. Tendi has notched a dozen Everest summits on both the south and north sides of the mountain beyond many other summits worldwide. Tendi is an internationally certified guide, co-owns a logistics company based in Kathmandu and is among the best in the business.

“Tendi Sherpa – a truly amazing person and an inspirational leader… It is plain to see that the leaders of the other guiding companies hold him in the highest regard. As a client that gives you great confidence in your leader’s decision making. It was that decision making that made it such a successful trip. Thank you Tendi.” -Richard W

He holds his team of Sherpa to the same high standard to which he holds himself and hand picks only the strongest, most skilled and trusted Sherpa friends. Tendi and his team will work hard to make your climb of Manaslu a success, and they are likely to become friends for life.
Our Sherpa Team in the eyes of our clients

“I have been on many expeditions, and Tendi was by far the best, most knowledgeable and experienced guide I have ever had. He was personable, interesting, had great attention to details and most of all inspirational. Although I didn’t summit Cho Oyu due to ongoing health issues (the rest of the team made it up), I had an amazing time under his leadership and would recommend him to anyone. As a whole, our CTSS team had the best chance on the mountain by a mile. We had the strongest support, a great deal of experience behind us and a leader with a whole lot of heart.” -Ross V

“Tendi is a true superstar of the Himalayas.
Under his ever watchful eye, he allowed me to build confidence, learn new skills and gain faith in myself. Seemingly everywhere at once, Tendi was always there ready and willing to assist me on how to climb smarter and safer.
Kind, inspiring, courteous, strong and always smiling. There are truly no words I can write that do him justice. I look forward to more climbs with Tendi in the future.” – Peter W, Summited 2X 8000m peaks with CTSS