Dhaulagiri ends with no summits after rope-fixing stops above Camp 3
Dhaulagiri's autumn season is over without a summit. Seven Summit Treks' rope-fixing team stopped above Camp 3 after its VIP clients bailed, and all clients were then sent back to Base Camp, roughly 20 of them by the item's count. It is mid-October, so a second weather window is unlikely. Reporting on the reasons for the halt remains unclear, and the controversy is continuing. Manaslu also produced no summits this season, which makes this part of a pattern rather than a one-off.
What advisors should do: if you have clients on Himalayan 8,000m expeditions, ask operators how rope-fixing is shared between outfits, what happens to a smaller operator's clients when a larger one changes plans, and what refund or rebooking terms apply when a summit attempt fails through no fault of the client. Get those answers in writing before deposits go down.
- Ask who fixes ropes and who pays if the arrangement collapses
- Confirm refund and rebooking terms for failed summit attempts
- Check whether the operator is dependent on a larger outfit's decisions
Hurtigruten publishes emissions figures for its biofuel Bergen–Kirkenes sailing
Hurtigruten's MS Richard With completed the full Bergen–Kirkenes route on HVO100 biofuel with paying guests, which the company calls the first climate-neutral biofuel sailing. It reports Scope 1 CO2 per guest down 18% against 2018 and NOx down more than 69%.
For advisors selling coastal and expedition sailings, specific figures are more useful than general green claims when clients ask about greenwashing. Treat them with care: the source is an ATTA collaboration piece, so the numbers are company-reported rather than independently verified, and the "climate-neutral" label is Hurtigruten's own.
Separately, the piece notes that Carly Biggart, head of Hurtigruten Americas, has left, which may change your trade contacts. Check who your point of contact is before the next booking.