Cho Oyu and Shishapangma are closed again this autumn and every 14-peak climber is funnelled into Nepal

Records & People The China-Tibet Mountaineering Association has kept Cho Oyu and Shishapangma shut to foreign teams for autumn 2026, and Manaslu absorbs the whole… By Dawa Sherpa · Aug 31, 2026 Read the full story

Cho Oyu (8,188 m / 26,864 ft) and Shishapangma (8,027 m / 26,335 ft) are closed to foreign expeditions again this autumn. The China-Tibet Mountaineering Association has not reopened either peak for the 2026 fall season, ExplorersWeb reported on 24 August. Two… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Why they are closed

The reason is administrative, not a mountain problem. Neither peak has become more dangerous and neither has a route that stopped working. ExplorersWeb traces the closure to the fallout from a fireworks display staged near Shigatse in September 2025, which… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

What Tibet charged, and what Nepal charges

The price gap is part of why the closure reshapes a season rather than merely inconveniencing it. Tibet was roughly triple Nepal on a comparable peak, and the money followed the permit. Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

All of it lands on one mountain

Nepal's Department of Tourism expects around 300 permits to go to international climbers on Manaslu this autumn. That is down on 2025, when 381 permits were issued and the season produced 659 summits counting foreign and Nepali climbers, with some Sherpa… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

What compression actually does up high

The number that gets quoted is the permit count. It is the wrong number. Three hundred climbers spread across three mountains and six weeks is an ordinary season. Three hundred climbers on one mountain, on one line of fixed rope, waiting on the same weather… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Frequently asked questions

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Are Cho Oyu and Shishapangma open in autumn 2026?

No. Both remain closed to foreign expeditions by the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association for the 2026 fall season, as reported by ExplorersWeb on 24 August 2026. Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Can you climb Cho Oyu from Nepal instead?

The standard commercial route is the north-west ridge from Tibet. A Nepal-side approach is not the route the guided industry runs, which is why a Tibet closure removes the mountain from a commercial season rather than moving it. Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

When will Everest's north side reopen?

Spring 2027 is the expectation, not a commitment. It has been expected before and did not happen. Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Does any of this affect the Manaslu Circuit trek?

No. The trek follows the Budhi Gandaki and crosses the Larke Pass at 5,106 m (16,752 ft). It shares a valley with the expedition traffic for a few days and nothing else. Solo trekkers can now get the restricted-area permit too — see the 2026 rule change . Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Which 8,000er is the dangerous one?

By fatality rate it is Annapurna I, and it is not close. We ran the numbers here . Sources: ExplorersWeb, 24 and 25 August 2026, for the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association closures, permit royalties and rope-fixing; Nepal Department of Tourism permit… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

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