Safety on Thorung la pass

                                         Safety on Thorung la pass

 Thorung la is a high pass and crossing it is potentially dangerous. It is easiest and safest to cross thorung la from east to west as in this rote description. If you travel from west to east there are no camp sites or water sources on the west side of the pass from a meadow above Muktinath at 4100m, to a spot two to three hours past the pass on the manang side at 4510m. This means that you have to make a 1300m climb plus at least a 900m descent in a single day. This is a difficult feat for most people specially those who have not yet acclimatize to high altitude. The trails are less steep on the manang side of the pass and in the event of a problem you can call on the resources of the Himalayan Rescue relationship post in Manang.

From manang to muktinath the pass is not difficult, but it is still a long trek and the high elevation can cause problems particularly for those without previous high- altitude incident. You might have to return to besi sahar if it is impossible or dangerous to cross thorung la because of snow or altitude sickness. It’s not possible to define exact dates but thorung la is usually snowbound and closed from mid December to late February. There are years when the weather allows it to stay open throughout the winter, and other times when unseasonable storms close it in October or April. Be sure to read the Altitude Sickness section in the Health & safety chapter (p126) so that you are aware of the symptoms. Trekkers died on thorung la because of altitude sickness exposure, cold and avalanche.

   

The windswept thorung la can create altitude problem for Around Annapurna trekking. At 5416m it is one of the world’s highest trekking goals.