Hi,

I am looking for information on the current snow conditions on the Dhaulagiri Circuit as I would like to attempt it with 3 friends starting next week.

Has anyone completed the Dhaulagiri Circuit, Annapurna Circuit or Annapurna Sanctuary trek in the last few days (end of October)? Can you comment on the amount of snow and how consolidated it is at around 4000 to 4500m?

I notice that a recent KE Adventure expedition to the Dhaulagiri circuit have changed their plans due to the French Pass having too much snow. Given their route timings, I suspect that this is second-hand information and that they haven't actually been up to the pass.

Many thanks,

Guy

Guy,

I had planned to be there about now but had to change for work reasons. So I watched with interest the news reports after the recent tragedies, to see how much snow was around. I'd say that there is more than usual for this time of year.

I was in the area last year (above Jomsom, north of Dhaulagiri) and that October 'freak' storm had put a lot of snow on French Pass and Hidden Valley. It's not common to do this trek in Nov-Dec as it gets quite cold and you're exposed up high for a long time.

The other consideration is that a few days or more up the lower western section of the Dhaulagiri Circuit there is an area that gets badly hit by avalanches - the trees etc are wiped out here, or were last year. If Radson sees this post he might be able to tell you more, as he walked through there, while I was elsewhere nearby. I would be very wary of going up there after the recent snowfall.

D