Simone Moro fine in Kathmandu hospital after health scare in Nepal

On Saturday morning, Italian mountaineer Simone Moro was flown by helicopter to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, after feeling unwell the previous day in the village of Khare (5,045m) according to a statement released by his team. After receiving initial treatment, the 58-year-old is now doing well.

Moro was in the Khumbu Valley to acclimatise before attempting an alpine style winter ascent of Manaslu together with young Nepali climber Nima Rinji Sherpa and Polish photographer Oswald Rodrigo Pereira.

According to information published by Tourism Times and the website Explorersweb, on the 11th of December Moro and Nima Rinji Sherpa made a quick ascent of Mera Peak (6,476m, starting from the high camp at 7:30 a.m. and reaching the summit at 9:50 a.m. Pereira reached the summit alone the following day, having started directly from Khare.

It was upon returning to Khare that Moro — who holds the remarkable record of four first winter ascents of 8,000-meter peaks (Shisha Pangma 2005, Makalu 2009, Gasherbrum II 2011, Nanga Parbat 2016) — experienced severe physical discomfort. Published below is the statement released by his team on social media.

We apologize for the silence over the past few days. As some media outlets have already begun reporting on the situation, we would like to share a brief update.

Simone Moro is currently in Kathmandu undergoing medical checks.

After reaching the summit and descending from Mera Peak, he experienced severe discomfort during a walk.

After a live video call consultation with his trusted doctors in Italy, an immediate medical evacuation was ordered. Due to the late hour, this was not possible on the same day, and he was therefore flown by helicopter to Kathmandu the following day for further examinations.

Simone is in improved condition and in good spirits. He is currently under medical care and undergoing thorough medical evaluations.

At this time, there is nothing further to report. We will share updates as soon as more information is available.

— Simone Moro’s Team