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INDIA 2006 - PART TWO
HIMACHAL PRADESH
MIYAR VALLEY
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The West Face of Geruda Peak (c5,640m) above the Chhudong Glacier, Miyar
Valley, showing (1) the line of the Italian attempt ending at a small 'point' on the
left edge of the face - Million Indian Stars (Marcheggiani/Natalini, 2005: M6, 5c
and A1) and (2) the line of the first ascent (Krol/Wojcih, 2006: 900m: VII+, A0 and
50-60°). See also photo on page 84 December 2006 INFO. MICHAL KROL
the meantime, their two friends, Michal Apollo and Marek Zoladek,
climbed Masala Peak (c5,650m) via an 800m route of WI 4. All these new
Polish routes were climbed Alpine style, without bolts.
In September, a small international team of Jeremy Frimer (Canada),
Sarah Hart (Canada), Olivier Metherell (UK) and Michel van der Spek (The
Netherlands) made first ascents of two of the smaller rock peaks close to
the main valley. On the 14th Frimer and van der Spek made an Alpine
style first ascent of the South Ridge of Pt 5,650m but did not reach the
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Only two parties visited the Miyar, somewhat fewer than in previous
years. The first team to enter the valley during late summer was Polish
and included Michal Krol, who had climbed Lotus Peak from the
Chhudong Glacier in 2005. Then horses were used to transport gear up
the Miyar but last year the bridge at Chaling was broken and they were
forced to employ porters to carry their 300kg of equipment – a more
expensive option. Initially, the weather was poor and in order to
acclimatize, Krol and Przemek Wojcik set up an Advanced Base at
4,240m in the lower Takdung (a.k.a. Nameless) Valley and climbed a new
route on the North West Face of Tamadonog (c5,245m; the name given by
local porters). On the first day, 13th August, they climbed a pillar for
c500m, mainly via steep cracks, until the weather broke. After a cold
bivouac, they climbed the remaining 500m of easier terrain, largely up an
arête, to the summit, naming the route Doomed to Miyar (1,000m: VIII-).
The entire ascent took 31 hours and every pitch was climbed on-sight.
Although unconfirmed, they believe this peak was climbed by a Spanish
party in 2005 and that their own ascent was probably the second.
On the 21st they set off up the Chhudong Glacier and two days later
established an Advanced Base at 4,860m at the same site used by
Italians in 2005. From there, they planned to attempt the unclimbed East
Pillar of Three Peaks Mountain, the name given by the Italian pioneer of
this area, Massimo Marcheggiani, to the 6,000+m peak with the big westfacing rock wall (attempted on several occasions) overlooking the Dali
Glacier. In 2005, the Italians had hoped to climb the East Pillar (see
December 2006 INFO) and the Poles fared no better in 2006. The
prominent chimney system that splits the middle of the face proved loose
and dangerous, so Krol and Wojick turned their attentions to the virgin
summit right of Lotus Peak. This summit was also attempted in 2005 by
Massimo Marcheggiani and Massimo Natalini, who completed a route,
Million Indian Stars, to the top of a tower. To this tower they assigned an
altitude of 5,650m, though it was obviously much lower.
Starting up the West Face early on the 27th, following a line to the right
of the couloir used on the 2005 attempt, the pair first climbed a 250m
ice/mixed gully, then a further 250m of relatively friable but easy rock, to
reach the steep headwall forming the second half of the climb. Vertical
cracks and chimneys led to a point three pitches below the summit,
where the weather broke. They continued with some difficulty through
snow and rain to the top, Krol being forced to use aid on the last pitch
only. The summit was christened Geruda Peak (c5,640m) and the 900m
route, completed in 21 hours, had difficulties of VII+, A0 and 50°-60°. In
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KOA RONG RANGE
KR2
CHANDRA VALLEY
Pt 4,600m
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summit. Pt 5,650m is a rock peak rising above
the north bank of the Chhudong (a.k.a. Tawa)
Valley, just before the start of the glacier. The
pair climbed the initial section unroped, linking
two ramps before belaying one pitch to reach
the upper crest. Above, they moved together
before the difficulties augmented. While the
ridge was not steep, it was very narrow and the
two climbed five pitches up to 5.9 R before
traversing on to the right flank, where they
were able to move together once again.
Throughout, the granite was consistently solid,
with many face features but few cracks. The
pair reached a notch in the summit ridge at
1pm and climbed a further 100m up to 5.10- R.
At this point they terminated their ascent 50m
from the summit, in order to leave enough
daylight for their proposed descent route,
which they could now see was far narrower
than anticipated. By descending the summit
ridge to the west, they were able to rappel to a
hanging scree field on the south side of the
crest, which gave access to the upper section
of the ramp used to gain the ascent route. They
descended this to the valley, naming their new
line Gateway Ridge (1,100m: TD-: 5.10- R).
On 23rd September, Metherell and van der
Spek climbed the c5,300m summit directly
above the north bank of the Dali Glacier and
between Pt 4,916m and Lammergeier Peak
(5,300m: a fine pointed spire first climbed in
2004 by Graham Little and Jim Lowther, see
January 2006 INFO). The pair belayed several
pitches up the South West Ridge, the crux third
pitch being about British HVS. Above, they
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(c5,245m), Miyar Valley. PRZEMEK WOJCIK
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1,000m: UIAA VIII-), North West Face of Tamadonog
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ascent of Doomed to Miyar (Krol/Wojcik, 2006:
Seven out of eight members of a Belgium
expedition led by Stijn Vandendriessche
climbed the South East Ridge of KR2 (6,194m).
Their original intent was an ascent of KR3
(6,157m) but after establishing Base Camp at
4,800m and Camp I at 5,600m, they reached
the higher summit on the 14th and 19th
August. This route was taken on the first
ascent on the mountain in 1984 by Andrzej
Zboinski’s Polish
expedition. Japanese
The South Face of Pt 5,650m above the entrance to the Chhudong Glacier,
climbed the mountain in
Miyar Valley. (1) Gateway Ridge (Frimer/van der Spek, 2006: 1,100m: TD1985 (route unknown) and
5.9/5.10- R, not to summit). (2) The descent route. JEREMY FRIMER
Indians in 2005 via the
West Ridge, so the
Belgium ascent may be
only the fourth overall and
second of the South East
Ridge from the col
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between KR2 and 3.
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Michal Krol leading a grade VII crack on the first
c4,600m rising out of grassy slopes. On the
11th they started up the right side of the slabby
face below the summit, climbing 15 pitches
(600m) to a good bivouac site. On the 14th,
after an intervening period of rain, they
climbed another 11 pitches and left ropes fixed
before returning to the bivouac.
At this point Cilia began to feel unwell and
decided to descend. Iannilli elected to remain,
sat out more bad weather, and on the 22nd
attempted to climb alone to the right bounding
ridge of the face. However, he was unable to
overcome a section of complex slabs. On the
25th he tried again, this time following a more
direct line. After seven pitches (310m of
climbing), he reached the crest, which
appeared to lead easily for c300m to the
summit. However, time was now running out
and bad weather had returned, so he
descended from this high point, after having
spent one week on the face completely alone.
The unfinished route was named Stressful Rain
(1,450m of climbing: 33 pitches: two pitches of
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unroped and climbed easier terrain to the
summit, which they named Goya Peak. The
600m route was graded D-. They down climbed
and made four rappels, reaching Base Camp
after nightfall. Later, members of this
expedition inspected the Jangpur Glacier,
visited by the 2004 British team. While they
saw a number of fine objectives, they note the
main challenge would be reaching the base of
peaks, many of which are guarded by difficult
icefalls and long approaches over rubble.
In late July/early August
Roberto Iannilli also tried
to revisit the Miyar Valley,
where in 2003 he had
attempted the West Face
of Three Peaks Mountain.
This face was to be his
goal for 2006 but the
broken bridges, due to
flooding of the Miyar
River, proved too much of
a deterrent. He returned,
and with Gianni Cilia drove
back along the Chandra
Valley, past the turn-off
leading to the Rohtang
Pass and on in the
direction of Batal and the
Kunzum La. On 4th
August, before reaching a
point on the road lying due
north of 6,221m Indrasan,
the pair moved south and
established a Base Camp
below a rock tower of
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and fourth ascent of the mountain. First to
arrive, in the spring, were James Freeman,
Malcolm Haskins, Michael Hill, Torve
Petterson, Glenn Singleman, Heather Swan
with Sherpas Samgyal, Mingma, Norbu and
Tinless. In 1992 Singleman, with Nic Feteris,
set an altitude record for BASE jumping by
launching from the top of the South West Face
of Great Trango Tower, a spectacular event
well-recorded in the award winning film,
BASEClimb. Subsequently, his wife Heather
spent six years learning to climb, sky dive and
wingsuit BASE jump. In 2001, her own attempt
to BASE jump from close to the summit on
Great Trango failed, though she did reach the
top of the mountain. Hoping to break
Singleman’s altitude record, the team came to
Gangotri to BASE jump the North East Face of
Meru South (6,660m and the highest of the
Meru peaks), the top section of this face being
an 800m-high vertical granite wall.
The mountain has only been climbed once, in
1980 by a strong Japanese team led by
Kenshiro Ohtaki via the South East Ridge. The
primarily Antipodean team hoped to establish a
new route on the West Face to the col
separating Meru Central from Meru South
and, due to the logistics involved in getting
three BASE jumpers (Freeman, Singleman and
Swan) in place above the North East Face, lead
climbers Haskins and Hill planned a sieged
ascent with multiple camps and fixed rope.
However, they had difficulty finding much
information, photographically or otherwise, on
this hidden side of Meru, which rises from the
Kirti Glacier.
Due to heavy winter snow it took 16 days to
establish a Base Camp on the glacier at
c5,000m, after which the climbers opted for an
ascent of a broad snow/ice slope, which lay
between two impressive granite buttresses. A
straightforward gully led to Camp 1 at 5,550m,
atop a small spur, and below and to the side of
an imposing serac band. The route to Camp 2
avoided the serac and traversed an exposed
snowfield. Camp 2 was sited at 5,880m,
beneath a rock buttress that leads to Meru
Central (the team’s estimated altitudes appear
to be based on a height of 6,550m for Meru
Central and are, therefore, most likely c200m
too high). Just above, Freeman was struck with
altitude illness and had to descend rapidly. He
ground-launched his canopy and travelled the
580m to Base Camp in four minutes, where his
symptoms soon cleared.
Camp 3 was at c6,200m atop another serac
band, above which the route was steep and
spindrift avalanches constant. From this top
camp the team fixed a further 11 pitches of 5070° snow and ice to the col, from where
Haskins and Hill summited Meru Central on
the 17th May via the short South East Ridge.
Michel van der Spek climbing above the Miyar Valley during the first ascent of Goya Peak (Metherell/van der
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Spek, 2006: 600m: D- British HVS). The main valley descends southeast, passing the west side of Castle Peak
(partially hidden), towards the 6,000m Gangstang Group in the far distance, before turning right and eventually
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dropping to Udaipur on the Chenab River. OLIVER METHERELL
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F6c and many between F5+ and F6b). Only one
bolt was placed. Although he didn’t reach the
summit, Iannilli has decided to christen the
peak, Ezio Bartolomei Tower.
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KINNAUR
Mani Kang Group
Manirang
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A 12-member team from Calcutta led by Kajal
Dasgupta made a rare ascent of 6,593m
Manirang on the Kinnaur-Spiti border. Claire
and Jan Graff first climbed the peak in 1952
with their Sherpas Pasang Dawa Lama and
Tashi. This party followed the South West Ridge
from the 5,550m Manirang Pass and found it
held ‘no surprises’. Further ascents followed in
1988 and 1994, though on the latter, IndoBritish, ascent the ridge proved quite icy and
harder than expected. A more direct line up the
South Spur was attempted in 1988 and 1996. On
the 1988 attempt the party reached quite high
on the upper slopes before retreating but until
last year it appears that the South West Ridge
was the only established route on the
mountain. The Calcutta team approached from
the north via Mane and appears to have
climbed the South Spur. No further details are
available other than five climbers reached the
summit on the 16th July.
GANGOTRI
Meru Central
Three expeditions tackled Meru Central
(6,310m), best known for its challenging and
still unclimbed North East Pillar, dubbed The
Shark’s Fin. These resulted in the second, third
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The c1,350m North East Face of Meru Central
(6,310m) with (1) the route climbed by the Czechs,
Holecek and Kreisinger, for the fourth ascent of the
mountain (7a, M5 and 80°): (C) marks the site of their
camps. (2) The Czech high point of c6,000m on the
Shark's Fin. (3) The Japanese link
(Hanatani/Kuroda/Manome/Okada, 2006: 5.10a, M5,
WI 3 and 75°) followed to make the third ascent of the
mountain. (4) The Original route, Shangri La, climbed
by Valeri Babanov, solo, in 2001 (5c/6a, A1/A2, M5
and 75°). (B) Marks the approximate site of the 2006
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BASE jump launch, below which lies the unclimbed
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a new altitude BASE and wingsuit BASE
jump record. The ascent was graded US
Alpine III WI 2 5.5.
Prior to 2001, attempts on the unclimbed
Meru Central had been via the compelling line
of the Shark’s Fin on the North East Face; a long
ice slope, followed by a difficult rock ridge to
the impressive 400m prow that gives the line
its name. In the spring of that year one of the
suitors was Valeri Babanov. He failed at 5,800m
but undeterred, came back in the autumn and
soloed the snow and ice face to the right,
finishing along the North West Ridge. This
ascent, named Shangri La (5.9/5.10, A1/A2, M5
and 75°) gave the Russian the Piolet d’Or.
In the autumn of 2006 it was the turn of two
parties. First off were the Japanese, Yasuhiro
Hanatani, Makoto Kuroda, Hiroyoshi Manome
and Yasushi Okada. These four had attempted
the route in 2004 but retreated above 6,000m,
when Hanatani took a fall and broke both legs.
In 2006 the team reached Tapovan Base Camp
on the 1st September and attempted the route
capsule style from an Advanced Base at
4,800m. The first camp was sited at 5,300m,
close to the rock ridge that forms the left edge
of the lower snowfield. There, they were pinned
down for days by bad weather. Deciding that
the Shark’s Fin would be out of condition, they
opted to slant right across the lower snowfield
to join the Babanov route. Starting on the 24th
September with only three ropes and six ice
screws, the four climbed more or less in Alpine
style. From the top right corner of the
snowfield, they gained the Russian line via
three difficult pitches of loose rock.
From there they followed Shangri La,
bivouacking without sleeping bags at 5,800m,
and again just under the cornice of the summit
ridge at a little over 6,200m. On the morning of
the 26th they reached the North West Ridge and
followed the crest easily to reach the summit
in a bitterly cold wind. They returned to the
5,300m camp the same day, rappelling mainly
from Abalakovs. This was the third ascent of
Meru Central and their partial new route was
graded 5.10a, M5, WI 3 and 75°.
Just before the Japanese reached the
summit, the experienced Alpine big wall
climbers from the Czech Republic, Marek
Holecek and Jan Kreisinger, started up the
face, also intent on completing the Shark’s Fin.
Hauling a portaledge and taking 200m of rope
for fixing, they made Camp 1 on the 26th
September at 5,250m. By 2nd October they had
reached the base of the Fin and established
Camp 3 at 5,900m. The next day, following the
line of previous attempts, they slanted up the
icy chimney leading to a corner towards the left
edge of the headwall. On the 4th the pair had
been on the route for nine days, they’d hauled
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North East Face of Meru South. VALERI BABANOV
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The summit gave excellent camera positions
for the proposed jump, which would launch
from part way up Meru South’s North West
Ridge. This launch site, three pitches above the
col but still a considerable distance from the
main summit, was prepared by the two
climbers and for three consecutive days,
starting on the 21st, the BASE jumpers
climbed to the exit point, hoping to be able to
make the flight.
Finally on the 23rd, Hill, Singleman and
Swan regained the launch site, while Haskins,
Petterson and four Sherpas reached the
summit of Meru Central to film the jump. After
waiting five hours at 6,604m, there was a brief
opening in the clouds and Singleman and
Swan, wearing wingsuits, jumped over the
North East Face. It took 45 seconds to cover a
distance of one kilometre down the Meru
Glacier, passing Meru Central, before landing
to the southwest of Shivling. The team had
spent 23 days on the mountain and established
Looking southeast from Meru Central to Meru South
(6,660m). The main summit is the more rocky point on
the far right. Marked are Michael Hill, Glenn Singleman
and Heather Swan at c6,600m on the unclimbed North
West Ridge. Singleman and Swan are preparing for
their successful wingsuit BASE jump of the wall to the
left, which they completed on the 23rd May 2006 for a
new world altitude record. In the left background,
rising through the cloud sea, is the North Flank of
Kedar Dome (6,831m). GLENN SINGLEMAN COLLECTION
a lot of gear, were now very tired and
Kreisinger was beginning to feel ill. They
reluctantly made the decision to abandon the
Fin at a high point of c6,000m and continue via
a different line. On the following day Holecek
climbed the rock step on the right side of the
prow to reach the upper snow face, fixed rope
and returned to camp. On the 6th the pair went
for the summit, making a rising traverse
across the steep upper snowfield to join the
last section of the Babanov route. This proved
dangerous. Snow conditions were bad and
there was little or no possibility of arranging
protection. However, once on the upper
snow/ice flute of Shangri La, conditions
improved (they would have also, presumably,
had the benefit of the Japanese tracks from
this point) and in another seven long pitches
they reached the summit ridge. From there it
was just a short and easy ascent up the final
70m crest to the highest point.
After spending the night in a bivouac sack
just below the summit ridge on the descent
(probably the same spot used by the
Japanese), they regained their portaledge the
following day, and by 2.30pm on the 9th had
reached the foot of the face. Their route, which
involved almost 2,000m of climbing (the face is
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The top half of the 1,400m North Face of Thalay Sagar (6,904m). (1) North East Face and South East Ridge Dutch Route (van Berkel/van de Gevel/Redeker, 2003: c800m: ED1/2: WI5: V+ and A1). (2) North East Ridge
(Czok/Doeseth/Guidal/Nesheim/Skorek, 1983: c900m: TD+: VI+ and A1, ice and mixed. This route climbs the left
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flank of the ridge and is mostly hidden on this photograph). (3) Italian attempt on the North East Ridge and Right
Flank (Rosso/Ruffino/Vanetti, 1994: c750m: ED2: VII and 80°: stopped at the shale band below the corner system
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later taken by Lindblade and Whimp). (4) One Way Ticket (Benoist/Glairon-Rappaz, 2003: c1,400m: WI6, M6 and
F5b). (5) Central Couloir Direct (Lindblade/Whimp, 1997: c1,400m: WI 5 and VI+). (6) Period For Friends (Gu/Yu,
2006: c1,400m: 5.8, A3, M5 and WI 5+). (7) North Face - Original Route (Dekany/Ozsvath, 1991: c1,400m: ED1/2:
V+ and 85°). (8) Russian Direct - High Tension (Bolotov/Davy/Klenov/Pershin, 1999: c1,400m: F7b and A3). (9)
Bulgarian Route - Between Light and Shadow (Hristov/Levakov, 2003: c1,400m: VII-, A2 and ice/mixed). (10)
North West Pillar - Harvest Moon (Burdet/Senf/Siegrist/Weber, 2004: c1,400m: 6a, A3, WI 5 and M5+). (11) Top
section of West Ridge - Original Route (Kligfield/Thackery/Thexton, 1979: c1,400m: 60° then 5.8 and A1). Not
marked between 1 and 2 is the Polish attempt (Kopys/Skierski, 1987: 650m: VI and A1: retreated 150m below
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An eight-member expedition from the Korean
Alpine Club led by Soon Bae-hyo made an
attempt on the unclimbed direct route up the
North East Face of Shivling (6,543m). The
climbing proved to be steep, with avalanche
danger, but more serious was the rockfall.
Team members survived several injuries,
before eventually deciding to abandon the
attempt at 6,000m.
The North East Face, between the 1980
Japanese North Pillar and the 1981
Bettembourg-Child-Scott-White route up the
East Ridge, has a mixed entry to a large steep
snow/ice slope leading to a quasi-vertical rock
headwall. The first attempt, in 1982 started
towards the right side of the face, climbed
through two rock bands at VI, A1 and 80° and
continued up the 60° snow/ice field to the
headwall. There, British climber Richard Cox
took a fall when an anchor failed. He was
injured and his partner, Nic Kekus,
subsequently had to lower him down the face.
During this operation Cox, who was thought to
have suffered concussion, seemingly became
detached from the rope and fell to his death.
The face was eventually climbed, but only up
its left edge, in 1986 by Italians, Bernascone,
Manoni and Rosso to reach the upper section
of the East Ridge, up which they finished to the
summit (1,300m: VI and A1, 85°/90°). The
following year Slovenians, Pepevnik, Tic and
Vidmar took a minor variant at the start,
followed the snow/ice face to below the
headwall then escaped to the East Ridge. There
seem to have been no subsequent attempts
until 2006 and the direct line through the main
headwall is perhaps the most obvious still to
be climbed on the mountain.
F6a/6a+and A2. Notably, it was the first major
Hungarian new route to be completed in the
Himalaya. Ten years later a powerful Polish
team of Jacek Fluder, Janusz Golab and
Stanislaw Piecuch climbed a second and more
direct line up the big wall to the right, joining
the Hungarian Route at the Yellow Tower
(below 6,100m) before bad weather forced
them down. Mani Stone was graded F7a, A3+
and WI 4. Both climbs made extensive use of
fixed rope.
After acclimatizing to 5,500m on the Normal
Route, where they left a tent and some gas,
Emmett and Parnell climbed the rotten 800m
couloir to the crest of the South East Ridge,
then the imposing 900m pillar above, which
gave mainly British VS to HVS climbing, with a
couple of pitches of E1/E2 before reaching the
quasi-vertical headwall. This gave five
demanding pitches above 6,000m; three of E1,
one of E2 and the E3 6a crux, the latter led on-
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Shivling
attempted only once before, in 2003 by Mark
Synnott and Kevin Thaw (see November 2004
INFO). Thaw was Parnell’s original partner for
the 2006 trip before circumstances would force
him to drop out.
The North West Face of the relatively popular
Kedar Dome, a subsidiary summit of 6,940m
Kederanth, is a technically straightforward
ascent over snow with sections up to 50°. It
forms the Normal Route and has been skied on
a number of occasions. Contrast this with the
east flank, which rises precipitously above the
Ghanohim Glacier, is around 2,000m high, and
features an impressive rock wall that had only
been climbed twice prior to 2006. In 1989,
Hungarians, Atilla Ozsvath and Sazboles
Szebdro, climbed the central pillar to the end
of the rock difficulties at 6,200m, but did not
continue up the snowy arête of the North East
Ridge to the summit. The vertical height of
their route was 1,300m and had difficulties of
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between 1,300 and 1,400m high) was rated
F7a, M5 and 80°, took 13 days, and required
the drilling of two bolts.
The Japanese and Czechs add their names
to the long list of first rate climbers repulsed
by the Shark’s Fin. Apart from Babanov, these
include Conrad Anker, Nick Bullock, Jules
Cartwright, Doug Chabot, Johnny Dawes,
Bruce Miller, Paul Pritchard, Mugs Stump and
Pete Takeda. The best attempt so far has
probably been that of Bullock, Cartwright and
Jamie Fisher, who in 1997 climbed to c6,100m
on the left side of the prow before retreating.
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the summit after a leader fall). See also January 2006 INFO. MELVIN REDEKER
Kedar Dome
In October, Tim Emmett and Ian Parnell made
the first ascent of the South East Ridge of
Kedar Dome (6,831m) and in doing so became
the first climbers to complete any route on the
enormous East Flank of this mountain all the
way to the summit. The route had been
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In September, a large Korean expedition
sieged the prestigious North Face of Thalay
Sagar (6,904m) to create what appears to be a
variation finish to the 1997 Australian-New
Zealand Route in the Central Couloir. The
majority of the 23 team members came from
the Seoul Alpine Rescue team, led by Kim
Hyeong-seop. The team, the 10th from Korea
to attempt the face, followed the existing route
Gu Eun-su approaching the crux pitch (WI 5+) at
6,400m in the upper Central Couloir on Thalay
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Sagar’s North Face. LEE YOUNG-jUN COLLECTION
completed on Thalay Sagar’s North Face
between the North East and West Ridges.
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sight by Emmett while still wearing his
rucksack. On 7th October, the pair crept
though the final shale band at c6,300m to
reach the crest of the North East Ridge, which
they climbed delicately past large cornices and
through a section of doggy snow to reach the
summit the same day. That night they were
safely inside their previously pitched tent on
the North West Face. A full story of this ascent
appears in February 2007 Climb.
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high above and to his left. LEE YOUNG-jUN COLLECTION
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Face of Thalay Sagar. The Central Couloir can be seen
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Yook Geun-ho ferrying loads to Camp 2 on the North
to the start of the shale band but then moved
right and climbed a more direct continuation,
either through or close to the obvious
depression/gully that splits that middle part of
the upper wall.
In September 1998, Koreans, Choi Seungchul, Kim Hyun-jin, and Shin Sang-man, spent
just three days on a direct route up the Central
Couloir. From their last bivouac the three
climbed through the black shale band and into
the final chimneys, taking six hours to climb
the latter on to the final snow slope. The cloud
rolled in and the observers were unable to see
anything of the summit area for over an hour.
When it lifted there was no trace of the
climbers. Just after sunrise on the following
day an object was spotted at the base of the
mountain. The three Koreans, still roped
together, had fallen the entire length of the
face. These three were well-known climbers in
Korea; the year before they had climbed a
variation to the impressive Norwegian Route on
Great Trango, with Choi Seung-chul
paragliding from the top. Prior to that they had
also summited Nanga Parbat. Since their
deaths, the mention of Thalay Sagar’s North
Face has resonated badly with the Korean
climbing community.
To acclimatize for Thalay Sagar, the group
intended to climb the normal route on Jogin I
(6,465m). However, their maps were confusing,
and by mistake they first summited Jogin III
(6,116m). Gu Eun-su, Yu Sang-beom and Yun
Yeo-chun reached the summit 14th August but
soon realized that they had not climbed the
intended easier mountain. On the 17th, Kim
Hyung-su, Yeo Byeong-eun, Yeom Dong-woo
and a Korean Broadcasting Station team took
just 15 hours to climb from Advanced Base
Camp (4,900m) to the summit of Jogin I.
The Koreans then established two camps on
the North Face and reached a height of 6,400m
before heavy snowfall drove them down. It was
not possible to start climbing again until the
5th September. By the 7th, Gu and Yu had fixed
rope to the start of the steep shale band – the
Black Tower – where they bivouacked at
6,800m. The following morning they aided their
way to a point just 30m short of the top of the
Black Tower, fixing more rope as they climbed.
The difficulties that day reached A3 and the
two returned to spend a second night at their
bivouac site in preparation for a summit
attempt. Starting again at 10am on the 9th, Gu
and Yu completed the final 30m of the Tower
and the snow slopes above, arriving on the
summit at 1.15pm. Gu Eun-su has named the
new route Period For Friends and dedicated it to
his three friends lost in 1998. The technical
difficulties of the 1,400m line were 5.8, A3, M5
and WI 5+. This is now the seventh route to be
CENTRAL GARHWAL
Apart from the now usual Indian ascent of the
Normal Route on Kamet (7,756m), there were
two interesting, though sadly unsuccessful,
attempts in the Arwa Group. Although 2006
proved unproductive, in June 2007 a strong
three-man team climbed the hard and
previously virgin North East Pillar of Arwa
Tower at F5/5+, A3 and M5 in a six-day,
capsule style ascent. This will be reported in a
future INFO.
Arwa Tower
In May 2006, the Dutch team of Michael van
Geemen, Mark Heine, Jefta Smit and Peter
Valkenburg visited the Garhwal with the
intention of trying a new route up the North
Face of Arwa Tower (6,352m). This impressive,
800m, predominantly rock face lies left of the
North West Pillar climbed by the French route,
Pilier Guilhem Chaffiol (Antoine de
Choudens/Grégory Muffat Joly/Laurent
Miston/Dimitry Munoz, 2002: 550m: 14 pitches:
F6b). The first couple or so pitches of the pillar
were climbed in 1999 by Mick Fowler and
Stephen Sustad, who then broke out right,
connecting a series of mixed ramps to make
the first ascent of this summit.
Previous reports have described the North
Face as rather compact, so despite the
existence of a prominent corner system that
might provide free climbing possibilities, the
team took Big Wall kit, including portaledges
and opted to ‘warm up’ by making the second
ascent of the French Route. The latter would
provide a good opportunity to reconnoiter the
North Face. Unfortunately, the weather proved
non-co-operative with many heavy snow
showers and attempts on the French Route
were repeatedly stopped by snow and ice on
the slabs.
Van Geeman and Valkenburg then made an
attempt on the West Ridge, reaching 6,100m
before forced down by an acute attack of
dysentery. However, during their outing they
spied a possible variant to the French route
that would avoid an obvious snow-plastered
slab at half-height. They made one last
attempt using this line, reaching a point four
rope lengths below the summit before heavy
snow forced an end to the expedition. The
Dutch found the French Route to give superb
free climbing, it is a potential future classic,
though a bit short given the time and expense
required to carry out an expedition to this area.
The North Face remains unclimbed but Arwa
Tower’s exceptional rock quality will make it a
desirable goal for future parties.
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66 NOV 07
unnamed, probably virgin, 5,500m summit for
acclimatization. Eventually they made several
forays on to the route and fixed 500m of rope,
making some long, unprotected leads up steep
mushy snow. Toward the end of May they made
their final attempt, but Herrera was ill and
forced to descend. High temperatures, wet
conditions, and unstable weather forced the
remaining two down from about two-thirds
height on the face, before they had come to
grips with the upper rock wall.
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EASTERN GARHWAL
Changabang
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The north side of Arwa Tower (6,352). (1) East Ridge – Arwa Crest. A route ascending the North Face of this
ridge, off picture to the left, then subsequently descending the far side to climb the upper section of the South
Face to the summit of Arwa Tower was completed by Pellissier and Savary in 2002 (5, M5 and 80°). (2) North
East Face (Burdet/Senf/Siegrist, 2007: 900m: M5, 5 and A3). (3) The unclimbed corner system on the North
Face. (4) North West Pillar (de Choudens/Muffat Joly/Miston/Munoz, 2002: 550m: 14 pitches: 6b). (5) Part of
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snowfield high on the adjacent rock wall.
Working towards the right edge of this face, the
Swiss then climbed four aid pitches and easier
terrain to the summit. The grade of their 800m
line was 80° VI+ and A2.
As did previous parties to this area, the
Spanish team lost much time on the approach,
largely due to unreliable porters. The
anticipated two-day walk to Base Camp took
nine. During this period they climbed an
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Three Spanish climbers, Rubén de Francisco,
José Miguel Herrera and Santiago Millán,
attempted to make the second ascent of Fior di
Vite on the North Face of the Central Summit of
the 6,193m Arwa Spires. Fior di Vite was
climbed in 2002 by Swiss guides Stephan
Harvey, Bruno Hasler and Roger Schali. It
follows the central couloir on the Spires until
forced to break out right and gain a large
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Pointe 6,059m. PETER VALKENBURG COLLECTION
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Looking down at two members of the 2006 Dutch expedition on the lower half of the North West Pillar of the
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Arwa Tower (de Choudens/Muffat Joly/Miston/Munoz, 2002: 550m: 14 pitches: 6b). PETER VALKENBURG
It has been difficult to reconstruct the scenario
leading to the disappearance of two of Mexico’s
most accomplished Alpinists, after what
appears to be one of the most notable ascents
in the Indian Himalaya during 2006. On 13th
October, Andrés Delgado and Alfonse de la
Parra made a satellite telephone call from the
East Ridge of Changabang (6,864m) after having
completed the second ascent of the 1997 British
Route on the North Face (Cave and Murphy to
the summit; Fowler and Sustad to the East
Ridge). At the time of writing it is not clear
whether they had reached the summit or were
about to head up to it but it is believed they did
summit. The ascent was made in Alpine style
and took around 10 days. They were last seen
on the East Ridge (close to the KalankaChangabang Col) by Czech climbers who were
also attempting the North Face via an
independent line possibly to the left of the
British Route and aborted at around 6,200m).
The Mexicans were thought to have then
descended south towards the Sanctuary, as did
the British team in ’97, but 10 days later they
had not returned to Base Camp. The wellknown Mexican high altitude mountaineer,
Carlos Carsolio, co-ordinated a search and
rescue operation from his home country
through the Mexican Embassy in Delhi but
several helicopter flights failed to spot any
trace of the climbers. Both Mexicans had
climbed Everest (de la Parra in 1992 and
Delgado in 1997). On a second expedition to
Everest in 2004, Delgado, climbing without
supplementary oxygen, turned back very close
to the summit to help a fellow team member.
He had climbed Cho Oyu three times and was
also a good technical climber (solo ascent of
Tangerine Trip on El Capitan amongst others).
Nanda Khat
On 15th September, Arupam Das with two
Sherpas, Pasang and Pemba, reached the
summit of 6,611m Nanda Khat to make what
was possibly only the third ascent of this
mountain. Nanda Khat lies west of Traill’s Pass
and on the rim of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in
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NOV 07 67
Ishan Parbat (6,100m) in the Adi Kailash range seen from the southeast. A primarily British party led by Martin
Moran made the first ascent in 2006 via the South Face and East Ridge (right skyline) at AD. MIKE FREEMAN
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the peak from the southeast and found a
relatively easy way to the top via the South West
Ridge (AD). They stopped 10m below the
highest point in respect of the peak’s sacred
status but established the summit height to be
c5,950m, lower than indicated on local maps.
In addition, they discovered an unnamed,
higher, parent peak to the west.
Moran and Welch returned in 2006 with a
team of five climbers to attempt the highest
peak in the massif, known to local villagers as
Brammah Parbat (a.k.a. Nikurch Rama:
surveyed at 6,321m). However, the State
Government of Uttarakhand would only offer a
permit for Adi Kailash and refused to allow any
approach from the northwest, which gives the
best chance of success on Brammah Parbat.
After trekking up the Kali Ganga Valley and
establishing Base Camp at Kuthi village
(3,850m) in the Kuthi Yankti Valley, the
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Panwali Dwar
On 22nd August, Debasis Biswas, Basant
Singha Roy, Pasang and Pemba Sherpas
reached the 6,663m summit of Panwali Dwar
(Gateway of Winds) for the fourth overall ascent.
This elegant snow and ice pyramid,
immediately southwest of Nanda Khat on the
rim of the Sanctuary, defied several attempts
by Japanese until they finally climbed it in 1980
via the South South East Ridge (four climbers
led by Keisuke Nakae). This was the last major
summit in this area to be climbed. The second
and third ascensionists used more or less the
same route. In 1991 five climbers from
Prajapati Bodhane’s Indian expedition reached
the summit and then just two years later
George Healey, Martin Moran and Winkie
O’Neale made the first Alpine style ascent. A
heavy and late monsoon had plastered the
mountain in snow and the three were able to
climb directly up the lower ridge from the
Buria Glacier, whereas the previous two
parties had been forced to follow a steeper,
rocky approach from the Bauljuri Col. The 2006
Indian expedition also climbed the South South
East Ridge, though the line taken on their
approach is not known.
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the northwest corner of the Pindari Glacier. The
2006 expedition, led by Rajsekhar Dosh from
West Bengal, climbed the East Face, the same
route followed on the two previous ascents: in
1972 by Girish Sar’s Indian expedition and in
1981 by A Mazumdar's Diganta Indian
expedition (in 1986 another Indian team
stopped just below the top, having climbed
the face to a high point on the summit ridge).
Access to this face is dangerous and the face
itself avalanche prone. Two Indians (in 1970)
and seven Japanese (in 1981) died in
avalanche accidents.
The 900m South East Face of unclimbed Brammah Parbat (a.k.a. Nikurch Rama: 6,320m), the highest peak in the
Adi Kailash range, seen across the Chatem Glacier. See January 2006 INFO for a photo of the formidable North
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Adi Kailash Range
An Indo-British-German expedition made the
first ascent of the previously unnamed Ishan
Parbat (6,100m) in the Adi Kailash Range of
Eastern Kumaun. Access to this area east of
the Panch Chuli Massif was restricted to
foreigners and no climbing was recorded, until
2002, when Martin Moran gained permission to
trek through the range and attempt Adi
Kailash.
Adi (or Old) Kailash, the seat of Lord Shiva,
is also known as Little Kailash, as it bears a
resemblance to the famous, holy, Tibetan
Mount Kailash 100km to the north. The 2002
attempt on the North Face was turned back by
avalanche danger 130m below the summit but
two years later another British party, led by
Andy Perkins and Martin Welch, approached
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68 NOV 07
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an Anglo-New Zealand-Sikkim team climbed to the 5,500m col at the foot of this ridge and then up the crest for
c270m before retreating. Returning to the col they subsequently made the probable first ascent of rocky Frontier
Peak (5,650m) on the right. The 5,197m Rathong La is off picture to the right. ROGER PAYNE
Simvo; Goecha Peak; Fork Peak; Paohunli
and Siniolchu.
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Kabru North
It is reported that on 27th April an Indian
expedition from the Himalayan Mountaineering
Institute, under its acting principal KS Dhami,
climbed Kabru North (7,338m). They
established Base Camp at Dzongri (4,500m) on
14th April and mainly used skis to open the
route up the East Flank through the Kabru
Dome Glacier. The upper section proved
difficult and the team fixed ropes almost to the
summit. This is the third recorded ascent and
the expedition appears to have followed the
same route as the first (Reggie Cooke in 1935)
and second ascensionists (Indians in 1994),
who finished via the South East Ridge above
Kabru Dome. One member skied down from
c7,000m.
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SIKKIM
The Home Department of Sikkim has opened
five new ‘Alpine peaks’ to encourage small
expeditions. In West Sikkim these are: Frey
Peak (5,830m: Chaunrikiang Valley);
Tinchenkang (6,010m: Thansing Valley), and
Jopuno (5,936m: Thansing Valley). In North
Sikkim they are: Lama Wangden (5,868m:
Lachen) and Brumkhangse (5,635m:
Yumthang). The peak fee is relatively modest at
$350 US for a team of four. The regulations for
climbing these peaks can be found at
http://sikkim.gov.in Go to Government and click
on Old Gazettes. Then click on 2006 and the
gazettes for that year will appear in a PDF
document (http://sikkim.gov.in/asp/Miscc/
sikkim_govtgazettes/GAZ/GAZ2006/GAZ2006.p
df). Go to page 90 and the gazette dated March
29 2006, which contains application forms,
guidance notes and fee schedules.
It should also be noted that under the Places
of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 and
the State Government’s Notification
No.59.Home/98 dated 26.10.1998, certain
peaks are classified as sacred and the ‘scaling
of the sacred peaks’ is banned. These peaks
include Kangchenjunga, Main, South and West
summits; Narsing; Kabru North and South
summits and Kabru Dome (but see the report
below about a recent ascent of Kabru North
from Sikkim by an Indian expedition); Pandim;
The North East Face of 6,147m Koktang (left) with its North North West Ridge forming the right skyline. In 2006
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expedition made the first ascent of a high
snow peak one kilometre southwest of Adi
Kailash. Mike Freeman, James Gibb, Moran,
Mangal Singh, Stephan Rink, John Venier and
Welch approached from the southeast and
climbed the South Face to East Ridge at AD
(one rock pitch and snow/ice to 60°). They
reached the summit on 30th September and
proposed the name Ishan Parbat (6,100m),
Ishan being one of the many names of Lord
Shiva, who dwelt by Jolingkong Lake below
Adi Kailash before moving to Mount Kailash
in Tibet.
The team then reconnoitered the Nama
Valley, which runs south from Kuthi,
discovering several beautiful virgin peaks and
ascending an unnamed glacier (dubbed
Chatem) leading to the 900m South East Face
of Brammah Parbat. Moran soloed to the
5,700m col between Brammah Parbat and
Cheepaydang at AD. Despite great potential for
routes of all levels of difficulty, exploration of
the range remains difficult as long as the
Uttarakhand State Government adheres to its
rule of only giving permits for listed peaks.
Although parties may be stopped from
climbing, trekking groups are free to explore
the area, providing they obtain the necessary
Restricted Areas Visas and Inner Line permits.
Chaunrikiang Valley
Chogyl and Frontier peaks
Julie-Ann Clyma and Roger Payne returned to
West Sikkim in October with permits to
attempt Rathong (6,679m) and Koktang
(6,147m). These two peaks straddle the NepalSikkim border either side of the Rathong La
and had both been climbed twice in the past.
On 16th October they established Base Camp
(4,450m) at the hamlet of Chaunrikiang,
surprised to discover that it was also the Base
Camp used by the Himalayan Mountaineering
Institute from Darjeeling and was equipped
with 10 huts, a resident warden, solar panels
and six functioning street lamps. Their first
exploration took them to an HMI established
bivouac site at 5,000m below Frey Peak, one of
the newly opened Alpine peaks (see above).
With Sagar Rai from the Sikkim Amateur
Mountaineering Association they then
attempted a reconnaissance of the glacier
plateau on the south flank of Koktang. Many
parties have claimed ascents of this mountain
but it seems that they have only reached
subsidiary tops on the crenellated summit
ridge. The only two recognized ascents appear
to be from the Indian Army which climbed the
South West Face in 1982 and a team from
Calcutta which climbed the ‘North East Face to
North Ridge’ in 1991 (details of this ascent are
almost non-existent; there is a very prominent
North East Ridge and a frontier ridge that is
West of North. It is not clear which was
climbed, though the British team believes it to
be the North East Ridge).
On 20th October, from a camp at 5,400m in a
glacier bay southeast of Koktang, Clyma, Payne
and Rai reached the crest of a ridge that they
thought would give access to the Koktang
glacier plateau. Visibility was very limited, so
they followed it north to a previously unclimbed
sub peak named Chogyl (c5,750m). From there
they confirmed it would be possible to descend
the far side and reach the plateau.
The next sortie focused on the Rathong
Glacier and a trip to the 5,197m Rathong La.
From there the South Face of Rathong looked
threatened by seracs but the South East Ridge
appeared a relatively safe bet. To inspect the
northern aspect of Koktang, they decided to
climb to a col between a subsidiary summit,
which they named Frontier Peak and the
parent mountain. On 27th October, they
reached the 5,500m col, immediately below the
north side of Koktang. The ascent involved
unstable snow and loose rock. Next day they
climbed the North North West Ridge of Koktang
to c5,770m, after which they could see the
terrain became corniced and serious. They
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NOV 07 69
the distance are Frey Peak (5,830m) and, behind it,
Chogyl (5,750m). Frey is one of five Alpine peaks
newly opened by the Sikkim government and is
climbed relatively regularly by parties from HMI
Darjeeling (though most of the team members will
jumar fairly technical ground). Chogyl was climbed
for the first time in 2006 by an Anglo-New ZealandSikkim team from the far (south) side. ROGER PAYNE
Eberhard Jurgalski – mountain statistics
on-line
Eberhard Jurgalski has been occupied with
mountain statistics for over 25 years and was
the author of AdventureStats, a collection of
carefully prepared tables and other data on
High Asian peaks that was published on the
American website Explorersweb. From 1982 to
1987 he worked with the Swedish mountain
historian and chronicler, Anders Bolinder, with
whom the celebrated German/Swiss Himalayan
explorer and chronicler, Günther Oskar
Dyhrenfurth, co-operated until the latter's
death in 1975. After Bolinder's death, Jurgalski
continued the work alone, storing all the
information electronically. However, in 1997 he
joined forces with the Basque historian, Xavier
Eguskitza, whose primary work was a
comprehensive collection of statistics on the
8,000m peaks. Eguskitza began his work in
1974 and was later acknowledged as the only
person with mostly confirmed and accurate
information on every 8,000er. Jurgalski began
publishing some of his work on-line in 2000
and since leaving Explorersweb in 2004 has
tried to maintain accurate and up-to-date stats
on the 8,000m peaks. However, he also collects
first ascent dates of peaks below 8,000m.
Since March, some of his work has appeared
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descended to the col and on the following day
climbed north up the intervening 150m to the
summit of Frontier Peak (5,650m).
A knee injury to Rai prevented him from
taking any further part in the expedition, so it
was only Clyma and Payne who made an
attempt on the South East Ridge of Rathong. On
1st November, the pair reached 5,750m on the
ridge, initially via a couloir with one hard rock
pitch. Next day the weather looked threatening
and as the crest above appeared considerably
harder, they descended. Rathong has only two
recorded ascents: in 1964 by an HMI expedition
and in 1987 by the Indian Army, both via the
Rathong La, Yalung Valley, West Rathong
Glacier and West Ridge.
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ARUNACHAL PRADESH
No climbing took place in the remote and little
explored mountains of Arunachal Pradesh but
Harish Kapadia and friends repeated the 1913
on Jonathan de Ferranti's website
www.viewfinderpanoramas.org (where it is
possible to see computer generated
panoramas from many of the world's
mountains). Presently, there are full lists of
Everest and K2 ascents to 2006, the climbers
who have succeeded on both and a table
showing the 144 (again to 2006) ascents of
Everest without oxygen (and although he may
not have wished to have this information
published, Victor Saunders, it seems, is the
oldest). Also included are other interesting
tables, such as the 100 highest peaks based on
re-ascent (prominence). Work is on-going for a
new and definitive classification system that
will clarify the different ranges and their points
of separation in the Alps, as well as the many
more in High Asia: currently there are more
than 20 different systems in existence and
political borders often make currently
accepted 'separations' illogical. New
definitions should also clarify true mountains
from subsidiary peaks or high points on ridges.
More 8,000m peak statistics by Jurgalski will
be found on Ralf Dujmovits's website,
www.amical.de A word of warning: there are
still statistics on other websites based on
Eguskitza's, Jurgalski's and Elizabeth Hawley's
work. However, although they have been
updated, this has not been done by the authors
and the new information is generally
unconfirmed, incomplete and inconsistent.
Jurgalski would like to ask all
mountaineers, expedition leaders and other
interested people to support his work by
sending him all information about ascents, the
correct spelling of names, oxygen use and
route descriptions, as soon as possible after
the event. This way he can make the most
complete and accurate updates to his tables
on the two sites mentioned above. With over 25
years of material, Jurgalski now has more
than enough to produce books and CD-Roms
useful to the mountaineering community. He
simply seeks a willing publisher and
sponsorship.
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team in 1991, but it is currently unclear. Left and in
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East Ridge, may be the route taken by the Calcutta
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peak is Koktang (6,147m). The left skyline, its North
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Rathong. On the right the attractive pointed snow
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The view from the lower South East Ridge of
trek to the Yonggap La made by the famous
Army explorers Bailey and Morshead. This
pass lies on the McMahon Line, the disputed
border between India and Tibet. Approaching
via the Dibang Valley, Kapadia’s party reached
the pass on the 22nd November but was
caught during the return journey in a fierce
storm. Heavy snowfall precluded any
movement and they were eventually rescued
on the 27th in very difficult conditions by India
Air Force helicopters.
INFO: Jeremy Frimer/Roberto Iannilli/Peter
Jenson-Choi/Harish Kapadia/Jan
Kreisinger/Michal Krol/Makoto Kuroda/Martin
Moran/Olivier Metherell/Ian Parnell/Roger
Payne/Glenn Singleman/ Peter Valkenburg
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