원정 개요

BC 04/10 4970m
ABC 09/10 5450m
Biv1 10/10 6400m (at foot of the route's crux section)
Biv2 11/10 6700m (above the crux section)
Biv3 12/10 6600m on the W Ridge (at the first quarter/third of it starting
from the top)
Smt 12/10 by both members at 3 pm.

Details of Climb:

24/09: Jeep to Phaplu
25/09: 1st trekking day
26/09: Tangnak (4200m)
27/09: rest day in Tangnak
28/09: Khare
29/09: rest day in Khare
30/09: first night of acclimatization at 5600m on Mera Peak
01/10: 5600m to 6000m, night at 6000m
02/10: second night at 6000m
03/10: 6000 to 6400m, night at 6400m
04/10: 6400m to BC of Chamlang.
05/10: rest day in BC
06/10: carrying loads, deposit and reconnaissance of ABC campsite (5450m).

07/10: second wave of load-carrying (deposit of waterproof bags...). Also put crampons to check the bergschrund/rimaye plus beginning of the route. Made 1 big pitch in soft snow, finding the latter's conditions to be good enough (“quick snow”, halfway between snow and ice, similar to polystyrene, on which can climb safe and fast) for an attempt. Fixed that pitch to cross the rimaye in prevision of the coming attempt (afterwards happened to be a good precaution, since the rimaye would open inbetween).

08/10: rest day in BC, doing preparations for the climb.

09/10: slept at ABC, doing ultimate preparations.

10/10: first day of the ascent. First 300m (55 to 65° in snow) climbed in simul rope. Then belayed pitch by pitch in a difficult section from c6050m to 6400m. Installed a bivy to the left of the crux start.

11/10: after an abseil to reach its footstep, climbed the 200m high crux section, consisting mainly in steep ice (WI 5+ in ice, mixed M5+) of ephemeral veneers (safe enough with possibilities for setting good belays and putting ice screws). Bivy installed a little above the end of the crux section.

12/10: as the upper snowy slopes got less sustained (45-50°), first put the rope then went free soloing. Had good snow for breaking the trail (maximum to the ankles). Just had to negotiate 2 mixed pitches (in M4, M5) where had to climb with the rope and belay. Duet reached the top at 3 pm.

At 4:30 pm, duet had downclimbed the upper SW Face to the W Ridge, bivying at c6600m.

13/10: duet continued to solo downclimb the West Ridge (“like Lyskamm ridge, but a little steeper”), finding it quite sharp in some sections ; lower found old fixed ropes remnants, then a rotten rock section, the grassfields and eventually the path bringing them back to BC, reached at c.1:30-2:00 pm.

14/10: helped by Symon, the duet came back to remove its ABC.

15/10: rest day at BC.
16/10: left BC to Tangnak.
17/10: rest day in Tangnak.

18/10: As Symon Welfringer got a serious knee injury after a short fall from a little wall, him, Aurelien Vaissieres, Benjamin and Charles took an helicopter flight from Tangnak (4200m) back to Kathmandu.

19/10: left Nepal.

Intented as a plan A this new line on the part of the North Face located left to the Czech line (“UFO”, 2019, Marek Holecek and Zdenek Hak). As a plan B, Vedrines had thought about the South Pillar reaching the crest of Chamlang further to the east, or the Hongku Chuli traverse.

Conditions eventually allowed the duet to achieve plan A in alpine style. The duet had good snow/ice conditions in general. Their line goes to the left of “UFO”, joining it before the exit from the face. It's called “In the shadow of lies” (1600m/ED/5+/M5+/90°).