원정 개요

From Climbing Magazine:

On October 26, UK-based climbers Tim Miller and Paul Ramsden reached the summit of Surma-Sarovar, an unclimbed 6605-meter peak in a remote corner of Nepal. The climb, which ascended the 2100-meter North Face, was graded “extremely difficult” (ED), a terse grade that feels appropriate for the duo’s proudly minimalist climbing style. The route lacked any “cutting edge” technicality but proved challenging due to the altitude, long and convoluted approach, and unfavorable weather and snow conditions.

“Just getting to the bottom of the mountain and managing the gorge was difficult,” Miller told @joshlaskin. “And there’s all these river crossings. Just doing anything in the valley is really hard.”



Approach: Chainpur, Talkot, Seti Khola, Salimor Khola

BC ~12/10 circa 3750m
Biv1 23/10 5300m
Biv2 24/10 6000m
Biv3 25/10 6300m
Smt 26/10 by both members at noon
Biv4 26/10 near summit
Biv5 27/10 5800m

Left BC on 29 Oct.

Route: NW Face up; traverse down the summit ridge to the E, then down the N Face’s left side, then the main NE Ridge of the mountain, then on the NW flank down to the valley.

Oxygen: not taken, not used
Records: 1st ascent of SURM
Other peaks: South Summit of SURM

Accidents: frostbite on the left hand’s little finger for Ramsden, which will necessitate amputation of the first phalanx.


• Approach (whole team)

From KTM by flight to Dhangadhi (to the far southwest of Nepal). From Dhangadhi by drive to Chainpur (“there’s an airport there, yet being not much reliable!”). With a further half-day drive to the end of the road at Talkot.

In this far southwest area of Nepal, Paul mentions that inhabitants seemed like to have never seen any westerners!

From there, they started the trek up the Seti Khola. With some delays due to the earthquakes and police stops in consequence, they eventually reached their BC after 9 days of trekking.


(I) Ramsden-Miller on Surma Sarovar North

All-in-all, the duet had a 6-week trip, being busy almost all the time.

SURM on the permitted list has the real advantage to be credited with the South Summit altitude (6397m), which makes it not necessitating a liaison officer!

• Approach and 1st ascent and traverse of SURM (6564m) in alpine-style.

The BC lies at the crossroad of the main Salimor Khola with the Gaisar Khola (the latter going through the SSW), precisely when the first one starts to form a deep gorge which consists in steep flanks with some vertical walls straight above the talweg. Such section meant no slipping at all, so that porters wouldn’t go through it.

The duet had a 7-day roundtrip to get through that deep gorge, first finding a trail on its left bank (north side of the river), then crossing twice the river. From there, they had a first overview of the west flank of SURM allowing to select their future line of ascent. At the footstep of the NW Face they also made a gear deposit.

Then they got further up in a SSW direction in the valley to the 5245m col for acclimatizing, staying up there for 2 days. From there they could enjoy beautiful views of the peaks around with jungle to the south. Then they went back down to the base camp. At the latter, the duet took 2 days of rest.

21-22 Oct: BC to the footstep of the route.

23 Oct: actual start of the climb at 4500m, first bivy at 5300m after climbing almost the first half of the main corridor.

24 Oct: 5300m to 6000m (circa), by a traverse rightwards to a secondary snowy couloir, until reaching the footstep of the rocky barrier.

25 Oct: 6000m to circa 6300m throughout the aforementioned rocky barrier (mixed ground difficulties essentially, crux of the route).

26 Oct: duet reached the top at noon, their GPS showing 6605m. Since the summit was in the clouds, they decided to wait for the next day for seeing the best route to follow for the descent. Thus they bivouacked about 20m down to the top.

27 Oct: they started the descent down the North Face’s left side, then made a bivouac at circa 5800m on the NE Ridge of the mountain.

28 Oct: after following the NE Ridge section, they went from point 5542m (Finn Map) NW-wards through screes flanks back to the valley. On the same day they were back to BC at 9 pm (“long day!”).

Duet met with bad weather almost every day during the climb, with no comfortable bivouac places, very cold and very humid (“all wet”) weather conditions. Down to the acclimatization col to the south are jungles already, with humidity coming from that low part of the country.

29 Oct: knowing they had to be back at the airport on 4 Nov, team trekked back continuously for circa 6 days, car drive included.

04 Nov: plane from Dhangadhi to KTM.


(II) Frost-Glenn on Surma Sarovar South

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/in_focus/nepals_wild_west-15624?fbclid=IwAR0j9zVDl4aLLqqybEBlcd6bOqLTEAxMtzZ7K3cSjag5EqxGyxKKuyu7n5o

• Attempt of the NW Face of the Peak 6054m NNW fore-summit

Meanwhile from the same BC, Brits Hamish Frost and Matt Glenn first tried the NW Face of a peak (6054m on the Finn Map) located south to the BC. The line was the obvious gully amid of the face.

On day 1, they were stopped when the line ran out of ice. Then during the night, their tent was crushed by spindrift, which took some of their psyche away. On day 2 they came back down to BC.

• Attempt of the South Summit of SURM (6397m) by its South Ridge (Glenn/Frost)

In a second time, they tried for the unclimbed South Summit (6397m) of SURM via its S Ridge.

After having reached the latter plus crossed a kilometre of it, they were stopped below the final slope down to the 6390m subsidiary SE Summit by avalanching and dangerous conditions of snow cornice.

Enroute for the top, they had found some old remnants of fixed ropes which after examination on their side happen to belong to an old British attempt of 1974 (JETH-741-01) led by Alastair Kellas (that expedition should be listed as SURM and not JETH).

https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201216016

The duet reached BC on the same day as Ramsden/Miller (28 Oct), having previously reached its high point on the 27 Oct.