원정 개요

Ric Potter - 15 Sept 2010 (email)

BC on a spur below Kwangde's North Face (altitude probably around 4600m)
ABC at the base of the "inverted Y" of the NE Ridge (around 5000m).

From ABC we traversed up and leftwards around the base of the ridge into a large cirque dominated by the E Face of Kwangde - a wide triangular face (800-900m high maybe) with the NE Ridge running up the right-hand side. We climbed a couloir in the centre of the face but were forced right-wards by difficult ground at about half height. We eventually joined
the NE Ridge at around 6000m. The standard was around Alpine D.

No other members, just 2 porters who met us back at base camp on the 20th and helped us carry our gear back out.


Ric Potter - 16 Sept 2010 (email)

Ok I have dug out my diary so I have exact dates now (I was a day out). Got to base on 13th, spend 14-16 moving up to ABC and then resting before climbing on 18th & 19th. Got back to base on the 20th.

For the climb had 2 bivis: The first was on a ledge on the face below the NE ridge, at around 5700-5800m maybe; that was on the 17th.

On the 18th we carried on to the ridge, which we reached mid-morning. We did a couple of hours along the ridge, but it was hard & slow going (with some new snow over blocks) so we dumped our sacks and carried on without them.

We followed the summit ridge until some time in the afternoon but didn't make the highest point. We thought we were at the top but then it carried on some more and we were keen to get back to our sacks and were worried about the time. Must have been above 6100m, so pretty close.

We turned around about 4 in the afternoon. Got back to the sacks, and then abseiled straight down the face (must be line of anchors as we left a krab on every one). Finished in the dark and bivied a second night by a boulder at the foot of the face (5200m?).

Staggered back to ABC then BC the next day (20th). Porters met us on 21st and back to Thame.