원정 개요

Approach: KTM to Taplejung by car, to Sekatum by Jeep. Trekked from Sekatum to BC on 05/10.

BC 12/10 5100m on eastern side Lhonak Glacier
ABC 16/10 5300m on western side of Chabuk Glacier
Biv1 25/10 5500m
Biv2 26/10 5800m
Biv3 27/10 6200m
Biv4 28/10 6500m in a snow cave not far from the summit
Smt 29/10 by all members at 8:20 am.

Alpine-style ascent, no Sherpa support above BC.

Route choice because of Kei Taniguchi, who in autumn 2015 reached an altitude of 6600m and who passed away shortly afterwards.

The summit of Pandra according to inreach device of Takayanagi is 6665m.

Members acclimatized on a 6200m peak east of Chabuk Glacier (same as French team 2017).

They had photos of the 2017 French expedition and could see that conditions on the mountain had changed a lot since then. Base camp isolated place. No proper trail to BC, no trekkers.

Summit push started on 24/10. From BC to ABC. Quite difficult walk from BC to ABC, large parts of glacier melted away in comparison to 2017.

On 25/10 start from ABC at 7 am, reached first bivy location at 5 pm. From ABC 3 hours walk over glacier to the base of the wall.

On 26/10 start at 8 am, reached second bivy at 5 pm.

On 27/10 start at 8 am, reached third bivy at 4 pm.

On 28/10 start at 8 am, reached bivy 4 at 6:30 pm in the dark. Bivy in snow cave nearby the top, very cold night.

On 29/10 start from bivy 4 at 7:50 am, reached the summit at 8:20 am. Stayed on the summit for 30 minutes. A lot of space on the summit, like a plateau. Beautiful views on Jannu and Kangchenjunga, weather was great.

After summit down to bivy 4, arrived at 4 pm. Next day to ABC, rappelling all the way, same way as ascent.

On 31/10 to BC
On 02/11 to Lhonak
On 03/11 to Ghunsa
On 04/11 to Amjilosa
On 05/11 to Taplejung
On 06/11 to Badrapur by car, from there plane to KTM.

Very bad conditions compared to 2015 when Taniguchi was there. Not much ice on the wall, not many options for belays or protection.

Crux: From ~6200-6300m lose rocks and snow, no ice, bad for belays and protection.

At 6400m vertical and sometimes overhanging terrain, hard section, exhausting rock climbing in altitude. Just before bivy 4 sugary snow, no ice. They used snow bars for little bit of protection, but it was scary, almost no protection.

Members roped up for entire climb with a double rope.

Route name: “A piece of the sun”.

Oxygen: Not taken, not used

Records: New route variant on NE Face.

Accidents, etc: On 05/10 Tika Bahadur Rai, 41, a member of the BC kitchen crew, died in a rock fall incident shortly after team started walking from Sekatum. Team was running through a section of the trail, which is known for frequent rock fall, when he was hit on the head by a large rock and was killed instantly.