First
ascents of impressive granite peaks in the middle of the Indian
Himalayas, more specifically in the Kishtwar region”, this had been a
dream of mine for many years. But for a while, I couldn’t find any
climbing partners for such a long, distant and expensive expedition.
However, this year everything finally fell into place in the pre-monsoon
season – two of my friends were ready for the adventure.
So in the middle of May, I met Tola
(Cristobal Señoret Zobeck) and Max (Max Didier), members of the Mammut
Team Chile, in Delhi. We had met before in Patagonia, where we had
completed our first approach and attempt on Cerro Torre together in
2013.
This was my third time in India, but it
was the first visit for the two South American climbers, which gave rise
to a few humorous situations when the impetuous South American style
met the very traditional Indian culture. It was a clash of two
completely different worlds.
Following an official visit to the IMF
(Indian Mountain Foundation), we set off directly for the Himalayas. In
40°C, we started out in our mini-bus from Delhi and, after three long
days on initially packed and later completely deserted roads, arrived in
Gulabgarh in the Kishtwar region (Jammu and Kashmir). This was the end
of the road and we had to continue our journey on foot from here. We had
to load our climbing gear, camping equipment and food to cater for six
people (as well as us, there was also our cook Dawa, his assistant
Pasang and the Liaison Officer) for four weeks onto fifteen horses for
the three-day trek to our base camp.
«Shortly before the base camp, for a while it looked as if we would need to turn back as a snow field was blocking the way. »
Shortly before the base camp, for a
while it looked as if we would need to turn back as a snow field was
blocking the way. The horse drivers were worried that their animals
would break their hooves. However, after some encouragement and
preparation of the path, they finally decided to attempt it. Each time a
horse broke through up to its stomach, my breath caught in my throat.
But they quickly fought their way back out and we made it to our flat
camping site. I could hardly believe that we actually had trees in our
base camp. Pure luxury!
It was then time to start exploring,
acclimatizing and carrying gear. We set up our ABC (Advanced Base Camp)
in a little col at 4,500 meters opposite the imposing granite faces
It started to snow heavily during our
first night. We had to keep beating the snow off our little tent. We
were sharing two-person tents in groups of three and using two sleeping
bags to save weight. It was pretty cramped, but at least it wasn’t cold.
The next morning, we climbed up higher. Even at 6 am, the sun was so
strong that the snow was becoming menacingly soft. At times we fell
through up to our hips and the snow started to slide. Suddenly, a
threatening cloud of snow came toward us. Luckily it passed over leaving
us unhurt, but it was a huge shock at the time and we quickly climbed
back to our tent. It was frustrating. We wanted to reach the next
highest col, but instead we found ourselves having lunch back at the
base camp.
«The atmosphere was unbelievable and the rock faces were now looming up steeply above us.»
This was followed by a few days of bad weather which we spent climbing bouldering blocks in the base camp.
We got on well, had a lot of laughs and
enjoyed the tasty Indian food, but our thoughts kept coming back to the
granite faces: Would we manage to climb up there? Would the weather
permit it? When?
This was followed by three days of good
weather with bright blue skies, and we headed back to our ABC. This
time, we got up at 1 am to tackle the steep couloir while it was still
frozen and reach the higher col by sunrise. The atmosphere was
unbelievable and the rock faces were now looming up steeply above us.
But we had a problem: Max and Tola
couldn’t feel their feet any more due to the cold. This was alarming, as
we didn’t want to develop frostbite. It took an hour for the feeling to
come back and for me to be able to embark on the first pitch. At long
last, we were starting to climb my dream faces. But the euphoria was
short-lived. There was even more snow than we had thought on the face
and it was proving a significant obstacle. A few beautiful kilometers
were followed by sections in wet conditions and through ice and snow,
which had accumulated on every little ledge, until we came to a
snow-covered slab from which there was no way to climb any higher. I
tried, looked and searched, but unfortunately it was impossible and,
with a heavy heart, I was forced to rappel back down again. Our
disappointment was great and the fear that we wouldn’t climb anything at
all here was growing.
«The waiting was terrible, but this is an inevitable part of expeditions.»
We then had nothing to do all day but
sit around, the hours simply refused to pass. The waiting was terrible,
but this is an inevitable part of expeditions.
We waited until just after midnight to
begin our descent, to ensure the approach couloir would be frozen, and
then try again on the other side of the mountain. First we had to tackle
another steep snow couloir, no easy task as it was so soft, but then
the fun began: we were climbing on top granite. It was very compact to
begin with, which called for maximum concentration. I quickly found
myself standing far above my last camalot, and it was a very small one
at that. But there was no other option for securing, so I simply had to
trust and keep going. It is at these moments that I am 100% focused,
considering every movement in detail and executing it with precision.
«Icicles were flying past my ears at the belay station until Max secured the next belay point far above in dry terrain. »
This was followed by a pitch behind a
huge rock slice which reminded me of pitches in Yosemite, and then by a
straight crack cutting steeply through the face. It started off
hand-width, but then became increasingly narrow until I could barely
force my fingertips in, never mind any protection. However, I managed to
get past this point and I was really feeling the altitude. We were
climbing considerably higher than 4,000 meters here.
This was followed by a few pitches in
the shade and we suddenly found the rock covered with ice on which our
climbing shoes were simply slipping. Nevertheless, Max managed to
carefully work his way up, centimeter by centimeter. Icicles were flying
past my ears at the belay station until he secured the next belay point
far above in dry terrain. We succeeded in completing a first ascent of
six pitches before rappelling back down. It had been an extremely long
day and we were feeling exhausted. So we climbed back down to the base
camp to gather our strength and wait for another window of stable
weather.
As
soon as it arrived, we returned to the six pitches that we had
first-ascended. This time we were carrying a heavy load. When I was
leading, my thick boots were hanging on my harness together with all my
gear and I could feel the pressure of this weight dragging my harness
down. As second climbers, we carried heavy backpacks filled with food, a
stove and sleeping gear. The face was steep and as we climbed higher we
began to worry that we wouldn’t find a place to sleep for the night. We
then suddenly came to a snowy terrace where we were able to put up our
tent. We were surprised and there was a general feeling of relief and
elation.
«I began to doubt whether we would actually reach the summit.»
The next morning, after an amazing
sunrise, the weather took a sudden turn for the worse and we found
ourselves surrounded by clouds that also brought cold conditions. After
just one pitch, we came up against an obstacle: a slab with no options
for protection barred our way. We tried on the right, on the left, a
little more to the right, but there was no way past. I began to doubt
whether we would actually reach the summit. We had been so optimistic
after our day of climbing yesterday but now we were losing a great deal
of valuable time in just the second pitch.
Tola placed a first bolt for protection
using a hand drill, which took up both time and energy. Max then removed
it afterwards and made his way up the exposed slab. We held our breath
as he climbed higher and higher, tried to place a wedge, climbed back
down and finally placed a second bolt for protection high up on the
slab. After a few more meters, he made it safely onto the ledge. We then
faced some slightly overhanging crack climbing. Although very arduous,
it was a real pleasure, particularly as we were traveling lighter today
without the bivouac gear.
The terrain then took on an incline and
we made faster progress. We worked our way up pitch by pitch and, many
meters later, when Tola finally spotted the summit, there was great joy.
After one last pitch, we were standing on the snowy summit at around
5,300 meters, the first people ever to do so. There was something almost
mythical about the way the clouds were wafting around us, but
unfortunately they were spoiling our view. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our
summit chocolate, swapped our climbing shoes for thick mountaineering
boots (warm feet at last!), and began to rappel down. This took a lot of
time and maximum concentration as we needed to set up all our
rappelling points. At times it was no easy task to find a place for
slings or wedges. We had to show a great deal of creativity. The whole
thing was made more difficult by the snow that was starting to fall and
the rumbles of thunder that we could hear through the dense whiteness,
but not locate.
«It was only once we had actually arrived safe and sound that our first ascent became a reality that called for a celebration.»
At the very first rappel point, the ends
of my rope became tangled below me, way over in the wrong direction,
and it took quite a few rope maneuvers to free them. Luckily, this
happened only once. In the absence of any other alternative, at one
point we had to unpack our hand drills, which once again took a lot of
energy. In fading light, we then returned exhausted to our tent.
We set about melting some snow to at
least give our dehydrated bodies some relief. We then squeezed into our
sleeping bags, three people in each one. We all had to lie on the same
side, and if anyone wanted to turn over, it had to be done on command,
everyone at once. Nevertheless, we managed to sleep.
The next morning, we woke up to perfect
weather, rappelled to the glacier and climbed down to our base camp. It
was only once we had actually arrived safe and sound that our first
ascent became a reality that called for a celebration. We also invited
the Italians who had set up their base camp a little further down in the
valley and completed their first ascent a few days later, to celebrate
our two successes.
«Our “Namaste Dost” tour has 17 pitches and climbing of up to 7a in superb granite.»
We decided to dedicate our first ascent
to our good friend Iñaki Coussirat, and called the mountain Monte Iñaki.
Our “Namaste Dost” tour has 17 pitches and climbing of up to 7a in
superb granite.
We then went on to complete first
ascents of two shorter tours. Every five pitches, we climbed onto a
little summit. Once again on good rock and it was so warm that we could
even climb in T-shirts, at almost 5,000 meters!
Summer was on the way, it was getting
warmer by the day, the trees in the valley were becoming greener and the
snow was fading and softening. On our last night, it even began to rain
at our ABC. It was so heavy that the dampness penetrated the walls of
our tent. My down jacket and down sleeping bag were saturated and I
began to count the hours until dawn. The rain was also accompanied by a
terrifying storm that appeared to be directly above us all the time:
flashes of lightning lit everything up and thunder rumbled above us. The
last night had turned into a nightmare and I couldn’t wait for the
morning sunshine. To our great disappointment, it was still gray in the
morning and we had to pack up our wet things in the cold. It was then
time to carry all our gear back down and so, bearing extremely heavy
loads, we embarked on our last descent.
During our last few remaining days at
the base camp, I set out with our Liaison Officer in the middle of the
night to Bugshan Peak, an easy 5,000 meter mountain directly above our
base camp. There was, however, an altitude difference of over 2,000
meters, but I was feeling so fit that I barely noticed it.
Finally, after four weeks, we made our way back to the valley with our horses.
«Another
very important part of expeditions for me is learning about the local
culture and landscape, also as a sign of respect.»
Despite the fact that we had climbed
different lines than originally planned, it had been a very successful
expedition, a good team, a superb base camp and a good atmosphere. It
was undoubtedly one of my best expeditions.
After walking for two days, we quickly
found ourselves back in everyday Indian life. We had two more weeks to
get to know this amazing country a little better, travel to Ladakh and
devote ourselves to restorative yoga and meditation. Another very
important part of expeditions for me is learning about the local culture
and landscape, also as a sign of respect.
After two eventful and enriching months,
I left India with a heavy heart. Once again, I am sure that I will soon
want to go back.
Many thanks to Mammut who made this expedition possible and to Julbo, Oskri, Katadyn, Leki, Petzl and Scarpa for their support.
Photos: North/Didier/Senõret
Originally Shared By : Mammut Magazine
Thanks to Thomas Senf for Information.
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