Asia, Nepal, Kangtega, Women's Ascent

Publication Year: 1985.

Kangtega, Women’s Ascent. Our expedition climbed Kangtega largely by the same route after Camp I as the New Zealanders, who made the first ascent in 1963. We established Base Camp on April 24 at 4700 meters at the foot of the Kangtega Glacier. Because the New Zealand route on the glacier was threatened by avalanches and falling séracs, we ascended the glacier only to the bergschrund where we turned to the right on the rock spur that descends from Kangtega. Fixing rope on nearly all this section, we climbed on mixed terrain to one of the cols on the ridge and rappelled down to the glacier, where we placed Camp I at 5400 meters. A summit attempt on May 13 failed because of the distance to the top. We moved up the smooth glacier to a great plateau where we overcame a sérac, fixing rope again. Afterwards, we had to climb past a second sérac and up a plateau where we placed Camp II at 6300 meters. On May 13 leader Emérita Puig, Esperanza Capella, Carmen Melis, Mónica Verge and I and the Sherpas Ang Phuri Lama and Ang Karma left Camp II, climbed 40° snow for 250 meters near the left side of the slope, passed between two sérac bands, turned left to reach the corniced southwest ridge and reached the summit (6779 meters, 22,240 feet) at one P.M. on May 15. Dr. Lidia Riera also accompanied the expedition.

María Carmen Magdalena, Unió Excursionista de Catalunya