Asia, India—Garhwal, Nanda Ghunti, 1989

Publication Year: 1991.

Nanda Ghunti, 1989. Mike Lamont, Ian Inch, Bill Turner, Fiona Turner, Colin Roberts and I made the first British ascent of Nanda Ghunti (6309 meters, 20,700 feet). The first ascent was made by Swiss in 1947 by the same route we climbed. The walk-in from the roadhead at Ghat took four days. We established Base Camp at 4300 meters just below Hom Kund on September 12, 1989 and Advance Base at 5000 meters at the col at the foot of the east ridge two days later. On September 19, Lamont and I placed Camp I at 5800 meters near the top of the ridge, having turned some pinnacles by climbing on the south face before ascending a steep snow slope. Our attempt on the 20th was stopped on the east summit by bad snow conditions. On September 27, 1989, Lamont and Inch reached the main summit, having left Camp I at six P.M. the night before. The final section consisted of traversing beyond the eastern summit a kilometer of knife-edged ridge, which was heavily corniced and had bad snow.

Ian Teasdale, Croydon Mountaineering Club, England