Nyainbo Yuze, north-northeast face

China, Qinghai Province
Author: Tamotsu Nakamura, AAC Honorary Member. Climb Year: 2011. Publication Year: 2014.

A Chinese party including Li Yuan and Zhang Xaiohui climbed the north-northeast face of Nyainbo Yuze (5,396m) in the summer of 2011. This was their second attempt, the previous in 2009. Approaching from the tourist center, via the Ximen lake and valley to the northeast of the mountain, the team made Camp 1 on the glacier at 4,910m, with the peak clearly visible. On summit day they crossed the glacier and made a direct ascent of the face. The first 200m was ice, the next 200m snow/mixed, and the final pitch was a 30m vertical rock gully to the right. They summited at 2 p.m. and descended the east ridge. This is the first known ascent of the peak, though it seems unlikely it was unclimbed. In 1989 Yasuyuki Takeuchi and a Japanese team from Kyoto reached the summit of the slightly lower Nyainbo Yuze II to the northwest.

Although not a high massif, the Nyainbo Yuze group is an extensive collection of predominately granite peaks with challenging rock walls, and could potentially become a little alpine paradise.

From information provided by Tamotsu Nakamura, AAC Honorary Member, and Xia Zhongming, Germany



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