After abandoning an attempt on the unclimbed east ridge of Meru, due to “abominable” snow conditions, Daniela Teixeira and Paulo Roxo switched to the direct northwest ridge of Shivling. Starting on the right side of the north face, beginning at ca 5,000m, they climbed to 5,650m with one bivouac, heading for the northwest ridge, before finding unconsolidated snow over steep granite slabs and retreating.

On October 11 they tried again, this time aiming to reach the northwest ridge at a lower point, following a German route first climbed in 1996 and repeated in the spring of 2014. [See this year's German report.] They bivouacked twice, at 5,500m and 5,800m, and on the third day climbed through a rocky barrier well to the left of the German line. Steep, technical climbing and traversing over hard, black 55° ice, directly under the huge serac that crosses the west face, prompted them to escape the firing zone and retreat. Up to their high point at ca 6,000m, they reported difficulties of WI4 M5 55°.

Information From Paulo Roxo, Portugal