In August 2023, Indian mountaineer Anindya “Raja” Mukherjee discovered the climbing potential of the Khyam Lungpa (valley), which runs southwest from Rumtse, about 80km south of Leh along the Leh-Manali Highway. From the top of a 5,885m peak, Raja could see several unclimbed 6,000ers. He vowed to return, and in June 2024 he made the first ascent of Peak 6,050m on the west side of that valley (see report here). I joined him in July to attempt Ama Chomo Nyug Ri (6,057m, 33°32’46.36”N, 77°40’30.76”E, on some maps erroneously named Gyamshu). We had found no record of a prior ascent.

On the 26th, Raja and I began ferrying loads to a 5,629m camp in the valley east of Ama Chomo Nyug Ri. On the 29th, a storm collapsed our tent—the holy mountain appeared to be acknowledging our presence. Despite threatening clouds the next morning, we decided to go for it. The first 200m, on the north slope leading to the east ridge, was the hardest, involving unstable scree and silt. Things improved on the ridge, but as I moved toward the summit, I saw a distinctly man-made cairn over a meter high. We were not the first people there, and there was nothing for it but to admire the view in a bittersweet mood. We descended the south ridge to the saddle below an attractive 6,044m peak, then turned east down a scree slope to regain the tent. Our climb was about PD.

After a few days in base camp, Raja and I, along with Ashish Chanda, Lakpa Sherpa, and Neetu Singh, started to ferry loads higher into the valley east of Ama Chomo Nyug Ri. We set up camp on moraine about 0.5km farther south than our previous high camp, below the north cwm of Peak 6,044m. We spent the night there on August 6. The mountain looked impressive, with a long east–northwest ridge holding twin summit pinnacles, and a wide icefield on its north face cut horizontally by several long crevasses.

We set out in perfect weather at 6 a.m. the following day. Ashish and Raja took a line on the far left side of the north face; Lakpa, Neetu, and I climbed a longer, steeper (50°–55°) line about 50m to the right. We regrouped on the east ridge and followed the shattered crest to the east top (the true summit). We were delighted to find no cairn. Our view encompassed snow-draped 6,000ers like Khyam I and Khyam II on the connecting ridge, UT Kangri I and II in the next valley south, the chossy south side of Ama Chomo Nyug Ri, and farther north the elegant gray and white mountains of the Kang Yatze group. It was a sweet moment for me, with another first ascent of a Himalayan 6000er after many years without success.

We then completed an east–west traverse of the mountain, descending along the northwest ridge then down into the north cwm to regain our tent. We felt the grade of the route to be AD.

           —Gerry Galligan, Ireland