Asia, Nepal, Kanjiroba, Ascent

Publication Year: 2000.

Kanjiroba, Ascent. It was reported that Britons Richard Bull, Neil Cooper, Andy Hawes, Mal Lewis, Andy Lind, Josie Poole, Ben Steele and Alison and Tom Wedgwood made the fifth ascent of Kanjiroba Main Summit (6883m). It was the first time in 20 years that the mountain had seen an ascent. The crux was the approach to the mountain. Taking the route pioneered in 1961 by John Tyson, the team proceeded up the Jagdula Gorge in a ten-day bushwhack that involved the building of four bridges, a number of rappels and Tyrolean traverses and construction of wooden ladders to navigate vertical rock walls. Base Camp was established at 4200 meters at the foot of the mountain. From an Advanced Base Camp at 5200 meters, Bull, Cooper, Hawes, Lewis and Steele, along with a climbing Sherpa and cook, Ringi, proceed to fix 200 meters of rope on a 45-degree snow slope to reach the southeast ridge at ca. 6000 meters. On September 26, they continued up the ridge in deep snow, led by Ringi, who broke trail for the team and fixed a 12-meter ice wall that would prove to be the hardest section of the climb. Following Ringi, Bull and Cooper reached the summit, a feat repeated on September 28 by Lind, Pemba Sherpa and Tom Wedgwood. A helicopter rescue was initiated to save Lind, who back at BC found that he had developed frostbite in one foot. The journey back to Hurikot followed a route to the west of the Jagdula that crossed two high passes, including the last col in the ridge that runs southeast from Milch Berg (Palta Thumba, 6126m), and traversed a series of high plateaus well above the gorge before following a long gully down to the main valley. (High Mountain Sports 212)