Jan Kreisinger, Jakub Vlček, and I travelled to Nepal in the post-monsoon season, planning to climb a new route on the west face of Tengi Ragi Tau (6,938m). Kreisinger and Karel Roudnicky had already attempted our proposed line in 2021 but descended from around half-height, after two bivouacs, due to adverse weather.

From October 29 to 31, Vlček and I climbed and descended the line in alpine style, with one bivouac on the ascent and one on the descent. Kreisinger was forced to turn around at the start of the face due to insufficient acclimatization. We later named our line Honzova Cesta (“Johnny’s Route,” 1,300m, M5 80°) as a tribute to him. It climbs the middle of the west face, left of the 2019 route, Trinité, established by Silvan Schüpbach and Symon Welfringer (AAJ 2020).

We first established base camp at 5,300m in the Thame Khola (valley) on the east side of the peak, and then, carrying all our gear, an advanced base on the Drolambo Glacier at 5,400m, below our proposed line. This involved a crossing of the Tashi Lapcha pass (5,753m).

We progressed well during our first day on the face, climbing a fine mixed pitch of M5, then 60° snow/ice slopes spiced with a few mixed sections. The angle increased to 80° as we approached the prominent serac high on the face, which we bypassed via an icy couloir on the left.

Having climbed 1,000m and reached an altitude of about 6,400m, we found a cozy bivouac spot in the upper part of the huge serac. The following day we climbed 300m of flutes at 60°–70° to finish on one of the subsummits (6,772m, approximately 27°51’46.69”N, 86°33’12.38”E) along the north ridge.

Slowed by altitude and the previous long day, we had to bivouac at the same spot on the serac during the descent. On October 31, using mostly Abalakov anchors and slings on rock spikes, we rappelled the remaining face to the Drolambo Glacier.

— Marek Disman, Czech Republic