Archive: 15. December 2016

Gimmigela East 2016

15. December 2016

Located on the border between Nepal and India Gimmigela East (7005m), it is the subpeak of Gimmigela Chuli (7350m), and also referred to as ‘Gimmigela’s Sister’. It´s steep Northface had never been tried before by any expedition and was a well hidden project in the remote Kangchenjunga area. Situated approximately four kilometers from the World’s third highest peak Kangchenjunga (8585m), it´s summit was only reached twice by Japanese after trips in 1993 and 1994 from India, Southside of the mountain.

After a five-day gruelling hike through the jungle alongside the Tamar River and across the higher plateaus of the Ghunsa Valley, we basecamped a little higher than the classic Pangpema basecamp; one of Nepal’s most treasured sites.

Alex Blümel and I started to acclimate on the Dhromo south ridge and, after a total of three nights at 5900m, on November 8, we felt ready for Gimmigela East’s north face. Due to a wet Monsun with high precipitation we found the 1200m high face in perfect conditions. After two bivies, of which the second one on the final summit ridge seriously challenged us due to the small ledge been extremely exposed to the strong winds, we reached the summit at 7.30am on 10th November. A cold, windy but clear morning allowed us to see far into Sikkim’s great mountain range and to the unexplored east face of Kangchenjunga.

„Yet again, it was one of those expeditions where everything came together. A great project, an even greater friendship and a very efficient first ascent of a ’King Line’ on a 7000m peak in one of the most remote places in the Himalayas.“

Thank you Alex for the great time on and off the wall, and Elias and Matteo for making the time spent in the basecamp during this expedition even sweeter.

 

Fact Box:

Mountain Range:                                 Kangchenjunga Area/Himalaya/Nepal

Mountain:                                              Gimmigela East (7005m)

Altitude of Basecamp:                         5200m

Difficulties:                                            85° ice

First Ascent of the face:                      8th – 10th of November 2016 in alpine style

The loss of the Demantoid

1. September 2016

Together with Alex Blümel I established ‘The loss of the Demantoid’, a new alpine multi-pitch rock climb up the Kristallwand face on Kirchkogel (3280m) in Austria. This route we dedicate to our late friend Gerry Fiegl.

The 3280m high Kirchkogel in the Ötztal Alps is not really well known. But if you walk up the higher Gaisberg Valley it’s north face catches your attention immediately. Surrounded by a great glacier landscape the Kristallwand rises above your head. A steep rock face well hidden, which is mainly characterized by chossy rock, just a few obvious lines and a really steep overhang. Ever since I climbed the first two routes of the wall in 2012 and 2014, I had always wanted to go back to find a free climbable line.

I looked on the left part of the wall, where the rock is perfect. The only thing that kept me from doing it was that it’s pretty close and compact. So opening the route with minimum bolts was the hardest thing of my recent adventure on this wall. But my first visit this season was really promising and already after that day I knew, that working on this route will be a lot of fun and it was exactly the thing I was searching for.

After three days of opening the line and one day of checking the hardest pitches, I grabbed the free ascent on August 19 with difficulties up to 7c+. After all what happened to Alex and me on Nilgiri South, we thought that ‘The loss of the Demantoid’ is a great name for the route. A ‘demantoid’ is one of the most precious gemstones that exist.

There is an interesting fact around this face: The Kristallwand had been first attempted over 70 years ago by legendary Austrian alpinist Hermann Buhl and since then nobody else tried to climb it. When I came there in 2012 to open the first route, I found his piton where these guys abseiled off.

 

 

Short edit of opening ‘The loss of the Demantoid’ on the steep and wild Kristallwand:

Kirchkogel – Kristallwand – Ötztal/Austria – The loss of the Demantoid – Alex Blümel/Hansjörg Auer from Hansjörg Auer on Vimeo.

Annapurna III 2016

9. August 2016

When arriving home from an unsuccessful expedition, I prefer to keep to myself and reflect. A short summary of our expedition, however, follows:

After pre-acclimatising in Zermatt/Valais Alps David, Alex and myself flew to Kathmandu early April, soon establishing Basecamp at 4600m between Annapurna III and Annapurna IV. Like previous expeditions we took the helicopter to achieve this. Nick Bullock, an alpinist who was there in 2010, described the area as follows and I couldn’t do it any better: “It’s one of the most special areas in the Himalayas. In fact the place has only ever had a handful of very privileged people enter beyond its steep entry walls or the very inaccessible sheer cliffs of the Seti Kola Gorge and it soon becomes obvious by the fact there are no paths, tracks, feet-worn formations, human detritus or markings of any kind. The moraine between the top of the Seti Kola gorge and the col at the head of the cirque is a massive untamed jumble filled with icefall, tumbling blocks, fins of towering rubble, minarettes, spires of rock and grass meadow. All of these are virtually untouched by human hand.”

After three acclimatisation rounds on the Annapurna III East Ridge with a highpoint of 6000m we felt ready to give the Southeast Ridge a try. During three days we climbed a possible new highpoint (around 6500m) in really difficult and exposed terrain. But in the end the weather was not on our side and forced us to retreat. After another bivy and many rappels we were back at the glacier. Exhausted we hiked back to Basecamp. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance for another try due to heavy snowfall and even more humid conditions after that. It was a hard but inescapable decision to finish the expedition. With a last glance up this great line on Annapurna III we left the mountain mid May.

Thanks to David and Alex for the great time in this amazing mountain range, to Mungo and Menk for capturing our activities and to Flo for raising the money. Back in Nepal this fall for another high altitude session.