7,046m southeast summit by British climbers Nick Bullock and Paul Ramsden. The pair climbed this icy face with four bivouacs - steep rock with thin veneers of ice in the lower section leading to an impressive arête higher up. The climbing proved excellent, reminiscent of the Colton-MacIntryre on the Grandes Jorasses, but at 6,700m it began to
snow, and the final section was somewhat hard work and avalanche prone.
Convinced that the best descent would be to follow the untouched east ridge, very steeply at its end, to a col, and then go down north to their base camp, the two set off, only to find dense cloud made travel a real navigational challenge. After another bivouac, a series of rappels, and, fortunately, a short clearing in the cloud allowing them to identify their precise position, the two reached the col, where they realized it was much safer to descend south and walk out an unknown valley.
The climb was highly exploratory and technical (ED+), and the summit the first 7,000er for both climbers.
Paul Ramsden
- UK
- lives the somewhat schizophrenic lifestyle of a mountaineer funded by his work as a health and safety consultant.
- has continued to climb in most of the world’s greater ranges since ascents of the classic alpine north faces in his teenage years
- recipient of four Piolet D’Or
- puts his success down to a very tolerant wife and family.
Nick Bullock
- UK
- a nomadic writer and a climber with an opinion, imagination and an open mind
- enjoys reading Cormac McCarthy and poetry and participating in all aspects of climbing – winter mixed, Alpine, ice, rock and expedition.
- dislikes inequality and anything ending with an 'ism'.
