Himalayan news

Don't miss the opportunity to admire the photos from the mountain travel of the MAI tourist club team led by Sergey Romanenkov in the Karakoram. We have already written that during this route the group members climbed the eight-thousander Gasherbrum-II, which in itself is a world-class achievement. Without additional oxygen and practically without a processed route (the seasonal ropes melted). This is only part of the group's route. Read the details, and most importantly - look at the excellent quality photos. A true mountain lover should not miss this!

 On May 10th, about ten days ago, an assault attempt was made on Kangchenjunga. The expedition members followed the ropes group from camp 7300. But from the height of 7800, everyone went down - huge snows, the danger of avalanches, stormy winds. The mountain was never hung with fixed ropes to the top.

On May 18, four Sherpas tried to break through from Camp 2 (6,400) to Camp 3 (7,300), and double-check the ropes that had gone under the snow. They couldn't. Today, the enlarged ropes team tried again - unsuccessfully.

 Sergey Seliverstov and Alina Pekova continue to stay at the base camp at 5500. Alla Mishin was taken out successfully and literally by accident on an insurance sanitary flight. The treatment in Kathmandu went without problems, but it is impossible to return back in a reasonable way: the mountain is too far away, difficult, high and unpopular. There are no passing flights, a separate flight costs $ 6,500 and there has been no weather that will allow it to fly a very long distance, four five thousand passes along the way, for a week. As a result, Alla dropped out of the Kanche team. Sergey and Alina continue to keep fit, making training rotations to 6200, still waiting for the weather window.

Information from Alla Mishina and Sergey Seliverstov.  Early this morning, due to good weather, we flew by helicopter safely to the very center of the Yalung glacier, right at the foot of Kanchenjunga, at an altitude of 5,500 meters. There is a very beautiful view, waterfalls from all sides. The weather is always good until the middle of the day, and fog and snow in the afternoon. The Sherpas have already hung ropes to the Second Camp. We are waiting for the puja ceremony, and then we will start trying to walk acclimatization rotation to a height of 6100- 6300 meters. Everything is fine with us, everyone is healthy.

From Alla Mishina and Sergey Seleverstov from a height of 4,600 meters:

The difficult trekking has been successfully completed. We finish acclimatization at an altitude of 4,600 meters with radial rotation to the point named Ramsey. We can already see Kangchenjunga. On April 18, in the morning, we fly to 5400, to the base camp.  There is no way to get there on foot now. Yaks and porters do not walk, it is about 50 km along the glacier and moraines, without stationary intermediate camps. Complete lack of communication. We transmit it by satellite phone.

Alla Mishina from Moscow and Sergey Seliverstov from Bishkek flew to Nepal today. This deuce goes on a new route for the 7 Summits Club to the southernmost corner of Nepal - Kanchenjunga.

 Meanwhile, two leaders of the Everest expeditions, Alexander Abramov and Viktor Volodin, as well as Dr. Andrey Selivanov, are meaningfully spending a transfer day in Istanbul.  They are also on their way to Nepal.

On October 24, at 9 o'clock Nepali time, Yuri Koshelenko and Alexey Lonchinsky made the first ever ascent on the summit of Rolwaling Kang Shar, with a height of 6645 meters. The length of the route is about 1800 m. Three bivouacs. To ABC from the base under the Tashi Lapcha Pass is an 8-hour walk along the Talomban glacier [Dolombao]. "The buttress consists of destroyed granite, it is good that it is fused with ice in many places."

Yuri Koshelenko (mountain.ru ): The route "Katana" to Rovaling Kang Shar, why katana, yes, because it is associated with duty, with the harsh rules of military valor. "Katana" is a samurai sword…

 When Alexey and I entered climbing mode, we managed to get out of it only after reaching the top. If I was the first to work on Fangi in our previous first ascent, then Alexey was in the lead on this route for the entire rocky part. He was very good at passing long intricate sections of rocks.

 Alexey brought with him a completely new Vento equipment, skillfully used it, showed a high level of climbing technique. Sections 5 and 5 + k. sl. M4, M5. we all went free climbing, without using fixed ropes. I happened to be the first to climb on the day of reaching the top through complex conglomerates of crests and mushrooms from icicles and empty snow.

 The idea of the first ascent in Rowaling is not the only idea, I have a lot of them.  Perhaps this idea, despite the crazy logistics, vibrated the most strongly and Alexey was easy on the upswing.

 In general, he is an outstanding climber, I do not understand why he is underestimated in the St. Petersburg Federation, probably, as always, personal motives.

Thanks to Vento, Bask Co and personally to my friend Konstantin Babkin, who ordered me a painting, and then helped me a lot in financing this expedition!

 Go to the mountains as to a temple and do not look for dividends, Its will decide for themselves how sincere you are, there is not for  money and fame here, but moreover, super-existence....

A message from our friends from Vento company:

 Today (23.10) at 9 o'clock Nepalese time, Alexey Lonchinsky and Yuri Koshelenko made the first ascent to the summit of Rolwaling Kang Shar. The original version of the descent was abandoned, because: "the ridge is solid hollow snow, even it was not easy to get out to the top, and it was almost impossible to continue further."

During the daylight hours they managed to get down to the glacier and pass the crack zone. Then there was a simple descent to the base camp.

Alexey Lonchinsky and Yuri Koshelenko are among the best climbers in the World, repeatedly awarded with various "Golden Ice axes", champions of Russia. Alexey is a leading methodist coach at the 7 Summits Club. He manages all the training mountaineering camps that our company conducts. Yuri Koshelenko also worked as a guide in the 7 Summits Club company.

Saturday, October 7th. A message from Nepal: "Today the Nepalese have a day off, thanks to this, we were able to leave Kathmandu for the Rolwaling Valley at the 8th hour without traffic jams. 7.5 hours of traffic on roads of different quality (repairs are underway), and we reached the settlement of Chhyothkhyot at an altitude of 1410 m. We are staying here tonight for the night, then we will have a trek. Very comfortable in temperature (after KTM) place, with beautiful views. We met only one trekking peak expedition in this location."

  Alexey Lonchinsky (owner of Piolet D'Or) and Yuri Koshelenko (also owner of Piolet D'Or) today go to the high-altitude zone of the Himalayan Mountains to make a record ascent. The two are planning to make the first ascent to the top of the Rolwaling Kang along the technically complex Southeastern buttress.  At the moment, no one has been on this summit at all. In 2015, a Japanese expedition attempted to climb, but in the end the team ascended to the neighboring peak. The buttress is the most attractive in a technical sense, it is beautiful and logical. Alexey and Yuri received a permit and started trekking in the direction of the base camp on the Drolombao glacier.

This is the second joint ascent of Alexey and Yuri. In 2017, the two made an ascent to Fangi Peak (6538m), for which they were nominated for the Golden Ice Axe of Russia award.

The expedition is supported by the Vento Company.

For the first time in history, a chess tournament for climbers will be held in the spring of 2024 on Mount Everest. According to the organizers, the main part of the tournament will begin at the foot of the mountain (base camp), and its final will be at an altitude of about 8000 meters (South Col camp), without the use of additional oxygen. The prize fund will amount to 14 million rubles (app. 170000 USD), the winner of the competition, in addition to the cash prize, will have the opportunity to celebrate his victory on the summit of Mount Everest.

"This is the first tournament for climbers, which will demonstrate physical endurance and demonstrate the intellectual capabilities of the brain in extreme conditions.  The fourth and most dangerous Everest camp is located at an altitude of 8000 meters, and here the finalists will hold a match without access to additional oxygen. To maintain clarity of thought in intellectual struggle in such conditions, perhaps, will be the main challenge for the finalists of the Everchess tournament," commented the President of the 7 Summits Club, 12 times Everest summiter Alexander Abramov on the specifics of the event.  The initiator of the tournament was the summiter of Everest2023, the head of the company "Security Code" Andrey Golov.

Andrey Golov and Alexander Abramov after Everest summit

Applications for participation in the tournament will start in September 2023, and all participants will be strictly selected for health and climbing experience.

The cost of participation is 7,000,000 rubles.

The prize fund is 14,000,000 rubles.

Sponsor of the project “7 Summits Club" and “International HAC Federation".

Vladimir Belkovich climbed to the top of Lhotse accompanied by sherpa Dava. Thus, Vladimir, within the framework of the 8000 Club programs, did a "double" - in one season he climbed two eight-thousand-meter Makalu and Lhotse.  After his return to Kathmandu, our season can be considered over. And completed successfully!