This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
RobNZ22 Feb 2010
First a thank you to UK Climbing. I posted this message (http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=362180&v=1#x5332836) way back and fellow NZer Ben answered. Ben and I exchanged trip reports and articles to size each other up. The only contact was via this forum and through emails until 5 months later when Ben + peak permits walked into Namche Bazar. We bought most of our equipment there and headed into the hills.
With Chukung (5800m free peak) and the busy Island Peak under our belts we headed up past Ama Dablam for the real adventure, a first ascent of the SW Face of Ombigaichen 6300m alpine style. It was fitting the mountain was first climbed by a Kiwi in the 1960s via it's chossy south ridge.
Dec 2 on the first attempt we topped out via the gorgeous SW Face. It's a beautiful line and reminded me length & difficulty of the SE ridgeface of Mt Aspiring in NZ but 3000m higher. I hope this route see's a repeat I think it's a classic but I'm probably biased .
Ben and I have not yet fully discussed the grade. But a preliminary NZ grade would be 3+ the + is for the altitude and length it took us 24 hours on the go up and down as we pitched half the face which in good conditions could be soloed, if you were confident, french grade maybe D-. The south ridge decent route is graded AD+ but I think with the melting of cauliflower ice on the top pitches it felt more like AD- now it's not PD+ due to length.
Well done! Beautiful peak and line. Congrats to you both.
RobNZ23 Feb 2010
Thanks all. The left ridge is still unclimbed, it was our second option if we failed on the face, but I think SW Face is the better line. There is stacks to do in there we wished Nepal introduced a generalised peak permit for under 7000ers we would have climbed a lot more FAs.
