UKC

What's the biggest challenge out there that's still unconquered? - why?

Discuss!

In reply to rock spider: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest_unclimbed_mountain

In reply to Al Evans:
Thanks Al - that gives me something to work on.
RS

In reply to rock spider:

If a high mountain is unclimbed, there's generally a reason why it's unclimbed.

Some, like Gangkar Puensum, are off limits to climbers. But many others are unclimbed because they're very remote, hard to get to, or just very very hard or dangerous.

In reply to niggle:
Can you name some of them? Which would you like to have a go at - or wouldn't you? Which would you say would be a crazy dream but one you'd admire someone for having a go at?

(I'm researching this for a novel - I could really use some passion on the subject from you guys! Cheers!)

In reply to rock spider: There must be other high unclimbed peaks in the other ranges, S America, Alaska, Arctic, Greenland etc.

In reply to rock spider:

It's quite hard to get reliable information on which mountains are highest and which are unclimbed because height is dependent on surveys and not all areas have been surveyed, and ascents are reliant on word of mouth.

Like a lot of climbers I tend to be as interested in routes up mountains which may have already been climbed as I am in completely unclimbed mountains. But here are a few peaks and routes that float my personal boat:

Zemu Gap Peak
Unclimbed as far as I'm aware, a little-known and seldom seen peak on the Nepal border. At 7780m it's enormous but it's remote and nobody seems to know much about how easy or hard it would be to climb.

The Ogre
It's only been climbed twice in over 20 years and all the available routes seem to be atrociously hard. An ascent or better yet a new route on The Ogre would be quite a prize.

North Face of K2
The big kahuna. The north face of K2 is so appalling that it's only been attempted once (this year) and never climbed. Horrendous conditions and extremely hard technical climbing at crippling altitudes make this one for supermen only!

In reply to niggle:
North Face of K2 looks a very strong contender. Is anyone currently looking at giving it a go? - and what went wrong with this year's attempt?

In reply to rock spider:

I remember seeing a program about a very active volcano in the Andes which is somewhere in the region of 7,000m. It erupts several times a day, and whilst there have been attempts on it, some fatal, I don't think it's ever been climbed. It rains lava balls and rocks down on anyone attempting it.

In reply to rock spider:


This year's attempt was to start on 27th Spetember, with Denis Urubko and Sergey Samoilov aiming to take a direct line, alpine style.

I don't know if anything's gone wrong, I just haven't heard anything about it.

In reply to Trangia:

Would certainly add tension! Do I want my hero to have suicidal tendencies? Hmmmm... (Separate question: do all mountaineers at this level have suicidal tendencies? - could they do it otherwise?)

In reply to niggle:
They got to the summit, but not by the north face:
http://www.k2climb.net/news.php?id=16593

In reply to tony:

Phew, thanks for that Tony.

Bad luck not getting the line they wanted, but a stellar effort in what sounds like very gnarly conditions.

In reply to rock spider:

That Wikipedia article is surprising good, given some of the crap out there, like Peakware. There was an article on this earlier this year on mounteverest.net if you want to trawl for it.

Samoilov and Urubko bailed off the N face proper and summited via the N ridge, first ascent of the route in 10 yrs, a huge effort, maybe the first true alpine-style ascent of K2.

The true west face of Makalu is still unclimbed. There was a Russian route up the right side but it avoided the main difficulty of the huge steep rock wall. Highest ever got on it was in the 80s by either Alex McIntyre or Erhard Loretan.

There's still not a route up the main part of the S face of Dhaulagiri. Humar's route traversed off and was generally overhyped, though he did some hard climbing and took a lot of risk.

Worse is the N (Kangshung) face of Lhotse - big and steep but totally covered by huge seracs. Never attempted.

Mazeno Ridge of Nanga Parbat has now been climbed, but still not to the summit. ie. significantly harder.

E face of Kanchenjunga - rarely seen, never attempted, huge. Indian route from this side was to the N of it.

E ridge of Broad Peak. Hiding in plain sight, seen by thousands, never attempted (?). SE ridge attempted at least three times, no success.

NW ridge of Dhaulagiri - long, very long, bit hard up high.

N side of Disteghil Sar. Only one attempt, everyone died.

N ridge of Shingu Charpa. One claimed ascent, everyone lied. Still not completed. Crap rock.

N face of Namche Barwa would be huge - over 3000m above the gorge. Only one ascent of the peak. Hard to get to.

Zemu is not really a mountain, from what I know of it on paper. The Kabru issue is interesting, I think it was semi-resolved, but again, the peak in question is not a stunner. Ditto Saser Kangri II etc.

Karjiang is next on the list. It's reasonably steep and more independent than the above two. Been attempted twice.

Ultar has been climbed two or three times now, but the SE (Hidden) Pillar was attempted last month by Jed Brown and Colin Haley. Fowler and Saunders first attempted it in the 90s, Bubendorfer looked at it and Graziani and Co tried it a couple of years ago. Jed and Colin didn't really get on it as it was so out of condition and weather was shit. It's 3100m high, two days from the road.

Highest unclimbed peak in the Andes is .... (really terrible rock, rarely attempted, over 5000m).

And interestingly, as far as I know not one of these objectives has ever been attempted 'for charity' ...

D

In reply to Damo:

Looks like you've got enough to keep you busy for the next 20 years ... but I won't offer to sponsor you...!

Which of that impressive list would you go for personally, and why?

In reply to rock spider:

... but, but ... it's my gap year, and I'm helping the carbonneutralhomelesschildwhaleswithcancer !

I wouldn't have a hope of getting up nearly all of them, so it's irrelevant really. If I had to choose ? Gangkar Punzum or Karjiang.


D

In reply to Damo:

Well, if you had unlimited time to train and money to spend, who knows?

Great list by the way! I didn't realise N face of Lhotse was still virgin, but I suppose the middle pillar was only done recently and it was a complete bastard!

In reply to niggle:

Actually I disagree on both counts, for me at least

The Lhotse Middle climb was over-hyped. They climbed the normal S Col route on Everest, with all the advantages of a set icefall, fixed lines, path trodden, big camps, to 8000m, then traversed around the back with just a bit of rock to finish. ie. 500m of new climbing.

The old attempts to do LM were harder, particularly those from the south, from Lhotse Shar. Then they realised there was this hidden snow traverse around the top of Lhotse N face, it was the key.

D

In reply to Damo:

So much choice!

So the north face of K2 is still unconquered, by anyone, ever?

In reply to rock spider:

The face, yes. Really bad avo danger down the middle. It's the face between the NE ridge climbed by Americans in '78 and the N ridge climbed by Japanese in '82. I think there's photos on summitpost.org

But so is the E face of K2. A team attempted it this year, but reverted to the Abruzzi instead, making the first Scottish ascent of K2 in the process. The W face was also unclimbed until the Russians did it this year.

I didn't bother mentioning in the reply to the OP the N ridge of Latok and the W face of Latok III or the N face/ridge of Masherbrum as those are pretty well-known unclimbed things. NW face of the Devil's Thumb in AK is also well known and virgin as it's so dangerous and steep with really bad weather.

S ridges/face on G4 attempted at least 3 times, W face of Skyang Kangri attempted at least twice, Batura II attempted at least 3 times, Jannu East multiple Slovenian attempts and deaths, Fantasy Ridge on Everest ... the list is endless.

D

In reply to Damo: awesome posts Damo really informative, you've just written my next MEF application!?

The NW face ofo the Deveils thumb is interesting, a couple of my friends were killed on it and there is an excellent article looking at the history in Roch and Ice i think.

One of the few survivors that has been on it gives an interesting and scary "game plan".

for the would be author please see
http://www.gumclub.co.uk/Journals/2004/articles/deathriskclimbing.htm
for my own personal view.

In reply to alasdair19 not logged on:

Thanks guys - loads to work on there.
RS

In reply to rock spider:

I don't think any peak is ever conquered - you probably meant unclimbed ?

In reply to GrahamD:
Of course you're right - the mountain remains quite unaffected by the whole experience... Unless of course we're talking about restaurants, cable cars and railways: hard for any mountain to resist that kind of conquest, alas.

In reply to GrahamD:

Not what Walter Bonatti thought
'Conquistadors of the Useless'

In reply to rock spider:

OK, here's some more:

North Ridge of Latok 1 (or any route on the north side of Latok for that matter)

NW Spur of Rakaposhi - mission impossible judging by attempts to date

Khunyang Chhish East via any route

In reply to rock spider:
W face of Latok III and the N face of Masherbrum seem to be the higest unclimbed walls in the world at the moment.
But for beautiful/dificult unclimbed peaks i would sugest a look at the inside cover of the 100 years of the alpine club book.
It's got a selection of 12 unclimbed 6000's, all of them striking beauty and obvious difficulty, they've been compiled by a member of the japanese alpine club, which holds a record of unclimbed himalayan peaks.

Hows about some of the ones out in north eastern tibet such as Sepu Kangri. Surely an ascent of Sepu Kangri would be an event since an exped has already failed on it. Or a new route?

In reply to otziiceman:

SK got climbed by Mark Newcomb and Carlos Buhler a few years ago. All the good stuff is south of there.

D

In reply to Damo:

Looks like it's going to have to be a trilogy at least, this many mountains. Now how am I to choose?!