UKC

NEWS: Brits Climb Chang Himal North Face

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 UKC News 09 Nov 2009
[Nick Bullock scoping the Chang Himal North Face, 3 kb]

British Alpinists Nick Bullock and Andy Houseman have succeeded on one of the 'great unclimbed faces' with their ascent of Chang Himal's (a.ka. Wedge Peak) 1800 metre north face in Nepal's Kanchenjunga Himal.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=50247

In reply to UKC News:
Excellent news, well done boys!! I look forward to reading the full story...
Just goes to show British Alpinism is alive and kicking some serious ass
(see thread earlier this year suggesting it was dead)
Great Stuff
 Silum 09 Nov 2009
In reply to UKC News:

New stylesheet makes the photos problematic. I thought fixing the width meant you could fix formatting stuff like that.
 mr mills 09 Nov 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Fantastic achievement guys, well done Nick and Andy.
 James Moyle 09 Nov 2009
In reply to Silum: yes, I nearly missed the second picture.

The face looks, to say the least, nails
 Jon Bracey 10 Nov 2009
In reply to UKC News:

This is a really significant ascent, congrats to Nick and Andy!
I hope this inspires all the strong climbers operating in Scotland in winter to get out to Nepal and such places.
 Jack Geldard 10 Nov 2009
In reply to Silum: Hi Silum,

We have a bug that we are currently working on.

Thanks,

Jack
Matt Helliker 10 Nov 2009
In reply to UKC News: Nice one boys, see you in a few weeks
 Tom Briggs 10 Nov 2009
Look forward to hearing the tale and finding out which line they took. This face is absolutely awesome and is such an obvious objective. Anyone who has trekked to Kangchenjunga north base camp will have marvelled at the beauty of Chang Himal. As Nick always says "Together we can challenge the world"

http://www.jagged-globe.co.uk/images/dbpage.php?id=4478
guywillett 11 Nov 2009
In reply to UKC News: Great effort lads, see you in afew weeks!

Cheers
Guy
 Ian Parnell 11 Nov 2009
In reply to Tom Briggs: Lovely photo Tom.
- Good effort boys
- In reply to Jon - Perhaps Andy and Nick are now ready to try something hard in Scotland
In reply to UKC News: Inspirational. Does anyone know which line their route took? Or was just take the line of least resistance direct to the summit?
 Tom Briggs 11 Nov 2009
In reply to the cassin ridge:
> (In reply to UKC News) Inspirational. Does anyone know which line their route took? Or was just take the line of least resistance direct to the summit?

Don't know yet, but they were looking at a line to the right of the central spur (i.e. up from the snow cone at the base of the right side of the spur). To hit the (west) ridge down and right of the summit. Everything on the left is exposed to ice fall and the central spur itself looked technical and difficult to exit from at the top of the face. But that's all speculation from their initial observations of the face when we were in base camp. What did seem likely was there being very few places to bivi!
In reply to Tom Briggs:

So the probably avoid the awesome top head wall?

Any idea of an average angle of the face?

I presume the climbing should be quite straight forward snow/neve apart from the occasional mixed band.
 vscott 11 Nov 2009
In reply to the cassin ridge: Tom, snow on a face like that can be anything but straightforwards, as the swiss found recently on their impressive ascent (tunnel) of Jasemba - http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/swiss_climb_south_face_of_jasemba/

It's been a very productive autumn in the Himalaya: Among many others the Swiss on Jasemba, French on Nemjung, Russians on Siguniang, Bruce Normand + Americans on the amazing looking Xuelian Feng and now Andy and Nick on Chang Himal! Good work guys.
 Tom Briggs 11 Nov 2009
In reply to the cassin ridge:
> (In reply to Tom Briggs - Jagged Globe)
>
> So the probably avoid the awesome top head wall?

Dunno, but this photo gives you some idea of what the top of the face looks like:

http://www.jagged-globe.co.uk/images/dbpage.php?id=4479

> Any idea of an average angle of the face?
>
> I presume the climbing should be quite straight forward snow/neve apart from the occasional mixed band.

Or bottomless powder on steep rock? Who knows. One can only speculate until we hear it from the horse's mouth.

In reply to Tom Briggs:
> (In reply to the cassin ridge)
> [...]
>
> Dunno, but this photo gives you some idea of what the top of the face looks like:
>
> http://www.jagged-globe.co.uk/images/dbpage.php?id=4479
>
Wow! One day...
>
> Or bottomless powder on steep rock? Who knows. One can only speculate until we hear it from the horse's mouth.

I think I should have written, could in an ideal world be, rather than, should be!

 Mr Lopez 11 Nov 2009
In reply to UKC News:
There you go http://montanismo.org/articulos.php?id_art=2865&id_sec=15
(Scroll down for the topo)
Derbyshire Ben 11 Nov 2009
In reply to UKC News:

Brilliant.. insprirational!
 vscott 11 Nov 2009
In reply to Mr Lopez: Think you'll find that topo is Andy and Nick's proposed line from when they were planning the trip. From what Tom is saying it sounds like they were thinking slightly further to the right - sure they'll fill in the details once they've had a shower and a lot of beer!
 Mr Lopez 11 Nov 2009
In reply to vscott:
Fair enough. Will be good to hear their account.
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