UKC

Japanese Team Nabs First Ascent of Pillar of Kyashar

© Andy Houseman
Japanese climbers Hiroyoshi Manome, Tatsuya Aoki and Yasuhiro Hanatani recently completed a first ascent of the south face of the pillar of Kyashar in Nepal (22,211 feet). The south face of the pillar had been the site of numerous failed attempts by other climbers.

Panorama of the Hinku, Kyashar on the left to the West face of Mera Peak on the right  © Andy Houseman
Panorama of the Hinku, Kyashar on the left to the West face of Mera Peak on the right
© Andy Houseman

"We had to do five bivouacs to reach the summit, one bivouac on the way down," Manome reported on his Twitter feed on November 28. "So it took us a total of seven days with six bivouacs to do the route. While the route was very challenging, we had the satisfaction of knowing we reached the summit."

The three Japanese climbers already had a distinguished history of difficult ascents in the Himalayas. Tatsuya Aoki had previously climbed K2 in 2006 with the first Japanese woman to reach the summit, Yuka Komatsu. Yasuhiro Hanatani was also part of a successful 2009 expedition to complete the first ascent of the west face of Nemjung (23,425 feet) in Nepal. And while they did not reach the summit, Manome and Hanatani were part of a 2004 expedition to the Meru Shark's Fin.

British alpinist Andy Houseman wrote a fantastic article for UKClimbing on his attempt on Kyashar last year - read it here: Kyashar Article.

Also check out this video of Andy Houseman and Nick Bullock on Kyashar:


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