Expedition Recap: First Summit Attempt on Burke-Khang

If you followed my updates of the fall climbing season in the Himalaya, you probably saw me mention an expedition to the Nepali peak Burke-Khang on more than one occasion. The 6942 meter (22,775 ft) peak is one of more than a hundred mountains that Nepal opened to climbers for the first time back in 2014, providing mountaineers with the opportunity to post first ascents on some peaks that even now remain mostly uncharted. And since the mountain is named for American climber Bill Burke, who better than the man himself to help spearhead the first expedition to have a go at the summit?

Our friend Alan Arnette has posted an excellent expedition recap of the climb, starting with how Burke and Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering began scouting Burke-Khang last spring to look for potential routes to the top. Bill had received an assessment of the mountain from some of his Sherpa friends who had deemed in "unclimbable" but after flying over in a helicopter, taking hundreds of photos, and surveying the area fort themselves, Burke and Madison thought that they had spotted a safe way to approach the summit.

This fall, they returned to the remote region of Nepal to attempt the climb, spending several weeks fixing the route and exploring the best way to ascend. Eventually they made a summit push, and came up about 30 meters (100 feet) shy of the top. Apparently, they could have easily finished the route, but the snow cornice on top of the mountain was deemed unstable, so they elected to safely descend first. Burke hasn't ruled out returning to the mountain however, as it is clear he'd like to personally be the one to get the first ascent.

Reading Alan's piece is not only a good recap of everything that happened this fall, but it offers nice insights into how an expedition conducts its research and scouting prior to the launch of their mission. It also provides solid background on what happens during a climb, and what it is like to be live on a mountain while working towards your objectives. It is definitely a good read for anyone who not only follows mountaineering, but is interested in the logistics of the climb too.

Check it out in its entirety here.

Winter 2016 Climbs: Nanga Parbat Will Be Busy, K2 Will Be Empty

Last week I shared the news that Spanish climber Alex Txikon would lead an expedition to Nanga Parbat this winter in an effort to complete the first ascent of that mountain during the coldest, most difficult season of all. Turns out that group won't be alone, as ExWeb now reports that as many as five teams could be on the mountain, all trying to achieve the same objective.

In addition to Txikon's mix of climbers form all over the world, there will be a Polish-Pakistani team attempting the Rupal Face all on the Schell Route. That squad is already in Pakistan and according to ExWeb is preparing to acclimatize now ahead of the actual official start of winter on December 21.

Meanwhile, the team of Elisabeth Revol and Tomek Mackiewicz will be back on the mountain this year, along with Arslan Ahmed. They will be attempting an alpine style ascent along the Diamir side of the mountain. Reveal and Mackiewicz spent considerable amount of time scouting the route last year, and are hoping to return to complete unfinished business.

ExWeb doesn't have many details yet, but they are also reporting that Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger will be on Nanga Parbat this winter as well. Their route, schedule, and plans have yet to be revealed however. Hopefully we'll get more word on their intentions soon.

And finally, Adam Bielecki and Jacek Czech will acclimatize on Ojos before heading over to Nanga for the season. They'll be the fifth confirmed squad on the hill this winter, although ExWeb doesn't have any information on their intended route yet either.

At 8126 meters (26,660 ft) in height, Nanga Parbat is just one of two 8000-meter peaks that have yet to be climbed in winter. And while there will be quite a few teams attempting to put up the first winter ascent of that mountain, at this time it appears that there are no plans for anyone to attempt the other unclimbed eight-thousander this winter. That peak is K2 of course, which is perhaps the most dangerous and deadly of all of the big mountains. It's summit remains elusive in the best of weather conditions, and in the winter it is nearly unclimbable. I'm sure some day someone will reach the top, but it doesn't look like the winter of 2016 will be that time.

Of course, we'll be following these expeditions closely as the winter season approaches. This just might be the year that someone finally summits Nanga in winter.