Earlier tensions between India and Pakistan continue to reverberate in parts of the Karakoram and have forced some climbers to change goals. While some teams dropped out at the last minute, others switched peaks when closed zones thwarted permit applications.
Piolet d’Or winner Elias Millerioux of France went to Pakistan three weeks ago, but when we asked him about his plans, he replied, “It’s complicated.”
Helias Millerioux of France in Pakistan last week. Photo: Helias Millerioux
It turns out that Millerioux’s partners dropped out just days before leaving, leaving the French climber at loose ends. He wandered alone up the Momhil Glacier, scouting peaks for future endeavors. He also spent some days teaching climbing to locals in Karimabad. Finally, Medhi Vidault and another unidentified partner came from France to join him in climbing and skiing some Karakoram 6,000’ers.
“We have no clear expectations but are just letting things flow,” he wrote on social media. “Some expeditions are all about the unexpected.”
On Monday, the team climbed 6,171m Ambareen Sar, which they dubbed “a little summit” compared to the 7,000m giants around it. Yet the peak has only been climbed twice before: by Austrians Robert Gruber, Kurt Lapuch, and Christine Schmid in 1987 and by Felix Berg and David Langanke of Germany in 2020.
India’s permits restricted
In the Indian Himalaya, many mountain areas are closed, forcing teams to find alternative destinations. Last month, Vitaliy Musiyenko and Sean McLane of the U.S. were already in India when escalating tensions with Pakistan denied them a permit to climb Kishtwar Shivling. Instead, they picked an alternative on the go — Chaukhamba I, which lay in an area they knew nothing about. Their expedition costs doubled, and the climbers found the mountains in this new area were in highly dangerous conditions.
Melting glaciers on the way to Chaukhamba in the Indian Himalaya. Photo: Vitaliy Musiyenko
“[There were] active seracs over avalanche-prone slopes, serious icefalls to cross, and wet slides that start soon after the sun’s rays touched the slopes,” Musiyenko reported.
They made two attempts on Chaukhamba. On the first try, high winds forced them to retreat. On the second, scorching heat made the route unclimbable.
“The ice we intended to climb was a mix of fractured ice, running waterfalls, and frequent rockfall/wet slides,” Musiyenko noted. He also had a close call when he almost fell into a crevasse, which affected him.
An avalanche near Musiyenko and McLane’s Base Camp. Photo: Vitaliy Musiyenko
“It was difficult to bail…because the story we wanted out of this trip was one of overcoming adversity,” Musoyenko wrote back at home. “However, you can’t push it too far; life is more important.”
No more Rimo III
Musiyenko and McLane are not the only recipients of an American Alpine Club Cutting Edge grant who were forced to change plans. Michael Hutchins, Stefano Ragazzo and Piolet d’Or winner Chris Wright tried in vain to obtain permits for the 1,600m southwest face of Rimo III. The peak lies in the easternmost part of the Karakoram, within India. Fortunately, the climbers found a new goal, which they will tell us about in an exclusive interview later this week.
Some stick to plans
Not all alpine-style teams had to change plans. Some have already succeeded on their original goals, like the teams on Ultar Sar and Spantik. Others are currently climbing, like Urubko and Goettler’s teams on Nanga Parbat. Still others are on their way to their destinations, such as the separate French and Italian teams targeting Gasherbrum IV.
The Italian Gasherbrum IV team arrives in Skardu. Photo: Federico Secchi
