French climbers Benjamin Vedrines and Nicolas Jean are preparing for the north face of Jannu in grand style. The pair has achieved the first ascent of Anidesh Chuli (6,808m), also known as the White Wave.
Vedrines and Jean climbed the peak via the north ridge, completing a difficult 1,150m-long route in a single day and alpine style.
Wave of snow
As its nickname suggests, Anidesh Chuli is a spiky, aesthetic white wave of pristine snow, close to 7,000m high, that has previously attracted climbers’ attention. The most recent attempt was in 2023, by a Japanese team led by Piolet d’Or winner Kazuaki Amano.
Vedrines and Jean had spotted the peak during their first attempt on Jannu last year, and this time they saw the perfect opportunity to climb it. “Setting foot on this summit for the first time was a privilege,” Vedrines said.
The crevassed flanks of Anidesh Chuli. Photo: Quentin Degrenelle
“The vertical pitches of sugar-sweet snow, typical of the Himalaya, gave us a hard time,” Vedrines wrote of the climb. “Nicolas [Jean] knew how to use his cunning to carve a path where the elements could have stopped us in our tracks.”
They have also posted a video of the feat on Instagram, with impressive footage thanks to the drones piloted by Thibaut Marot and Quentin Degrenelle:
Jannu next
Vedrines and Jean need to acclimatize well for perhaps the most committed climb of the year: an alpine-style push on the north face of Jannu, aiming to reach the mountain’s east summit for the first time. During their 2024 effort on Jannu, a third team member, Leo Billon, abandoned the attempt because of altitude-related problems, and Vedrines and Jean retreated with him.
The summit of Anidesh Chiuli has been the latest stage of the preparation process, and now they feel ready for the main event. Whatever happens on Jannu, they have already bagged a first ascent worthy of any expedition.
