Now that last weekend’s storm has passed, some small teams aiming for new routes in Nepal are about to begin. These include Benjamin Vedrines and Nicolas Jean of France on the 2,300m north face of 7,468m Jannu East and Lucien Bocansaud on an alpine-style solo of Khangri Shar.
Other alpine-style teams are heading to their chosen mountains this week.
Jannu East
Vedrines said on social media this week:
“Jannu East via its north face can be climbed in many ways. Ours is alpine style: without oxygen, without fixed ropes, without assistance outside our rope team, a pure style, requiring skills accumulated over the years, true mountaineering. It will be just us, our 60m ropes, and our loaded backpacks.”
The French climbers have not said exactly when they will launch their push but it seems imminent. They are acclimatized after achieving the first ascent of the White Wave last week. The weather outlook for them remains unclear. Forecasts predict sunny and bitterly cold days ahead, and also strong winds at altitude. Also, it is unknown whether the face is in an acceptable condition after the recent heavy snowfall.
According to Vedrines, they will do it in “three days to the top, if everything goes right. Five days would mean failure.”
Forecast for Jannu (main) at summit altitude by Mountainforecast.com
Khangri Shar and Num Ri
Lucien Bocansaud will not only attempt an alpine-style solo of Khangri Shar, but he has also obtained a permit for 6,635m Num Ri. The latter mountain only opened to climbers in 2002, and a German team made its first ascent that year. As for Khangri Shar, Nepal Himal Peak Profile gives its altitude as 6,811m, while the Himalayan Database lists it slightly lower, at 6,792m.
Num Ri. Photo: Lucien Boucansaud
Boucasaud is currently in Chukhung village in the Khumbu. He told ExplorersWeb that before confirming the route and the style on Num Ri, he needs to check the conditions. The mountain is currently loaded with fresh snow after the intense blizzard last weekend.
Numbur Peak
Adam Bielecki of Poland, Herve Barmasse of Italy, and Felix Berg of Germany are in the Rolwaling area, eyeing a new route on Numbur Peak, an almost-7,000’er also known as Numburchuli. Before starting their climb, they need to get to the base of the peak — no easy matter due to the heavy rains that have blocked several roads.
“We were lucky to reach the start of the trek in Taksindu (3,100m) before roads closed,” Felix Berg wrote. “The weather is still unstable, and it will take time for climbing conditions to improve. We are setting up our base camp while returning for the night to Beni village (4,100m).”
Bijora Hiunchuli
The Japanese team on the 2025 edition of Himalaya Camp was also lucky to reach Jumla in western Nepal despite the rains. However, the 450km by bus took them over 16 hours. The rains were less intense in the western part of the country, so the second part of the approach, by car, was swift.
The team of university students and promising alpinists, led by Yasuhiro Hanatani, will attempt unclimbed Bijora Hiunchuli (6,111m).
A stop in the middle of the night during the bus trip toward Jumla, in western Nepal. Photo: Himalayan Camp
Secretive alpinists
Other well-known climbers in Nepal have chosen to keep quiet about their goals, at least until they reach Base Camp. They include Andres Marin and Anna Pfaff of the U.S., Marek Holecek of Czechia, Francois Cazzanelli of Italy, Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders of the UK, and Silvan Schupbach, Stefan Siegrist, and Philippo Sala of Switzerland.
