While commercial climbers lay aside their summit hopes on the hyper-popular Manaslu, two small teams, both from Russia, are setting off toward a lonely Everest (8,848m) and Jannu (7,710m).
After some meetings in Kathmandu last weekend, Andrei Vasiliev, Sergey Kondrashkin, Vitaly Shipilov, and Natalya Belyankina obtained the funds they needed to climb Everest in the next few weeks.
“What a crazy start to the expedition,” Vasiliev told ExplorersWeb.
Off the normal route
The four climbers want to test their gear and scout a new line on Everest that they will attempt in earnest next spring. Their original idea was to climb the usual South Col route, but Vasiliev told ExplorersWeb that they are applying for a permit to climb off the normal route.
For modestly financed crews like this one, there might be a monetary reason for this. A fall permit on Everest’s normal route costs $7,500 per climber but only $5,000 if they try a different way. “We will decide which route we climb once we get there,” said Vasiliev.
The team flies to Lukla tomorrow.
A different Everest experience
Climbing Everest as a solitary team, with the mountain overloaded with snow after the recent storm, is quite different from what commercial climbers experience during a typical spring. The four of them will be completely alone as they find their way across the Khumbu Glacier. If they head toward the Western Cwm before diverging to their new line, they will have to find their own way through the Khumbu Icefall.
The team does not intend to use supplemental oxygen. Vasiliev told ExplorersWeb that the whole idea is to test themselves on a “higher 8,000’er.” They did a new route on Manaslu last year and made two previous attempts on the South Face of Cho Oyu. Both peaks only slightly surpass the 8,000m mark.
Jannu
At the same time, a second Russian team led by Sergey Romanenkov will attempt a new route on the formidable Jannu (7,710m) in the Kangchenjunga region.
Anna Piunova of the Mountain Club reported that the team intends to link first ascents of Langchung Khang (6,786m) and neighboring Langpo Peak (6,965m). They will then attempt a new route up the southwest side of Jannu, attaining the ridge via a system of icefalls. They will then join Lionel Terray’s 1962 first ascent line. After summiting, they will descend the same way.
The team includes Ivan Artemov, Ivan Volkov, Artem Zhdanov, Konstantin Neumoin, Roman Shilin, and Vasily Yagodin. Together, they climbed Gasherbrum II in 2024. They have not shared more specific climbing plans, but Artemov says they will fly to Nepal next week and spend 40 days in the mountains.
Some of the best fall expeditions of the last few years have taken place on Jannu. Americans Alan Rousseau, Matt Cornell, and Jackson Marvell made an alpine-style ascent of the north face in 2023, while last year, France’s Benjamin Vedrines and Nico Jean reached the peak’s East summit (7,468m), also via the north face and in alpine style. Both climbs were awarded a Piolet d’Or.
