Simon Messner and Martin Sieberer have completed the first ascent of Yermanendu Kangri.
“We have no further details, only the summit message they texted through their satellite phone at 3:12 pm,” outfitter Discover Karakoram told ExplorersWeb.
The 7,163m peak lies very close to Masherbrum and not far from busy K2, but the climbers were completely alone when they set up Base Camp on July 1. Conditions in the Baltoro have not been good until recently. Messner (the son of legendary Reinhold Messner) and Sieberer only announced their summit push two days ago.
Messner and Sieberer at Yemanendu Base Camp. Photo: Discover Karakoram
Pakistan’s Premier League of alpinism
It’s the first summit news from one of the several teams currently opening new routes on difficult peaks in Pakistan.
Earlier today, we reported on Czechs Tomas Petrecek, Radoslav Groh, and Pavel Korinek on Muchu Chhish, but other exciting expeditions are currently ongoing. These include Denis Urubko and Pipi Cardell on Gasherbrum I; Matteo della Bordella, Francois Cazzanelli, Silvan Schupbach, and Symon Welfringer on Baintha Brakk I (The Ogre I), Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima on Tirich Mir, Jeff and Priti Wright on K7 Central; Bru Busom, Marc Toralles, Oriol Baro, and Guillem Sancho on Saraghrar. Finally, Sergey Nilov and Dimitri Golovchenko are heading to Gasherbrum IV, although they haven’t begun their climb yet.
In an interview with ExplorersWeb, Golovchenko revealed that they will try the peak’s South Face — never climbed. When Explorersweb suggested that theirs might be the best expedition of the season, Golovchenko modestly replied, “It isn’t. The Ogre I is the best. It’s an objective I also had in mind!”
