Far from the crowds currently flocking to Ama Dablam and Manaslu, two American teams are returning to one of the most impressive peaks in Nepal’s Himalaya. Mt. Jannu, also known as Kumbhakarna, rises 7,710m in the Kangchenjunga region.
The team includes Jackson Marvell, Alan Rousseau, and Matt Cornell. The threesome has received one of the AAC’s Cutting Edge Grants this year to return to attempt the north face of Jannu (main) in alpine style. This is their third try in a row, after previous attempts in 2021 and 2022.
Only one party has succeeded on Jannu’s intimidating north face: a Russian team led by Alexander Odintsov in 2004, on a classic, Himalayan-style expedition. (A Japanese team led by Masatsugu Konishi officially first climbed the face in 1976, but their route was not a direct line. It followed the left side of the face, then picked up the east ridge.)
Left to right, Jackson Marvell, Alan Rousseau, and Matt Cornell on Alaska’s Mount Dickey earlier this year. Photo: American Alpine Club/Cutting Edge Grants
Marvell, Cornell, and Rousseau will share the mountain, but not the route, with another first-class pair: Sam Hennessey and Michael Gardner.
Sam Hennessey, left, and Michael Gardner. Photo: Samaya Equipment
Hennessey was also on Jannu in 2021, attempting Jannu East with Seth Timpano.
Below, some shots of Hennessey and Timpano (another Cutting Edge grantee for a climb in Kyrgyzstan), on the cliffs of Squamish, British Columbia yesterday.
Hennessey and Gardner will share more details about their upcoming Jannu climb after the expedition.
