Near the huge and already bustling Everest Base Camp, a lone climber is attempting an alpine-style solo ascent of a technical peak that is still, surprisingly, unclimbed.
Lucien Bocansaud of France has returned to Nepal to finish what he attempted last year: a solo ascent of 6,792m Kangri Shar.
Before his departure, Bocansaud shared his surprise with ExplorersWeb at how little known Kangri Shar is, given its location, so close to Everest and just west of Pumori, on the border with Tibet. But most of all, Bocansaud said, it is a beautiful peak, with a challenging south face.
Little known does not mean never attempted, however. Since 2003, seven teams have tried to climb it, and all of them failed.
First glimpse
Bocansaud saw the peak for the first time when he soloed Pumori in 2023. Thereafter, he started planning to climb it. He tried a solo ascent last fall, but food poisoning forced him back from 6,400m. Then, Cyclone Montha blanketed the region in heavy snow, halting further attempts.
After a dry winter, Bocansaud will find the mountain in very different conditions. He will climb solo again, but will not be alone on the mountain. Andre Costa will film the expedition for a documentary, and they’ll have a two-person base camp crew.
Left to right, Andre Costa, the Sherpa crew, and Lucien Bocansaud yesterday in Kathmandu. Photo: Lucien Bocansaud/Instagram
The climber has not yet revealed his specific climbing and acclimatization plans. Last fall, he prepared for Kangri Shar by speeding up Ama Dablam in a single push, barely touching the fixed ropes. On that occasion, he made it from Base Camp to the top in 8 hours, 10 minutes (13 hours, 17 minutes for the round trip).
Often attempted, never summited
Nepal Himal Peak Profile assigns Kangri Shar an altitude of 6,811m, while the Himalayan Database (HDB) lists it as slightly lower, at 6,792m. According to the HDB, the peak has had several attempts, including from some commercial teams.
A Japanese group made the first attempt in 2003. In 2004, an Adventure Peaks team from the UK, led by Tim Blakemore, tried. The year 2018 featured two attempts, one by the late Noel Hanna of Northern Ireland and another by Luke Smithwick of the U.S. and Frederik Strang of Sweden. Adventure 14 organized a team for Delphine Reymond of Switzerland. In 2024, a South Korean team led by An Chi-Young attempted it. All expeditions to Kangri Shar came from the Nepal side, all were unsuccessful, and all attributed their failure to bad conditions and objective hazards.
Kangri Shar from Nepal’s Khumbu. Photo: Lucien Bocansaud
