They didn’t succeed on Nanda Devi East, but Piolet d’Or winners Manu Pellisier of France, Marko Prezelj of Slovenia, and Archil Badriashvili of Georgia didn’t leave the Indian Himalaya empty-handed.
Too warm weather, despite the wind. Photo: Manu Pellisier
They climbed in unusual conditions, to say the least. The recent heat wave that has scorched India also affected the mountains. The ISO 0 (the freezing point) was 6,500m!
Nanda Devi at sunset. Photo: Bhagwan Thakur
On Nanda Devi East, they reached 5,900m on the south face, but Pellisier’s brief report does not say why they had to turn back or if the warm weather had anything to do with it. Still, the team bagged a first ascent of nearby 6,344m Nanda Shori. There, they opened a route they called Dirty Dancing (M5/85/1,200m) in four days.
Finally, they opened another route on 6,322m Changush: an 80º, 1,000m line that they climbed in 18 hours return from their last camp.
Marko Prezelj. Photo: Manu Pellisier
Oh, and they also had a run-in with an ibex, but we’ll have to wait for the team to return for the details.
“A magnificent and wild place, welcoming people, a top team…a great adventure,” said Pellisier about their six-week sojourn.
Left to right, Manu Pellisier, Marko Prezelj, and Archil Badriashvili.
