Benjamin Vedrines landed in Nepal yesterday and will head toward one of the most formidable unclimbed north faces in the Himalaya. Together with climbing partner Nicolas Jean, Vedrines hopes to complete the first ascent of the north face of Jannu East (7,468m) in alpine style.
Nicolas Jean and Benjamin Vedrines (second and third from the left, respectively) at Kathmandu Airport. Photo: Benjamin Vedrines
The north face of Jannu is a monster vertical face located near Kangchenjunga. It has defeated some of the best climbers in history. It is difficult from base to summit, and nightmarishly exposed.
The climbers’ goal is to open a new route, not to the main summit of Jannu (7,710m), but to the 7,468m eastern point of the massif, which remains unclimbed.
The young French climbers — Jean is 27 and Vedrines is 32 — attempted the face for the first time last year. That time, they climbed with Leo Billon, but retreated when Billon fell sick.
Grand alpine training
Jean and Vedrines have been training hard at home in the Alps. Vedrines made a record speed traverse that he called the “Great Alpine Trilogy”: a nonstop, human-powered traverse of the ridges of the Grandes Jorasses, the Matterhorn, and the Eiger. Climbing, paragliding, and cycling from one peak to the next, Verdrines finished in a stunning 39 hours. You can check out some footage from his challenge below:
The goal was not only to make a speedy triple-traverse but to put his climbing skills, endurance, and mental strength to the test. The climbs included long, exposed passages at around 4,000m, and should help him on the mighty north face of Jannu.
“Courage is one of the first virtues needed to commit to this kind of project,” Jean wrote of Jannu. “The cold, avalanches, technical pitches; everything pulls us far from our comfort zone.”
