Led by Lakpa Dendi Sherpa and 14×8,000m climber Um Hong-gil, the Nepalese-Korean expedition has summited its first planned goal: Jugal I (6,591m), on the Nepal-Tibetan border.
On May 3, Lakpa Dendi led the trail-breaking and fixed the route to the summit of Jugal I. He reached it at 12:30 pm, the liaison officer told The Himalayan Times. Um Hong-gil followed with Babu Lama at 3:30 pm. Korean climbers Joung Je Gyun, Kim Dong Jin, Koo Eun Soo, and Baek Jong Min topped out the following day.
Um Hong-gil and Babu Lama. Photo: Lakpa Dendi Sherpa
The team has shared no details about the climb. However, a topo posted by Lakpa Dendi shows a nice line up a couloir.
The line up Jugal I. Photo: Lakpa Dendi Sherpa
Next, the team will climb neighboring Jugal II (6,518m). They originally planned to climb both in one push but have decided to do them separately. The Jugal massif, which opened to climbing just last year and is quite close to Kathmandu, has attracted much attention from foreign climbers. Currently, three teams hold permits for peaks on the massif.
Lakpa Dendi Sherpa on the summit of Jugal I. Photo: Lakpa Dendi/Facebook
