After they finished guiding on Everest, Vinayak Jalla Malla, Pasang Rinzee Sherpa, and Pasang Kami Sherpa didn’t hang up their crampons for a little rest. Instead, they are trying for the first ascent of 6,450m Patrasi Peak in alpine style, thanks to a grant by the UK’s Mount Everest Foundation.
The three Nepalese have extensive experience at high altitudes. Pasang Kami has summited Everest nine times. Pasang Rinzee, an IFMGA guide in training, is also a photographer. He and Malla also attempted winter Manaslu.
Malla is an IFMGA guide who promotes climbing among the Nepalese. He helped organize the country’s first ice climbing festival and recently published a topo guide to rock climbing in Nepal. He was on the summit of Everest last month when a section of cornice fell, killing two climbers in front of him.
Patrasi Peak is an unclimbed mountain in lightly visited western Nepal.
“Our ambition extends beyond the summit,” Malla told representatives of the Mount Everest Foundation. “We strive to demonstrate ethical and sustainable mountaineering practices in Nepal. Simultaneously, we would like to promote and showcase the beauty of western Nepal.”
The climbers are attempting Patrasi in the off-season. The monsoon rains are weaker by the time they reach Western Nepal, which borders with India’s Uttarakhand. Here, near Nanda Devi and the Garhwal Himalaya, teams also climb in summer.
Patrasi is a sub-peak northeast of Kande Hiunchuli (6,627m). It was attempted in 2014 by Bradley Morrell of the UK and UK-Russian climber Alek Zholobenko. Read their report here.
The north and west faces of Patrasi. Photo: Alek Zholobenko
The Mount Everest Foundation wanted to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Everest’s first ascent by launching a grant program for Nepalese climbers wishing to attempt exploratory, lightweight climbs.
