In October, Luka Lindic of Slovenia and Fanny Schmutz of France completed a new alpine route on a 5,600m peak in the remote Genyen Massif of western Sichuan Province, China. The ascent, graded VII A1, 700m, took place near the Tibetan border, an area that remains largely unexplored by mountaineers.
The pair redirected to the Genyen Valley after their initial plan fell through due to permit issues. Local motorcyclists transported them from the valley entrance to a river, where they established their base camp.
For acclimatization, Lindic and Schmutz first ascended a nearby 5,200m peak via a 300m route. After a rest, they targeted the west-facing wall of the 5,600m peak, called Garmunei Gou. Bivouacking below the wall for an early start, they experienced colder conditions than expected, with snow complicating the shaded sections.
The new route on the 5,600m peak. Photo: Luka Lindic
The climbers cached their bivouac gear midway up the route to climb more efficiently. The upper headwall was steep with sparse protection, requiring traverses, a diagonal rappel, and brief aid climbing. They summited at night, grading the route VII A1. The descent involved rappels back to their cached gear around 3 am. Here, they rested before returning to base camp the next day.
More photos of the expedition. Photo: Luka Lindic/Fanny Schmutz
Schmutz sustained an ankle sprain during a subsequent scouting trip, prompting the team to refrain from climbing anything further.
The Genyen Massif, centered around the 6,204m Ge’nyen peak (the third-highest in Sichuan), has dozens of mountains, many unclimbed, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
The area of the expedition. Photo: Luka Lindic/Fanny Schmutz
