Wadim Jablonski and Maciej Kimel will attempt a new route on Chobutse, a 6,680m peak in Nepal’s Rolwaling Valley.
The Polish climbers will attempt to finish the northeast pillar route started in 2019 by Mihnea Radu Prundeanu and Kyriakos Rossidis of Romania.
Rarely attempted
Chobutse is easily accessible but very steep and technical. Few climbers have tried it since the first ascent by a German team in 1972. But Mingma G of Nepal knows it well, not only because he was born and raised in Rolwaling, but because he soloed the peak in 2015.
He recalls the climb as the one he is most proud of and where he took the most risks. Mingma G opened a route up the peak’s west face and named it after his father, Dorjee Sherpa.
The Slovenian team on Chobutse’s west face two years ago. Photo: Luka Strazar
In 2021, Slovenians Luka Strazar and Nejc Marcic did the latest ascent on Chobutse, also via a new route up the west face. They graded their 1,700m route as ED, M5, AI5. Their climb earned a Piolet d’Or nomination that year.
The pair are currently flying to Nepal. From Kathmandu, they will go to Chetchet, then trek for three days to Na (elevation 4,180m), the town farthest into the Rolwaling Valley. They will acclimatize on the Rolwaling Glacier, a gateway to several 6,000m Himalayan peaks, before beginning their ascent.
The climbers plan to return to Poland at the end of October.
