Sergey Nilov and Dimitry Golovchenko have now passed 7,000m on Mount Jannu and are at the crux of their climb. Since they have determined that the headwall is too difficult, they plan to traverse to the Southeast Ridge, from which the route becomes slightly easier. The Southeast Ridge was Lionel Terray’s original 1962 ascent route on this rarely climbed peak.
Based on a GPS tracker, the Russians’ current altitude is around 7,200m. They have another 500m to the summit.
“We are OK, searched long for a tent site,” the pair told their support team late Friday night. On March 24, Sunday evening, their Base Camp team spotted a light on the wall.
Marcin Tomaszewski, who withdrew from the climb last week and has been evacuated from Base Camp to Kathmandu with an infected leg, said: “[They] are trying to get through the barrier to the ridge…We all keep our fingers crossed.”
If successful, Nilov and Golovchenko will have to descend the opposite side of the mountain, not returning to their original Base Camp.
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Mount Jannu: Why is It So Hard?
