The Japanese team attempting unclimbed Sharpu VI has to go up or go home. Their time is nearly over, and they will make a last-minute summit attempt on the 6,076m Nepali peak near Kangchenjunga this weekend.
Takahiro Kaneko, Saki Terada, and Takahiro Ishikawa tried some days ago but had to retreat due to a lack of acclimatization. They then fixed some ropes and set a second high camp at 5,600m. Yesterday, they worked for two hours securing the tents in high winds. Then they returned to base camp to rest before their final summit attempt.
The team originally planned to climb the virgin Sato Peak (6,164m) after Sharpu VI, but that will have to wait for another time.
The climbers will leave for their high camp on Saturday, placing their hopes on an optimistic forecast for Sunday’s summit attempt.
Multimodel forecast by Mountainforecast.com for the Sharpu VI area.
No luck on the White Wave
The Sharpu VI climbers will try to get luckier than another Japanese team who were also in the area. A group by the Meiji University attempted the first ascent of Anidesh Chuli, also known as the White Wave. They launched a meritable attempt up the north face that fell short.
“We tried until the last moment but finally had to retreat at 6,600m,” the team said. Below is their unfinished ice route.
The unfinished route by the Meiji University Alpine team on Anidesh Chuli. Photo: Meiji University Alpine Club
