Summit news from Kangchenjunga should come in the next few days. Details are slim, but a Sherpa team was close to opening the route in mid-week — about the same time that another Sherpa team opened Everest. Several climbers intended to follow right behind them.
Caroline de Leon reported earlier this week that the rope fixers were between Camp 3 and Camp 4 and hoped to top out soon. However, no summit has been reported yet. Charles Page of Canada is among those hoping to complete a double header this season, after summiting Annapurna in April. He said he intended to leave Base Camp yesterday and would need four to six days to reach the top.
Makalu II summited
On Wednesday, Martin Ksandr and Petr Kadanka of Czechia summited 7,678m Makalu II, also known as Kangchungtse. Their Czech-Slovak team, outfitted by IAM Trekking & Expeditions, was the only group attempting the peak.
The expedition suffered a tragedy 10 days ago when David Roubinek, 38, died of altitude sickness during a previous summit attempt. The team wrote a message of condolence, then went silent, but apparently, the expedition didn’t end.
Makalu, with the main summit at right and the lower Makalu II at left. Photo: expeditionclub.cz
According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, the team consisted of seven members: six men and one woman.
Makalu II rises on the opposite side of Makalu from the Makalu La col.
