Bad conditions have thwarted two alpinists trying to open a new alpine-style route in Pakistan.
“Trivor will keep its secrets; we could not reach the summit,” Helias Millerioux of France wrote.
He and fellow Chamonix guide Yannick Graziani, both Piolet d’Or winners, tried to open a new route up the southeast ridge of Trivor (7,600m), in the Karakoram’s Batura range.
After 12 days stuck in base camp while it rained relentlessly — and snowed above 6,000m — Millerioux and Graziani decided to gamble on a weather window predicted for July 25-28. Climbing in pure alpine style (no oxygen, no support, in a single push), they set off last Monday.
Climbing in the afternoons to avoid the regular morning avalanches, they climbed the long southeast corridor on the first day. On the second, they reached the crux: 150 vertical meters of heavily corniced terrain.
While in base camp, the climbers thought they had seen a way through. But as they approached it on July 24, the passage upward was not clear. They considered just climbing up to see what lay ahead. But it was still snowing, and Graziani’s health was weakening. He feared he might get sicker higher up the route, on more committing terrain.
“We were not strong enough,” Millerioux said.
They retreated back to Base Camp and hiked out yesterday.
Helias Millerioux, left, and Yannick Graziani in 2016. Photo: Ferran Latorre
“Tribor has been climbed only once,” Millerioux concluded. “Opening a new route on a large Karakoram peak is extremely rare. It takes a lot of perseverance and humility.”
The complete report is in French on Millerioux’s Instagram page:
