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| View from our ABC in 2016. Unnamed and unclimbed 5000m peaks in the background. |
Background
In October-November 2014[i],
led by Alan Tees, the past President of Mountaineering Ireland, our party was
the first team to complete the traverse of the Zumthul Phuk Chu gorge as
envisioned by John Claude White in 1891. In the end, the 2014 expedition came
back home with first ascents of Brother Tees Col (5250m) and One Hand Peak
(5100m). The real discovery of the 2014 expedition was however, the massive
potential of climbing hitherto unclimbed peaks and passes in a virtually
unknown territory hidden in close quarters of the mighty Kangchenjunga. A brief report of the 2014 expedition can be found here: Zumthul Phuk Expedition 2014
Expedition Summary 2016
In October-November 2016, led by Jack
Bergin, a team of eight climbers and two support members entered Zumthul Phuk
glacier once again. They established their Base Camp in the same place as in
2014 and for next three days rain and snow ensured no movement. As soon as
weather improved, after three days of toiling on the rough moraine and a chilly
river, a strategic ABC was established. For the next week, the weather closed
in everyday before noon, pushing cloud up from the thickly forested gorge
below. It is in this period, various members of the team climbed two previously
unvisited peaks as well as to the top of a pillar of rock, just shy of true
summit; made a first ascent and a second
ascent of two respective passes over 5000m.
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| Transit camp by the Zamtu Chu |
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| Base Camp. Same site was used by us in 2014. First rays of sun on the SE and E flanks of Siniolchu |
The two new peaks were quite different in
character. The first, which we named Diwali Lho (4886m), was climbed by two
different routes on the same day. Both the routes involved mixed climbing upto
Scottish III. Since this ascent took place on the first day of Diwali festival,
we named the peak Diwali Lho (Lho is Lepcha word for a small mountain). The
other peak was quite different with some easier scrambling leading to a narrow
pillar that guarded the summit. A pitch of VS rock climbing on good cracks
brought two team members to the top of the 5000m peak. Further up the valley,
team members made a high camp to attempt a very impressive unclimbed mountain,
but dangerous snow conditions sent them back down to ABC the following day.
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| Summit of Diwali Lho. 4886m, first ascent. Singyel Lhu in the right of the frame. |
Meanwhile, two members pushed a camp
towards the head of the unnamed glacier aiming to explore a possible passage to
the Zemu glacier. In the process the duo climbed two cols (5064m and 5226m
respectively) in one morning. After climbing the first col (5064m-27°43’34.35”
N and 88°23’00.97”E) they realized that this very col was crossed by Paul
Bauer’s 1937 expedition[ii].
The other col (5226m- 27°43’38.27” N, 88°22’28.55”E) was a first ascent. We
propose to name it ‘White Col’ after John Claude White.
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| Resting on the top of White Col, 5226m, First ascent. |
While, descending the second col, we came
across unusual footprints. This reminded us of the local legend about the Bon
Manchi[iii]
in this part. In an area so rarely visited, there is always plenty of
opportunity of discovery of a new species of a bear or who knows may be a new
genus altogether.
Team: Jack Bergin (Leader), Alan Tees,
Richard Creagh, Sean Martin, Olga Joensuu, Damien Hawkins, Piaras Kelly, Mick
Donnelly. Support staff: Lakpa Sherpa and Anindya Mukherjee
[i] The Alpine Journal 2015, p 84
[ii] The 1937 German party (under leadership of Paul Bauer) were the
first to see and photograph these unnamed glaciers as they were looking for a
passage on the watershed of Zumthul Phuk and Passamram glaciers. They found
their passage (Kukur La), but could not complete the journey, and retraced
their steps back to Zemu glacier. Source: Himalayan Journal Vols 5, 7
[iii] Quest for the Bon Manchi,
Anindya Mukherjee, HJ Vol-70, p-1