An Indo-French expedition has scored a notable coup by making the first ascent of one of the relatively few remaining unclimbed 7,000m peaks in the Indian Himalaya; Chong Kumdan II (7,004m) in the East Karakoram.
A French guide from La Grave, Paulo Grobel, is currently one of the most adventurous organizers of commercial expeditions to the Himalaya, offering many trips to remote, little-known or sometimes unclimbed mountains. This year one of his ventures combined a team of French clients with a group of Indian instructors for an expedition to the bureaucratically complex and geographically remote East Karakoram. Climbing in this military restricted region, close to the war-torn Siachen Glacier, is only possible for a foreign expedition if jointly organized with Indian mountaineers.
The isolated Chong Kumdam Group was well-explored in 1991 by an Indo-British expedition that climbed a total of 10 peaks, including the first ascent of the highest, Chong Kumdan I (7,071m). This team approached first along the Shyok River and then west up the long Chong Kumdan Glacier. During the expedition joint leader Harish Kapadia investigated an approach to the Nup La (c6,250m), the col at the head of the glacier immediately south of Chong Kumdan II. Huge crevasse fields barred his way, making an approach to CK II both difficult and lengthy. A later foray to the north side of this peak showed no easy route and it was the only major summit in the group not attempted.
In 2007 an Indo-American team returned to the Chong Kumdan Glacier with CK II as its main goal. Again, huge gaping crevasses and towering seracs barred access to this high, unclimbed peak and the team turned to CK I, where they made the second ascent via a new route.
The same year Grobel led a commercially-organized expedition to Mamostong Kangri (7,576m), a peak south of the Chong Kumdan Group, making a successful ascent from the south. He realized that from Mamostong Base Camp there was a long but feasible glacial route north, crossing several high cols, which would lead to the Nup La and South Ridge of CK II. In 2008 he decided to put this audacious idea to the test.
At the beginning of August, Grobel's team left the 4,900m Mamostong Base Camp and with the help of a number of high altitude Ladakhi porters moved slowly, but more or less continuously, towards its goal. After nine days the expedition had crossed one previously unnamed col to the South Terong Glacier, traversed north and crossed a second pass to gain the upper reaches of the Chong Kumdan Glacier. Taking time out near the second col, they climbed a previously virgin summit of more than 6,000m, naming it HMI Peak (the Indian contingent came from Darjeeling's Himalayan Mountain Institute).
At this point most Indian mountaineers and the porters returned, leaving four French and two Indians to continue towards CK II. Eleven days after leaving Base Camp, Camp 8 (6,550m) was placed above the Nup La on the South Ridge of CK II. The ridge sported four separate summits and on the following day all the team (Indians, Samgyal Sherpa and Konchok Thinless; French, Sebastiano Audisio, Paulo Grobel, Bernard Meurin and Dominique Ravot) reached the most southerly, which they named Chong Kumdan Mont Blanc. The following morning, day 13 after leaving Base, Audiso, Grobel and Ravot crossed another summit (Cima Daniela) to reach the Main Top.
Descent was rapid and in two and a half days all climbers were reunited at Mamostong Base Camp. Although the technical difficulties were modest (AD for the final section with the steepest part reaching the Nup La), this was a highly committing journey through complex and often delicate terrain. Grobel's adoption in recent years of a slow but steady ascent from base camp, where relatively small daily height gains allow for good acclimatization, seems to be paying off.
« Back