There have been several fine first ascents in the Himalaya so far this spring, but probably the most notable is Dodo Kopold's solo of the East Pillar of Annapurna South.

The East Pillar rises directly out of the southwest corner of the Annapurna Sanctuary and is c2,200m in height. It is steep and often highly fluted in the upper section, and bands of rotten rock cross the middle part. It tops out on the previously unvisited 7,100m North Summit.

The well-known Slovak mountaineer climbed the route in a continuous push of 40 hours. He took with him only a 40m rope, eight ice screws, eight rock pegs, 10 quick draws, a few energy bars and a stove.

Kopold thought the technical difficulties VI/6, 5+ and M5. After reaching the North Top he traversed the relatively straightforward connecting ridge to the 7,219m Main Summit, and then reversed the Original Japanese Route on the East South East Face back to the Sanctuary.

In the accompanying picture the East Pillar falls directly from the highest point in the centre of the frame.

There are only two known previous attempts on this line. Sometime in the mid 1980s three Japanese got part way up the route on an unauthorized attempt before disappearing completely. Locals later discovered their tent, left below the face.

This event was unknown to a six-man British team before its arrival in the Sanctuary in the spring of 1989. Members of this group reached just over half-height on the pillar but were continually dogged by poor weather (it snowed on nearly every day) and illness. However, they had the novel experience of being able to clip an overhead (Japanese) bolt at c6,000m while pulling left around a steep bulge on one of the central rock bands. The British team thought the upper section of the pillar looked extremely hard.

Annapurna South was first climbed in 1964 by Shoichiro Uyeo and Mingma Tshering Sherpa from a Japanese-Nepalese expedition. The Main Summit has been reached by 10 expeditions to date, though more than half of these have climbed routes on the South Face, from outside the Sanctuary.

Kopold climbed his route shortly before flying to France to take part as a jury member in the Piolets d'Or. With this ascent there seems every chance of him being short-listed for the 2010 event.

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