THE ASCENT OF SINIOLCHU

The Japanese Doctors' Expedition to Siniolchu

SEN HIRAIZUMI

WHEN I LOOKED up at the northern sky on the hill got the magnificent view of a snow-white peak which conspicuously outshone and touched the sky over the blue mountains. The pyramidal glow was the Siniolchu.

In January 1914 Ekai Kawaguchi, a Japanese Buddhist priest, the author of Three Years in Tibet (1904), made his second secret journey to Tibet through Sikkim and described Siniolchu as above, which once Freshfield applauded as the most beautiful mountain in the world. He was the first Japanese who travelled to Sikkim and looked at Siniolchu. 80 years later we reached the summit of the mountain.

Siniolchu (6887 m) is located east of the Kangchenjunga massif, 17 km away from the third highest mountain in the world, and was first climbed by Paul Bauer and his team from Germany in 1936. Bauer, who attempted twice to climb Kangchenjunga from the northeast ridge through Zemu glacier in 1929 and 1931. The record of the German Kangchenjunga expeditions titled Himalayan Campaign (1937) has stirred up climbers for years. On the other hand his Siniolchu expedition in 1936 was planned with congenial souls producing an atmosphere of careless freedom in the beautiful mountains of Zemu glacier. The record of the German Siniolchu expedition entitled Himalayan Quest (1938) has conveyed to us how happy the expedition was. The style of his expedition 60 years ago had many points of likeness to that of current popular light expeditions of alpine style. It is amazing that Bauer's party bivouacked at 6000 m with his dog Wast! The glaciers around Kangchenjunga have largely receded for past 60 years probably because the earth temperature, and the condition of the icefalls and snow has changed now it would be difficult to ascend Siniolchu with a pet dog.

During our expedition safe climbing was the first consideration for us. Since Siniolchu is sharp with a lot of snow the members could be threatened by danger of avalanche. Every Siniolchu expedition including Swiss (1937), Indian (1979) and Slovene (1994) parties followed the northwest ridge after Bauer's first ascent. We also trod the beaten track.

Approaching Siniolchu

In the morning of 22 April it stopped raining in Lachen, the beautiful village of north Sikkim. Since our loads of mountaineering equipment, food and camping goods weighed 2.8 tonnes we had to make arrangements for 55 local porters there in order to start the 25 km trek along Zemu chu to Rest Camp where our base camp was to be established. The first camping site we were going to was Telim. Over the pine forest, two shining peaks, with snow, Kangchenjunga and Little Siniolchu, confronting each other could be seen from this lovely and peaceful place. Thirteen members acclimatised during the 7 day-trek from Telim to Yabuk through Jangtang.

On 30 April the base camp (4570 m) was established at Rest Camp where every expedition party of the past looked at the beautiful figure of the Siniolchu. When we first looked at the Siniolchu draped with white snow we felt, as Freshfield must have felt, when he wrote;

Power dwells apart in its tranquillity,
Remote, serene, and inaccessible.

On 1 May, three members, Matsuki, Chida and Ohta, went across Zemu glacier and pitched a tent for advanced base camp (4700 m) at the end of right side moraine of Siniolchu glacier. The next day the three members advanced on the Siniolchu glacier, climbed the first icefall on the right side and reached the first plateau where Camp 1 (5300 m) was to be located.

On 6 May, Chida, Ohta and Nakano climbed the first step of the second icefall and worked to open the way to Camp 2. The next day they climbed the second icefall on the right side and reached the plateau just below the col of the northwest ridge between Siniolchu and Little Siniolchu. In the mean time other members and four high altitude porters carried the loads from BC to ABC and from ABC to CI.

It snowed incessantly on 9 May. Nine members gathered in CI to open the way and carry the loads to upper camps. As avalanches rushed down from the north face of Siniolchu frequently, we had to stay in CI for two days.

Seven members carried the loads to the second plateau to establish Camp 2 on 11 May. Around 8:30 hrs a large snowslide rushed down towards the second icefall from Little Siniolchu. Two members were almost hit by the avalanche. Subsequently a huge ice-block fell down striking the route with a roaring sound. At that moment Chida who was ahead on the C2 plateau thought, 'Everybody must be gone." All were seriously threatened. As temperature rose in the day time, snowslides rushed down to the second icefall from Little Siniolchu. Because it was quite difficult to carry plenty of loads to C2 under current condition we decided to reduce our loads for the upper camps and to send minimum members to the summit. For the sake of safe climbing, 2000 m of fixed ropes were used between CI and the upper camps. In addition the members usually got up at midnight and finished their activities by the morning in order to avoid and accident.

Five members carried the loads to the second plateau on 12 May. They departed from CI at one o'clock, reached the plateau at six o'clock with the loads and returned safely to CI by nine o'clock in the morning.

On 14 May Chida, Ohta and Nakano moved to the second plateau and pitched a tent of Camp 2 (6000 m). The next day Chida and Ohta tried to go across the cornice on the col to stand on the northwest ridge of Siniolchu. It took nearly half a day to find their way to the col. Meanwhile in C2 Nakano was sick with headache and vomiting so he must climb down to CI accompanied by Chida and Ohta. He recovered as he came down to BC. At Rest Camp it had been drizzling for three days. It became difficult to cross over a nala just beside the BC tents, as it overflowed to be a rapid muddy stream in the afternoon. The monsoon was likely to be coming to north Sikkim. The Austrian expedition in Green Lake had to give up climbing Tent peak. We scheduled our ascent of Siniolchu on 21 May and tried to complete the arrangements to send two climbing members to the summit with another two members in support.

On 18 May the four members worked to open the route and carry the loads to the fore-peak. After taking a rest day in C2 two members moved to a tiny col beyond the fore-peak. On 21 May Drs. Takashi Ohta and Masayuki Chida left the final camp (6450 m) early in the morning. They kept track of the sharp knife- ridge and climbed the steep ice-wall for ten hours and finally reached the summit at 16:10 hrs. They descended safely to C2 the next day after a bivouac at 6640 m. This climb is recorded by Ohta in his diary as described below.

Ascending Siniolchu
(by Dr. Takashi Ohta)

Fortunately it was sunny on 18 May. Chida and I started on the route to the fore-peak (6470 m) from C2 while Hosaka and Wakusawa carried the loads to support us. Standing on the col, the northwest ridge could be seen deeply crevassed so that we were forced to traverse the fore-peak on the right side. I was thrilled to look down the perilous Passanram valley through a cleft in the clouds at my feet. We reached the shoulder of the fore-peak at 13:30 hrs where some ropes, food and camping goods were deposited. It was getting windy and cold. Soon we departed from there to C2 against a hard and freezing wind holding fixed ropes. We were all exhausted when we returned to C2 at 18:00 hrs. The next day we stayed in C2 as it was snowing. Four members rested in a tent.

We woke up at two o'clock on 20 May. It was a starry night. While we smoothly climbed up holding fixed ropes, Kangchenjunga and surrounding mountains began shining in the rising sun. When we arrived at the fore-peak at seven o'clock the full view of the pyramidal summit was revealed. The knife-ridge was sharply rolling to a tiny col where we were going to pitch a tent for the final camp of this expedition. Beyond the col steeply rose the ice-wall to a height of over 100 m. The ridge rose gradually. The gigantic hump lifted up to the sharp pyramid shining gloriously in white. I realised that here was the mountain without equal in the world. I went ahead unconsciously, attracted by the summit. It took nearly four hours to reach the tiny col because the rolling knife-ridge was so sharp and easily crumbling away. We had to recycle 100 m of the last fixed rope at this point for the following day. Hosaka and Wakusawa, both followed us with the loads in support, and bade us goodbye for a few days. We parted in the hope of meeting again.

In the early morning of 21 May we started our ascent by climbing the steep ice-wall. We left 100 m of the fixed rope there for our return. We climbed up on the broad ridge and continued to ascend with ease but soon it steepened again. We advanced along a snow-ledge on the north side of the ridge toward the pyramidal summit. We deposited most of our equipment at the bottom of the pyramid. It was 11:30 hrs. Still we had to climb another 300 m up to the summit. It took four hours for us to climb the last steep ice-wall of the pyramid as the blue ice was too hard to step up with my ice-axes. We found our way in contact with the naked rocks. At 16:10 hrs. after climbing seven rope pitches we at last reached the summit, just below the highest point. We did not touch the highest as power dwells apart in its tranquillity. Above the clouds only Kangchenjunga could be seen from the summit. We did not take a rest as it was too late. We had realised we must bivouac after climbing down to the bottom of the pyramid where we deposited our equipment. We came back there at 18:40 hrs. The sun almost sank behind Kangchenjunga which had shed its light upon us. We further walked for half an hour and climbed down in a crevasse where we found a space for overnight stay (bivouac site, 6640 m). When we pitched a Zeltsack we were completely exhausted. We had some snacks with few words as we both were anxious about our return. We gradually relaxed to listen to the voices of our friends through a walkie-talkie.

The next day we departed from the bivouac site at five o'clock in a sunny morning. We climbed down and withdrew to the final camp after having a cup of tea and noodle soup there. In the moment we were brought together with Hosaka and Wakusawa both of who welcomed us at the fore-peak. I realised that we had climbed Siniolchu and had safely come back from the summit.

This was the fifth ascent to Siniolchu after Paul Bauer and his team first climbed it in 1936. The expedition was over on 28 May after arriving at Lachen where all village people celebrated our success.

Organised by :

The Sikkim Himalaya Expedition of Japan 1995 sponsored by Alpine Club of Tohoku University School of Medicine.

Members : Leader : Masafumi Katayama

Deputy leader: Sen Hiraizumi

Climbing leader : Katsuo Matsuki, Hitoshi Goto, Masayuki Chida, Masami Hosaka, Hirofumi Ichikawa, Atsushi Koyama, Takashi Ohta, Ryosuke Wakusawa, Takehito Nakano, Masato Yamaguchi, and Morio Kasai.

SUMMARY

The fifth ascent of Siniolchu (6887 m), north Sikkim by the Japanese team. Two members reached the summit on 21 May 1995.

 

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