AC 150

Dave Wynne-Jones

Celebrating the 150^th year of the Alpine Club. London



2007 was the year that The Alpine Club, the oldest climbing club in the world, celebrated its 150^th birthday. There were the usual food (and drink)-fests planned for the UK but in recent years there has been a real effort to offer more climbing meets to the membership and, in line with this development, two expeditions were scheduled specifically to mark the celebrations. One, a ski-mountaineering expedition to the Ak-Shirak range in Kyrgyzstan, was organised by Dave Wynne-Jones, for April. The other, to celebrate the links between the Alpine Club and the Himalayan Club, was organised by Harish Kapadia for May - June.

Celestial Touring: AC Ak-Shirak on Ski Expedition 2007

In 2006 I was asked to organise a ski -mountaineering expedition as part of the celebrations of the 150^th anniversary of the Alpine Club planned for 2007. In 2006 I had led an expedition to the Ak-Shirak range in the Central Tien Shan, or Celestial Mountains, that had revealed that there was plenty of scope to continue the exploration of these mountains, started by the Eagle Ski Club in 2003. Accordingly, on 7^th April 2007 , five Alpine Club members set out for three weeks in Kyrgyzstan to do just that.

We drove up the Barskoon gorge through herds of sheep and goats, cattle and horses, driven by nomads who ride like they were born in the saddle, heading for higher pastures. But as we approached Kumtor goldmine I realised that this was early April and not only was the road clear but most of the slopes below 3800m, hugely different from what I’d found in 2003.

Fortunately Lake Petrov was frozen solid, so 40 minutes and 2 km after setting foot on the ice we were setting up Camp 1 on a sandy beach beneath the snout of the Petrov glacier. Camped at 3730 m., we had jumped 2000 m in a 5 hour drive; headaches were obligatory.

Next day we struggled up the convoluted glacier to leave a cache. Returning, Stuart was avalanched climbing back up a short but steep slope amongst the broken facets of the glacier and our concerns about snow conditions were strengthened. Overnight snowfall lingered into a dull dawn and headaches worsened so we decided to have a rest day. During the afternoon, Gordon, Gethin and I found a better route from the northern junction of lake and glacier ice, climbing a long stone-scattered ramp by-passing the difficulties. After breaking camp next morning, we skinned across the lake ice in the lee of the glacier’s crumbling ice cliffs, skirting pressure ridges where the glacier bore down upon the frozen lake. By afternoon on the glacier, however, the snow was cracking like a pistol shot as it settled in huge plates beneath us and at one time or another we all broke through the softening surface into disconcertingly unconsolidated snow.

Camp 2, at just under 4300 m had more stable snow conditions and we were encouraged enough to attempt our first peak next day, though Gordon’s headache kept him in camp. We skirted debris from a collapsing cornice and climbed steeply and obliquely to the saddle above it to the northwest, then skied down onto the glacier beyond. With skins back on, it was a steady pull up to the col on the west ridge of our target peak. Ice soon forced us to don crampons and we scratched our way across the ice band before kicking steps up the broad ridge to the summit at 4836 m. Our first first ascent had to be named ‘Pik 150^th anniversary of the British Alpine Club’ (in the fine tradition of Soviets peak names!)There were great views, and I lingered taking photos and logging the GPS data so missed Stuart putting a leg into a hidden slot splitting his knee open and Adele precariously steri-stripping the wound closed. Back at the skis, Stuart took off at speed, hoping to make camp before his knee stiffened up, but we all enjoyed carving turns on the fine run all the way to the foot of the pass. The slope ‘talked’ to each of us as we climbed, one by one, its creaking surface before skiing back down into camp.

Our next peak was to the east and surprised us with fresh snow leopard tracks as we climbed up under its southwest face. Ice glinted under the snow so we abandoned plans to skin up the face and left our skis at an ice boss on the west ridge. Trying to sneak past the ice boss, we found wind-polished armour-plating and roped up for a short pitch. Then deep snow forced us up the rocks of the ridge to break out on the upper snowfield and traverse to the summit ridge. Again, the icy conditions led us to mix pitches protected using ice screws, with sections of soloing, and we eventually reached the corniced summit at 4887 m.' Pik Ak Ilbirs' (snow leopard in Kyrgyz). Afternoon sunshine softened the ice sufficiently to ease our descent and a long schuss down the glacier brought us back into camp where Stuart had been resting his injured leg all day.

Over the next couple of days we headed east again to climb two more peaks from the pass at the head of the glacier. One was an icy whaleback rising to a narrow fin of snow and rock at the 4720 m summit (Pik Plavnik or The Fin) from which we could see Khan Tengri and Pobedy looming majestically in the distance. The other was a heavily corniced ridge that dropped off steeply to the north, 4815 m., Pik Solidarnost (because it was the only one that we all got up!). From there it was clear that our proposed route, linking several glacier systems, would take us far too low for safety in the prevailing conditions. We decided to break camp and head for the north-facing glacier bays to the south of us.

Unfortunately, as we lost height the snow conditions became increasingly difficult. We made heavy going of the descent and were lucky to find a good campsite on a medial moraine. Next day, whilst making an early crossing of the glacier to the south in an attempt on the peak opposite, we found the snow repeatedly collapsing under us with a resounding whump. A serac collapse from the flank of the mountain and plenty of evidence of avalanche from adjacent slopes meant we backed off, instead climbing nervously but gradually up to scout the major pass to the east. It was passable but would involve further descent and the associated deterioration in snow conditions. It was a thoughtful ski back to camp for all of us.

That night we talked it through and decided we’d pushed our luck far enough. Gethin wanted to have a go at the largely rocky peak to the east of us but Stuart didn’t fancy it and the rest of us were non-committal, saying we’d wait for him in camp. So it was strange that four of us headed out next morning for the short skin up the side of the moraine before launching on to the rocky slopes above! Adele and I took too long trying to scramble over the rocks in ski boots, but Gethin and Gordon struck upon a shallow snow gully that took them through the rocks to the summit snowfield. There, Gordon didn’t trust his alloy crampons enough to carry on over the ice so it was only Gethin who reached our final summit: Pik Mari (he named it after his mum!).

After what had clearly been an exceptionally warm winter, there was nothing much more we could do. I called in our transport on the Sat phone for two days hence and we spent those days getting back down the glacier and across the lake. The mountains, of course, went on looking spectacularly beautiful, and it’s clear that there is a lot more ski-mountaineering to do in the Ak-Shirak, but not on this occasion.

Thanks are due to the team; Stuart Gallagher, Gordon Nuttall, Gethin Howells, Adele Long, for their determination and good fellowship. Also thanks to the Mount Everest Foundation and AC Climbing fund for financial support.

Climbing in the Kagbhusandi (Tal) Valley, Garhwal, India, 2007
The focus of this expedition was the Kagbhusandi valley, which Harish had first entered in 2006. Hathi Parvat and Oti ka Danda had been climbed in the past but the other peaks around the valley had not been touched, so his interest in the climbing potential of the area was shared by Atul Rawal and four British alpinists: Chris Astill, Mick Cottam, Mark Higton and Dave Wynne-Jones. This article is an attempt to evaluate that potential in the light of our climbing experiences in the valley.

The approach involved taking the night train from Delhi to Haridwar then a day’s drive to Joshimath where a couple of days was spent acclimatising at Auli while the necessary permits were obtained. A further drive along the Badrinath road brought us to Govindghat, the popular starting point for Hemkund and the Valley of Flowers, where the walk-in started. On the first day’s trek we had a timely reminder of the Alpine and Himalayan Clubs’ links with tradition by a chance meeting with Nanda Sinh Chauhan. Ninety-four years old, he was with Frank Smythe in 1931 and 1937 when Smythe discovered the Bhuidhar valley, which he named the Valley of Flowers. Leaving the main trail at Bhuidhar, we trekked up the Kagbhusandi valley in three days to a base camp at Chhaiyan Kharak (3815 m) with Hathi Parvat (6727 m) towering to the north.

First impressions were literally clouded by the weather. There had been days of heavy rain on the approach that meant at least 30 cm of soft snow at 4000 m despite the heat of the sun when it appeared. This was very unusual, but not unprecedented. In 2006 Harish had been turned back from the Kankul Khal pass by unexpectedly deep snow in early May. Scheduling the 2007 expedition for the last week of May should have overcome the problem but hadn’t. Climbing was an exhausting business when each step taken sank knee deep in soft snow. There may well be a case for exploring the valley in the colder post-monsoon months of September and October...or taking skis! Even the proposed trek out over the Kankul Khal around 12 June proved impossible since the snow remained too deep for porters to carry loads over the pass.

Despite the difficult snow conditions, Mick and Dave made an early ascent to the Kankul Khal recording a GPS reading of 4665 m and Mark joined them for a night out on the upper Barmal glacier where they obtained good views of the peaks at the head of the glacier and the Barmal Khal, a pass that is over 5000 m according to the map. The whole team made several forays up the steep flanks of the valley in hopes of spotting likely lines to climb. Plenty of ridges and couloirs attracted attention, but looked to be tough propositions in the conditions, with the ridges plastered with snow and the couloirs avalanching. To the north, the flanks of Oti ka Danda 5780 m were particularly interesting in this respect. Then there was Barmal’s north ridge ending in a striking rock wall, much like the prow on the southwest face of the peak immediately to the north; objectives for aspiring hard men perhaps. On the south side of the valley there were collections of peaks over 5000 m to the east and west of the Kankul Khal, but it was difficult to commit to route possibilities when what looked like snow slopes could be only loosely attached to smooth rock slabs beneath. The suspicion remained that those peaks to the west of the pass would only really ‘go’ as rock peaks.

In the limited time available the team climbed 3 peaks, all first ascents, and brief descriptions of each of these routes should provide a little more detail as to what may be found climbable in the valley.

The first was approached from a camp at 4300 m below the Kankul Khal. The mountain lay immediately west of the pass and was climbed by its northeast flank. A wide stone chute with some fairly massive specimens accessed the first snowfield which was crossed to a 50 m wall where a line of weakness up crumbling rock and soil led to a second snowfield. This rose and narrowed to a broad ridge with a distinctly steeper spur towards the top. At the spur Mick and Chris took to the couloir flanking the ridge to the east, then gained the crest of the ridge from the top of the couloir, but owing to their concern about avalanche danger in the couloir Dave and Mark took the ridge direct in four pitches of about Scottish 3. Both pairs joined the east ridge and face, climbing 4 more pitches of mixed ground to gain a massive granite block that had originally been taken for the summit. The true summit lay a little over 60m along a narrow snow ridge beyond and gave a GPS reading of 5030 m. Consensus graded the route at alpine AD and the whole team decided to recommend the name, ‘Peak AC 150’ !

The second route tackled Danesh Parvat by a glacier approach from the south. Camp 1 was established at the confluence with the main Barmal glacier and Camp 2 at about 5000 m on the tributary glacier. From Camp 2, Mick and Dave left at 1am yet still found themselves post-holing in soft snow on the glacier at 2 a.m. The glacier headwall led to a narrow snow ridge running north to a broader saddle below the west ridge of Danesh Parvat. The west ridge rose steeply to a narrow crest of snow and rock running into the sheer face of the granite summit block. For 2 hours they probed cracks choked with snow, overhanging flakes and a chimney full of unstable iced-in blocks before conceding defeat and retreating down the ridge. But from below they spotted a narrow snow ramp rising under the overhanging north face of the summit. Two pitches of doubtful snow that seemed on the verge of sliding off into the void led to the east face of the summit block. Sun-warmed rock just the right side of vertical rose in cracks and narrow ledges towards a summit that was reached in two pitches with moves of V/V+ despite the odd throwaway hold. Descent was by abseil to the west ridge. The grade was estimated at D.

The third peak lies to the east of the Kankul Khal and was climbed by Chris and Mark from a camp below the pass. They ascended a couloir falling west from the north ridge of the main summit, then, finding the ridge holding wet snow, traversed into a rocky couloir on the east face. The couloir led, below the ridge yet more or less parallel to it, to the summit. The peak was given 5080 m on the map though the GPS reading was lower than AC 150 and it was graded at about AD. ‘Kankul Peak’ was recommended for its name.

Having run out of time, the team retraced their steps to Bhuidhar where a memorable 150th birthday party was celebrated, complete with cake, and thence to Govindghat and back to Delhi. The expedition was a superb way of celebrating the roots of both clubs in exploratory mountaineering and thanks are due to Harish for proposing the trip and organising the Indian arrangements and to Mark for co-ordinating the UK end.

SUMMARY

Climbs in the Central Tien Shan (Russia) and Garhwal (India) to celebrate the 150^th year of the Alpine Club. London. In each range one peak was named as ‘AC150’ to immortalise the occasion.