The following report is provided by the Slovenian Alpine Society (PZS), a member of the UIAA since 1991.
This is the latest in a series of articles promoting women in mountaineering and coincides with the UIAA’s recent signing Brighton plus Declaration of Helsinki.
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Slovenian mountaineers Anja Petek, Patricija Verdev, Ana Baumgartner and Urša Kešar are part of the 2024 Lalung Women’s Expedition, which has opened four new routes in the remote mountains above the Lalung Valley in the Indian Himalayas. The longest and most complex new route on their expedition is the 2,000-meter route “Here Comes the Sun” (ED, M6+, AI5+, 5 days climbed), which follows a previously unclimbed 6,000-meter peak. The eastern ridge of Long No. 1 (6,243m). This is their story:
Prior to the expedition, online searches revealed that our target, the Lalong Valley, remained largely unexplored. At the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) in Delhi, its remoteness became clearer to us when we told staff about the existence of certain peaks in the Lalong Valley. This reality becomes more apparent with each day we spend in the valley and what this means for us climbers.
On August 26th we set out from Pensi La Pass, the valley entrance, with 18 local porters, and quickly realized that even they couldn’t provide much information. Initially, they told us that our base camp would be at 5000 meters above sea level, but we quickly realized that this was just a quick answer and had no real meaning. After just three hours of walking, we found a great base camp spot with clean running water at 4100 meters. Of course, we checked out other higher places, but all we found was dirty water and unsuitable terrain.
Setting up base camp at this location meant we had to add an extra day or two to approach Lalong 1 and the adjacent peaks.
Once our base was established, our chef Lobzang, his assistant Thuksaj, their “boss” and resident entertainer Lobzang, and police officer Freni lived with us. During our stay we developed a very friendly relationship with Freni. But little did we know that our base camp was also home to bears.
The day after arrival we explored the valley with our officers. Despite the unstable weather, we spent a full day successfully traversing 20 kilometers of moraine and glacial terrain. The cloudy weather prevented us from getting a clear view of the mountains at the far end of the valley, which was our main goal.
After a day of rest, we continued to acclimate and make the most of the good weather. Each team sleeps at an altitude of at least 5,000 meters. Before we headed to Advanced Base Camp (ABC) at 4,800 meters above sea level, we had our first sighting of a nocturnal bear as it sniffed around in search of food. After this unpleasant encounter, all four of us moved to ABC, where there were no bears. After arriving at ABC, Lalung I made a brief first appearance, looking majestic and further motivating the team of Patricija & Anja. The valley is surrounded by other peaks, some of which remain untouched and unnamed (6,274m, 6,048m, 6,197m, 6,067m). In addition to Lalong 1, there are also Lalong 2 and Lalong 3, as well as the previously climbed Chiling 1 and 2 on the far right. We took a closer look at this 6,197m mountain that Ana & Urša have been working on based on photos from the 2022 expedition, but this year the conditions are not good as there is only a thin layer of snow.
Due to Ursa’s altitude issues, she and Anna retreat to base camp two days later, where they must deal with the full-blown bear saga alongside their cooks and officers. After more than a dozen unwelcome nightly visits, with Patricia’s tent torn apart, piles of stolen food, and the toilet destroyed, they finally managed to scare the bears away with a fire and enjoyed a few peaceful nights. . Meanwhile, despite no weather forecast, Ursa and Anna successfully climbed two new routes on the nearby granite north face. The climb is not without its challenges. On the first route, the good weather turned to snow, forcing them to take another exit, and the end result was quite satisfying. On the second route, they reached the top of the face according to the planned route and the weather was more favorable.
After arriving at ABC, Patricia and I packed up our backpacks and headed out on a multi-day adventure, finally reaching the base of the eastern ridge of Lalong 1 after a full day of challenging glaciers.
The forecast was for good weather, but on our second day on the ridge we were forced to pitch our tents and huddle inside by midday as the snowstorm continued for a full third day. On the fourth day, we woke up on a sunny morning and climbed all day and into the night, still not reaching the top of the mountain. The fifth day on the ridge required more determination and perseverance. At 1:30 am we climbed the final mixed pitch and rested. In an act of weary inadvertence, the wind blew away our tent poles, but by then we were used to camping on walls, so sleeping in bivvy bags didn’t bother us too much. The next morning was filled with fog and diffuse light, making it difficult to navigate the unfamiliar terrain leading to the summit of Lalong 1. After climbing some easier snow slopes, we finally reached the top at 9am.
We still had a long walk down the west ridge to reach the glacier ahead. We walked down the snow ridge and rappelled five times along the north face, reaching the glacier at 6:30 pm. It took us another eight hours to get back to ABC. The next day we descended to base camp and just before emerging from the moraine we saw three silhouettes – Anna, Ursa and Freni – which brought smiles to our tired faces. Without knowing each other’s whereabouts, we met in the perfect place and were ecstatic.
Back at base camp, things had calmed down with the bears, but we all decided it was best for the animals and us to leave as quickly as possible. On September 17, we left the base camp and headed to Tongri Village, ending our adventure. From there it was a nerve-wracking journey along a half-finished road to Leh, where we spent the last few days of the journey resting and relaxing.
Climber:
Anna Baumgartner (AO PD Ljubljana Matika)
Ursha Keshar (Clani AO PD)
Patricia Wildeve (AO PD Tseje Matika)
Anya Petke (Zgornjesavinjski AK Rinka)
New routes:
August 31: Peak 5,332m; connect; VI-/V-IV, 1,400m, 15 hours. (Patricia Widev and Anya Petke)
September 10: Peak 5,332m; BC (Bear Camp); V-/IV-III, 800m, 8 hours. (Anna Baumgartner and Ursa Kesa)
September 13: Peak 5,332m; The calm before the storm?; V+/IV, 670m, 6 hours. (Anna Baumgartner and Ursa Kesa)
September 9-14: Lalung I (6,243m), The sun is coming; ED, M6+, AI5+; 2,000m (5 days of climbing). (Patricija Verdev (A0) and Anja Petek)
The original text can be found here.
