French Mountaineers Charles Dubouloz and Symon Welfringer Achieve First Ascent of West Face of Hungchi in Nepal
French mountaineers Charles Dubouloz and Symon Welfringer have completed the first ascent of the previously unclimbed West Face of Hungchi in Nepal. Known also as Cha Khung or Gyuba Tshomotse, this 7029m peak on the Nepal-Tibet border was initially conquered via the SW Ridge in April 2003 by Japanese mountaineers Kanji Shimizu, Tadashi Morita, and Katsuo Fukuhara, led by Takashi Shiro.
Dubouloz and Welfringer initially planned to climb Gyachung Kang (7952m), which is so overshadowed by Hungchi that they barely considered it at first. However, a series of events, including complex weather and Welfringer’s illness during acclimatization, redirected their focus to the “complex and aesthetic” Hungchi. While Welfringer rested in base camp for a week, Dubouloz acclimatized with a three-day solo trip up to 6200m along Hungchi’s normal route.
Both climbers agreed that the West Face presented an intriguing challenge. Dubouloz’s diary entry highlighted the numerous seracs on the face but also noted a direct, obvious line on the left leading to a 400m ridge to the summit. The descent would form an aesthetic loop. While this plan didn’t reach the 7952m height of Gyachung Kang, it remained technically demanding and motivating.
On May 16, they left base camp and established an advanced base camp at 5300m after four hours. The next day, they set off at 5am, aiming to climb 1300m to reach the shoulder at around 6600m, as there was no possibility for a bivouac on the steep face. The technical climb, under perfect conditions, proved challenging, particularly for Welfringer due to the altitude. After 12 hours, they reached the col at 6580m where Dubouloz prepared the bivouac while Welfringer recuperated.
Dubouloz noted, “We barely eat and the night is inevitably bad. Yet when we wake up, the first rays of sunshine boost our motivation and encourage us to continue the adventure.” On May 18, with only 400m to the summit, they pushed on despite Welfringer’s fatigue. Welfringer wrote, “It probably takes 6 hours to climb the snow ridge, not difficult technically but it takes a toll physically to break the trail.”
At 1:30 p.m., they reached the summit and briefly celebrated Dubouloz’s 35th birthday before quickly starting their descent down the SW Ridge. Poor visibility and gusty winds made the steep, unstable ridge harder than expected, forcing them to make a bivouac at 6700m.
With their tent breaking and bad weather forecasted, they had to descend quickly. After abandoning the tent to lighten their load, they faced a difficult choice: continue down the exposed ridge or abseil 1300m down the serac-infested west face with little equipment. Welfringer proposed a third option: abseil down the unknown east face, estimated to be about 700m. Opting for the “total unknown” turned out to be wise. They made about 15 steep abseils, each time finding decent ice for Abalakov threads. Welfringer wrote, “Every rappel was an absolute discovery. The anxiety of hitting a dead end was palpable. This time though, luck smiles on us.”
Finally, they reached a snow corridor and completed their descent into the opposite valley, then returned to base camp where they were welcomed by their friend and photographer Mathurin Vauthier and the rest of the expedition.
The new route has been named Le Cavalier Sans Tête. Reflecting on their ascent, Welfringer said, “So much intensity over these 3 days spent up there… We gave everything, played with complex weather and a weakened physique. I’m satisfied. I need nothing more and nothing less.”
Source
Learn more: https://www.adventurefilm.academy/
