Talung, 7348m (Nepal)
Having gained confidence from their first ascent of the northwest pillar of Langshisha Ri (6,427 m) during their maiden Himalayan expedition in 2014, Ukrainian alpinists Mikhail Fomin and Nikita Balabanov decided to up the level of commitment a notch. From 18 to 23 October (after five bivouacs), the pair made the first ascent of the coveted north-northwest pillar of Talung. Their ascent was the fifth ascent of the mountain. The first ascent of the adjacent north face was nominated for a Piolet d’Or in 2014, and came after two attempts by Marek Holecek on this same pillar. Fomin and Balabnov’s 1,700 m line, which they called Daddy Magnum Force, is rated ED+. The maximum difficulties are estimated at M6 and A3. The team considers that the route they climbed is close to the maximum of their abilities, and they were glad to be able to take turns each day with the route finding. They descended by the west face, which they’d reconnoitred during the approach, with a bivouac at 6,700 m.
Nikita Balabanov
- Ukraine
Born in 1989 in Kuznetsovsk, western Ukraine, Nikita began travelling in the mountains with his parents at the age of five. After joining his local club, Nikita moved to Kiev, where he began to start climbing more seriously. Since then he has climbed numerous routes, winter and summer alike, in the Caucasus, Crimea, Tian-Shan, and the Hibiny mountains (Kola peninsula, northwest Russia). In 2014 he visited the Himalaya for the first time, making the first ascent of the northwest pillar of Langshisha Ri with Mikhail Fomin and Slava Polezhaiko. Nikita is married and works as the head manager of one of the biggest outdoor shops in Ukraine. So when he’s not surrounded by tons of gear at work, he’s surrounded by it in the mountains!
Mikhail Fomin
- Ukraine
Born in 1981 in Nikolaev, Ukraine, Mikhail got his first taste of climbing related activities at the age of 3, when his parents took him hiking and to watch climbing competitions in Ukraine. He got his first mountaineering experience with his father in the Crimean mountains, and then continued to climb in the Caucasus, Pamir and Tien-Shan. After making the first ascent of the south pillar of Ushba South in 2011, Mikhail went on to make the first ascent of the northwest pillar of Langshisha Ri with Nikita Balabanov and Slava Polezhaiko in 2014. Married and the father of a 4 year- old boy, Mikhail works in the information technology industry.
The tenacious team of Paul Ramdsen and Mick Fowler, who already received a Piolet d’Or in 2002 for their ascent of Siguniang and another in 2013 for the Prow of Shiva, made the first ascent of this isolated summit on the northwest border of Nepal, which had seen no previous attempts. After studying the different ascent possibilities, the English climbers spent five days (from base camp to summit) putting up a very elegant new line on the north face. The route is protected from objective dangers. They reached the summit on 22 October and made the descent in two days by the west ridge and then a couloir on the north side. The overall difficulty of the 1,600 m route is estimated at ED+. Paul’s description of the line: “The first half is similar to the north face of the Eiger in terms of the complexity of the itinerary, the second half is similar to the Peuterey ridge.”
Cerro Riso Patron is located 50 kilometres to the southwest of Cerro Torre, in an isolated area between the Hielo Continental plateau and the Pacific fjords. During a first attempt on the south summit (which remains unclimbed) in 2014, an accident low down on the mountain interrupted their expedition early on. Accustomed to the complex logistics of climbing in the region, the international team composed of Lise Billon, Antoine Moineville (both French) and Jerome Sullivan (half american, half french), decided to reattempt the challenge, joined this time by Argentinian climber Diego Simari (taking the place of Martin Elias). Unable to reach the foot of their initial objective, the team changed plans and shifted their sights to the main summit, which had already been climbed in 1988 by an Italian team. After an epic five-day approach, the foursome made the first ascent of the northeast pillar in three days from 22 to 24 September. This was the second ascent of the peak. Their 1,000 m route Hasta las Webas is rated ED-, with difficulties estimated at AI5+, M5, 90° and X. The first ascensionists nonetheless note that the grade takes into account the isolated location. They made the descent on the same day they summited, following the north ridge and then its flank.
Following his ascent of Hagshu in 2014 (which received a Piolet d’Or in 2015), veteran Slovenian alpinist Marko Prezelj, who already has three Piolets d’Or to his name, set his sights on the unexplored east side of the nearby Cerro Kishtwar. Mick Fowler and Steve Sustad made the first ascent of the peak by the northwest face in 1993. After acclimatizing with a first ascent of the south ridge of Chomochior (6,278m, 1,400m, D+), the four-person team of Marko Prezelj, American Hayden Kennedy (who received a Piolet d’Or in 2013 for his ascent of Baintha Brakk in India), Frenchman Manu Pellissier, and Slovenian Urban Novak made the first ascent of Light Before Wisdom on 5-8 October 2015. The 1,200 m line is rated ED+ (more precisely: 5.11, WI6, M6, A2). The team descended by the south face and then rappelled the mountain’s east couloir.
