The “Mustache Gang”: Degoulet, Guigonnet, Millerioux (from l. to r.)

The “Mustache Gang” has struck in Nepal. The French climbers Helias Millerioux, Frederic Degoulet and Benjamin Guigonnet, who call themselves “Le Gang des Mustaches”, opened in Alpine style a new route through the South Face of Nuptse. “Jippie, it’s done! They did it!”, the Base Camp team of the trio posted yesterday on Facebook, adding that the three climbers had reached the 7,742-meter-high summit. They did not mean the 7861-meter high Nuptse I, but Nuptse Nup II, also called Nuptse Northwest. Helias, Frederic and Benjamin had entered their route last Friday. After six nights in the wall they reached the highest point.

Fourth complete route via the South Face

New French route on Nuptse

The South Face of Nuptse, which was now mastered on a new route by the “Mustache Gang”, is considered to be extremely difficult. A British-Nepalese expedition led by Chris Bonington made the first ascent of Nuptse I via the South Face in 1961. In 2003, the two Russians Valery Babanov and Yuri Kosholenko succeeded the first ascent of the 7804-meter high-Nuptse East climbing via the South Pillar. In 2008, the French Stephane Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz opened another South Face route in Alpine style, ending in the upper part of the wall in the Bonington route.