Satellite picture of Kangchenjunga

No matter whether you curse it, praise it to the skies or just use it pragmatically, no one will deny: the Internet has changed our lives and actually we can hardly imagine life without it. This also applies to mountain adventurers. Almost forgotten are the ancient times of Himalayan mountaineering, when expeditions were sent out, which were intended only to explore alpine destinations. Many of today’s best climbers prepare their projects on the screen – and make no secret of it. “I’ve looked a bit on Google Earth and more or less ‘found’ this mountain,” Austrian top climber Hansjoerg Auer told me before he set off to the almost 7,000-meter-high Gimigela Chuli East in Nepal. Along with his countryman Alex Bluemel, Auer wants to tackle the North Face of the mountain, which is located near the eight-thousander Kangchenjunga: “It’s not possible without a picture. Then I check out: How does the access look? Is it mega-dangerous or is the risk acceptable? What does the Base Camp look like?” Auer has not yet returned, but already now this fall season in the Himalayas once more proves: The mountaineering highlights are currently set even more on unknown five-, six- or seven-thousanders than on the eight-thousanders.

Candidates for next Piolet d’Or

Russian direttissima on Thalay Sagar

Thus Russians Sergey Nilov, Dmitry Grigoriev and Dmitry Golovchenko succeeded a new route via the North Face of the 6,904-meter-high Thalay Sagar in the Indian Himalayas, which really deserves the description “direttissima”. Not in such a straight line, but not less spectacular, was the first ascent, which – as reported – the British Paul Ramsden and Nick Bullock succeeded in the North Face of Nyainqentangla Southeast (7,046 meters) in Tibet. British ‘old masters’ Mick Fowler (60 years old) and Victor Saunders (aged 66) also demonstrated that they haven’t forgotten anything: their first ascent of the North Buttress of the 6100-meter-high Sersank in North India will – like the above-mentioned successes –probably be on the shortlist for the next Piolet d’Or, the “Oscar of the mountaineers”. This also applies to the pioneering climb of German Ines Papert and Slovenian Luka Lindic, who – as reported – completed an often attempted route through the difficult Southeast Face of the 5842-meter-high Kyzyl Asker in the Tian Shan mountains.

More goals, thicker air and loneliness

Mick Fowler climbing the North Buttress of Sersank

Of course, there are still unsolved problems on eight-thousanders too, such as the direct Makalu West Face or the “Phantasy Ridge” on the very rarely attempted east side of Mount Everest, the Kangchung Face. But the slightly lower mountains have some undeniable advantages: Even more virgin walls and ridges are still waiting there. In addition, climbers need less time to acclimatize, making the expeditions shorter. Compared with eight-thousanders, the air is thicker so that more extreme climbing is possible. And, last but not least, the mountaineers can experience lonesomeness on these often hidden mountains and feel more easily like real adventurers. Therefore, a previous look at the digital mountain world is worthwhile.

Piolet d’Or winners Mick Fowler (r.) and Paul Ramsden

The tireless have done it again. The British Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden once again set climbing highlights, but, for a change, they were separately under way, with other team partners. Fowler, meanwhile 60 years (!) old, succeeded, along with his countryman Victor Saunders, the first ascent of the North Buttress of the 6100-meter-high Sersank in the North-Indian part of the Himalayas. Paul Ramsden and Nick Bullock climbed the North Face of the 7046-meter-high Nyainqentangla South East in Tibet for the first time. Last April, Fowler and Ramsden had won the Piolet d’Or, the “Oscar of the climbers”, for their first ascent of the 6571-meter-high Gave Ding, a remote mountain in northwestern Nepal. It was already the third “Golden Ice Axe” for the successful British team of two.

Reunited after 29 years

Fowler and Saunders (l.) on top of Spantik in 1987

“Sersank ticked,” Fowler wrote from the North Indian city of Manali in the state of Himachal Pradesh. “Five days to climb the north buttress and an eight day round trip from base camp. Absolutely brilliant.” 29 years ago, Fowler and Saunders had climbed together for the last time: In 1987, they succeeded the first ascent of the so-called “Golden Pillar” (which really looks golden in the sun), the Northwest Pillar of the 7027-meter-high Spantik in Pakistan. Then they went their separate ways. Saunders later climbed Mount Everest six times as a mountain guide. Working on a book project, Mick and Vic reunited and decided to climb together again.

Monster Matterhorn

Summit selfie of Ramsden and Bullock (r.)

It took Ramsden (born in 1969) and 50-year-old Bullock five days to first climb the North Face of Nyainqentangla South East. The wall “was almost impossible to describe without using superlatives,” Nick wrote on his website. “It was a dream, it had runnels, ice, fields of snow, arêtes – the face twisted and turned in some warped massive monster Matterhorn way”. Nick called the face a “mouth-puckering 1600 m”. On the fifth day after leaving Base Camp, the British team reached the summit and needed another day for the descent via the East Ridge. The first ascent of Nyainqentangla South East had been made by the Austrians Stefan and Erich Gatt via the south side of the mountain in 2001.

Hagshu (north face in the sun, to the left of it the north east face)

This does not happen often. Within days top climbers from Slovenia and the UK opened two challenging new routes on a shapely 6000-meter-peak in the Indian Himalayas. The 6515-meter-high Hagshu is located in the district of Kishtwar in the crisis-hit region of Kashmir. The Slovenians Marko Prezelj, Luka Lindic and Ales Cesen reached the summit on 30 September, after they had climbed for the first time through the steep north face of Hagshu. Then the Britons Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden opened a new route via the previously unclimbed north east face and stood at the top of the mountain on 6 October.

Blame lies with the IMF

Ales Cesen in the north face

Actually, Fowler and Ramsden had also planned to climb via the north face and had got the permit for that by the Indian Mountaineering Federation (IMF). But the IMF had also given the green light to the Slovenes, without each expedition being aware of the plan of the other. When Fowler and Ramsden arrived at Hagshu, Prezelj, Lindic and Cesen were already acclimatized and established on the British team’s planned line. Mick and Paul decided to turn to the north east face. After their return from the summit, they visited the Slovenian climbers at their advanced base camp. “They were visibly disappointed and annoyed that we had climbed “their route” before they could do it”, Prezelj writes in his expedition report. However, both teams agreed that the IMF was to blame, where apparently the one hand did not know what the other was doing. In the meantime, the anger of the Britons seems to have subsided. “Our climb of the north east face proved to be pleasingly memorable and together with a traverse of the mountain, provided a fine six day outing from base camp”, Fowler announced.

Four ascents by four routes

On the Hagshu summit ridge

In 1989, the Hagshu was climbed for the first time by Pawel Jozefowicz and Dariusz Zaluski from Poland – but without permit. The British team of Robin Beadle made the first “legal” ascent a week later. Then the mountain region was closed for foreign climbers, due to the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan. In 2010, the Indian government opened more than a hundred peaks in Jammu and Kashmir regions, including Hagshu. “Few mountains have an ascent history as curious as Hagshu”, says Mick Fowler. “ There have been four ascents to date and – two within days of each other in 1989 and two within days of each other 25 years later.  And all of them have been by different lines.”

Fowler and Ramsden form an experienced climbing team for many years. In 2003 and 2013, the Britons were awarded the Piolet d’Or, the “Oscar” of the mountaineers. The Slovenian Marko Prezelj also got it, in 1992. Let’s see if next year’s Piolet d’Or jury will nominate one of the first ascents on Hagshu. Or even both?