Gerlinde and Ralf on the South Summit of Cholatse, Khumbu Area (Nepal) on December 4, 2005. "Brrrhhhhhh.. it was cold," recalls Ralf. Image by David Goettler courtesy of Amical Alpin (click to enlarge).
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Ralf Dujmovits on Kangchenjunga: We'll do it Alpine style
Posted: Mar 01, 2006 11:30 am EST
(MountEverest.net) In his attempt on Kangchenjunga South side, Ralf Dujmovits will lead one of the strongest teams in the Himalayas this season: Ralf, Veikka Gustafsson, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Hirotaka Takeuchi have a whopping 35, 8000er summits together.
The team, route and climbing plans are set. Ralf reports for ExplorersWeb on their upcoming climb:
Ralf: Two teams, one permit
"We are leaving Germany on April 3, and will meet up with the rest of the team in Kathmandu the next day. We hope to be on our way to Sukhetar by April 6, from where we will trek to Yalung Base Camp, on Kangchenjunga’s South side.
We are attempting the classic route of the British first ascent, and will be divided in two teams:
Andrew Lock from Australia, Joao Garcia and Antonio Jose dos Santos Coelho from Portugal are sharing our climbing permit, but will climb independently.
One push, alpine style and live videos
Our team consists of Veikka, Hiro, Gerlinde, and myself. Before starting we will acclimatize on a 7000 m peak close by. Then we will go for Kangchenjunga in a single push up to the summit.
That is, no previously setup fixed camps, no fixed ropes, no supplementary O2 and no altitude porters. We’ll do it alpine style. This time we will try to send some video along from the mountain.
Still in time for Lhotse
Veikka, Hiro, Gerlinde and myself already attempted Kanchenjunga from its North Face in 2003. Back then we turned round at 7200 m in a major storm.
After climbing Kangchenjunga at the end of the season, Gerlinde, Hiro and I will also give a try to Lhotse, from its normal western Cwm route.
As far as we know Norbert Joos will also be attempting Kangchenjunga, in classic expedition style."
Among all the world's great expeditions in 2005, Gerlinde's Himalayan trilogy was chosen number one by ExplorersWeb.
Now she hopes Kangchenjunga will become her 9th 8000er. Gerlinde had climbed all her 8,000ers without O2, often choosing tough mountains and difficult routes.
Ralf and Gerlinde met in 2002 on Manaslu – they fell in love and have been together since then, turning into one of the most prominent climbing couples ever. In later years, Japanese climber Hirotaka Takeuchi has been a regular climbing buddy on the team.
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner has summited Cho Oyu, Makalu, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I, Shisha Pangma (traverse in alpine style last year), and Gasherbrum II. Extremely strong and self-sufficient, and an advocate of alpine-style, Gerlinde is considered one of - if not the - top female high altitude climber. She has also summited Shisha Pangma Central and Broad Peak foresummit.
Ralf Dujmovits started climbing at the age of 7 at The Battert, a climbing school near Baden-Baden (Southern Germany). Currently he is in charge of Amical Alpine, and has summited 10 out of 14 8000ers: Dhaulagiri in 1990, Everest in 1992, K2 in 1994, Cho Oyu (1) in 1995, Shisha Pangma Central Summit in 1996, Shisha Pangma Main Summit in 1997, Cho Oyu (2) in 1998, Broad Peak in 1999, GII in 2000, Nanga Parbat in 2001, Annapurna I in 2004, GI in 2004. He also traversed Shisha Pangma in 2005.
Japanese climber Hirotaka has summited Makalu, Everest, K2, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, GI, and Shisha Pangma. He summited Everest and K2 back to back in 1996 and, at the age of 25, became the youngest climber to summit the world's two highest mountains. Thus, he has summited seven 8,000ers.
Finnish Veikka Gustafsson has summited 10 8000ers, many of them teaming up with American Ed Viesturs.
Kangchenjunga, also known as the “Five Treasures of the Great Snow,” is an immense mountain mass situated on the Sikkim-Nepal border and the most easterly of the Himalayan peaks. The peak was once thought to be the tallest mountain in the world. Attempts to climb the peak started in 1905. But it would be fifty years and at least eight expeditions later before British climbers George Band and Joe Brown first stood on its summit on May 25, 1955.
Out of respect for Sikkim religion, the party stopped just shy of the summit. At 8586m it is the third tallest mountain on Earth… but not the third most visited of the great 8000ers. Instead, Kang is a relatively lonely mountain. Few dare to climb its dangerous slopes and even less are lucky enough to say they’ve reached the summit. That is, if they live to tell at all. Even the 8000ers collectors need to think twice before they consider this challenge.
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