Last updated: April 2008

Kangchenjunga - 8586m - #3 in the World

Kangchenjunga, Peak IX of the Indian survey, is the world’s third highest mountain at 8586m. It is the most easterly of the 8000m peaks, standing on the border between Nepal and Sikkim. From almost any direction, the peak looks like a vast tent, the massif being created by four ridges radiating virtually on the cardinal points from the summit.

Three of its subsidiary summits are over 8000m: the south summit, sometimes called Kangchenjunga II, at 8476m; the central summit, between the south and main summits, at 8482m, and the west summit, called Yalung Kang, at 8505m. Long considered sacred, the Tibetan name (Kang-chen-dzö-nga) has been translated as ‘The Five Treasures of the great Snows’. Although some claim this to be a reference to it five distinct summits, it is more likely to stem from the number of glaciers flowing from it.

In 1848/9, the British botanist Joseph Hooker made two long journeys in Sikkim, traveling within a few kilometres of Kangchenjunga. In 1899, Douglas Freshfield and a small team including the famous Italian mountain photographer Vittorio Sella made a complete circuit of the Kangchenjunga massif, and wrote a book called Round Kangchenjunga.

Kangchenjunga First Ascent Kangchenjunga was first climbed by the 1955 British expedition led by Charles Evans. Evans was in the first summit attempt on Everest in 1953, but turned back at the South Summit. The team followed the Yalung Glacier to the foot of the southwest face. They then climbed via the Western Buttress, though the upper icefall, across the Great Shelf up the Gangway, and crossed a ledged ramp leading across the headwall to the west ridge, avoiding the pinnacles. On May 25, Joe Brown and George Band made the first ascent of Kangchenjunga, with Brown climbing a rock wall just below the summit. Norman Hardie and Tony Streather summited the next day, but they find a snow ramp and avoided the difficult rock.

Other notable ascents:

• The second ascent was made in 1977 by an Indian Army team led by Col. Narinder Kumar. They completed the north-east spur, the difficult ridge that defeated Bauer in 1929 and 1931. Major Prem Chand and Nima Dorje Sherpa reached the top on May 31.
• The first ascent of the Northwest Face (and the third overall ascent) was made by a small four man British expedition in 1979. Doug Scott, Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker reached the summit without using high altitude porters or supplemental oxygen. This climb marked a turning point away from the huge siege style Himalayan expeditions to a more Alpine style.
• The first ascent of the Northwest Face Direct was made by a Japanese expedition, with five climbers summiting on May 14, 1980 and another three on May 17.

Jannu 7110m

Jannu (now officially known as Kumbhakarna) lies 11km to the West of the summit of Kangchenjunga, and is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

Guide Magnone’s 1957 reconnaissance confirmed suspicions that Jannu would prove a daunting challenge. The precipitous North and East Faces were deemed impossible and when Jean Franco led the first full attempt in 1959, it was from the south.

In his book Conquistadors of the Useless, Lionel Terray describes Jannu: “ … Jannu, the most spectacular of all the unclimbed peaks. This granite tower, rising in two successive vertical tiers to a height of 25,295 feet, appeared to be the most impregnable of nature’s remaining fortresses. … (The south-east face is a) gigantic face interrupted only with overhanging seracs and walls of rock. … No single section of it looked unclimbable in itself, but the sheer length and continuity of the difficulties were out of all proportion with the most grandiose ascents so far done.”

Jannu First Ascent Jannu was first reconnoitered in 1957 by Guido Magnone, and first attempted in 1959 by a French team led by Jean Franco, being stopped just 310m below the summit. Jannu was first climbed in 1962 by a French team led by Lionel Terray by the south glacier and Southwest Ridge. René Desmaison, Paul Keller, Robert Paragot and Gyaltsen Norbu reached the top on April 28 and a day later Lionel Terray, André Bertrand, Jean Bouvier, Paul Leroux, Yves Pollet-Villard, Jean Ravier, and sirdar Wongdi also made it.

Jannu First Ascent North Face Direct: The huge steep North Face was climbed by a route that starts on the left side of the face and then meets the East Ridge, avoiding the steep headwall at the top of the face, in 1977 by a large Japanese expedition, with 16 climbers summiting. The first ascent directly up the North Face was successfully completed by a Russian Team led by Alexander Odintsov in May 2004. After over 60 days on the face, five members of the team stood on top, completing one of the most difficult high-altitude big walls ever attempted. Dmitry Pavlenko and Alexander Ruchkin summited on May 26th, with Gennady Kirievskiy, Nikolay Totmyanin, and Sergey Borisov summiting on May 28th.

My Top 5 Memories Of Kangchenjunga and Jannu

1. Kangchenjunga North Face from Pangpema – fully visible, magnificent face. Great panorama with The Twins to the left and the appropriately named Wedge peak to the right.
2. Jannu North Face from Kambachen - May be the most beautiful and difficult big wall in the world. The sunset was sensational.
3. Kangchenjunga, Talung, Kabru and Ratong descending to the south valley - a much better panorama and perspective than from close up.
4. Jannu west face from Sinion La - another classic view of Jannu, reminding me of Vitorio Sella's beautiful photo from 1899.
5. Celebrating Dasain at a Yamphudin house - warmly welcomed and then invited to celebrate Dasain with this three-generation family. My favourite experience meeting local people in all of my travels.