All or Nothing - new first ascent route...

All or Nothing - new first ascent route by Česen, Novak and Prezelj in the Himalaya.



Aleš Česen (Alpski gorniški klub), Urban Novak and Marko Prezelj (both AO PD Kamnik) climbed Arjuna (6250 m) in the Indian Himalaya in June, which was the second ascent of the main summit of this six-thousander and the first in alpine style. They named the new 1400-meter extremely difficult route in the west face of Arjuna All or Nothing and rated it ED+, which is an elevated highest grade on the French six-grade scale. Members of the Kijaj Nullah 2017 alpinistic expedition, also supported by the Alpine Association of Slovenia, acclimatized by climbing a demanding new route to the summit of P6013 (6038 m).



Slovenian top alpinists have been returning to India for several years to the area of the so-called Kishtwar Himalaya. Aleš Česen, Luka Lindič and Marko Prezelj climbed a first ascent route in the north face of Hagshu (6657 m) in September 2014, while in October 2015 Prezelj, Urban Novak, Hayden Kennedy and Manu Pellissier were the first to climb the demanding east face of Cerro Kishtwar (6173 m); both ascents were awarded the highest international alpinistic recognition, the Piolet d'Or. This year, the Slovenian team Česen-Novak-Prezelj once again succeeded in a top alpinistic feat, a new route in the west face of Arjuna (6250 m). "In terms of difficulty, I rank the ascent of Arjuna higher than Hagshu. There were more difficult meters on Arjuna in terms of climbing, but overall the tour is somewhat less complex than Cerro Kishtwar because the route is clear from start to finish and thus doubts do not burden thinking during climbing. The objective exposure was higher compared to Hagshu and Cerro Kishtwar, and even the favorable conditions for climbing were literally crumbling under our feet this time," compares the ascents Marko Prezelj (AO PD Kamnik).



The trio set off to the Kishtwar Himalaya at the end of May, and the success of this year's expedition was key due to last year's reconnaissance by the two Kamnik climbers. During a good month of stay in the base camp in the Kijaj Nullah valley and in the walls above it, the weather granted them only six rain-free days, which they excellently utilized and were rewarded for their persistence. In the first two days, they acclimatized by climbing a demanding new route to P6013 (6038 m), where only Polish alpinists had stood on the summit before them in 1979. In the next weather window, which lasted three days, they succeeded in climbing the difficult first ascent route in the west face of Arjuna (6250 m), which they named All or Nothing; they rated the 1400-meter mixed route ED+ (extrêmement difficile supérieur = extremely difficult), with the elevated highest grade on the French six-grade scale.



"In the lower part, we climbed unroped in good snow-ice conditions. On the first day, we climbed six more pitches of mixed terrain, where occasional avalanches tested our nerves. We bivyed to the right of the main gully, below the hardest part of the route. The next day, we climbed three hard mixed pitches, an ice pitch, and late into the night another seven snow pitches. We bivyed three pitches below the ridge. We reached the summit the next day around noon and rappelled down the ascent route the same day using ropes. GPS showed 6250 meters on the main summit of Arjuna. This was the second ascent of the main summit, the first in alpine style," summarizes the epic days between 16 and 18 June 2017, expedition leader Urban Novak (AO PD Kamnik).



After a day of demanding climbing marked by snow avalanches and the first night spent in the wall, the most demanding part of the ascent awaited the alpinists. "The next three pitches are the key to the route. Completely vertical, in places overhanging mushroomed mixed terrain took us a full eight hours of active climbing. We were slow also due to endless clearing of accumulated unusable snow. I don't remember ever climbing such hard mixed pitches at that altitude. Every meter was a battle in itself. This was followed by a series of ice pitches in somewhat less steep conditions. Normally, an experienced alpinist would manage them without major difficulties. In our case, we must admit that we were already quite worn out physically, and to top it off, the points of our crampons and ice axes were anything but points. Granite rock unfortunately has never spared steel. While a storm overtakes us and solid night catches us, Urban finds a suitable spot for bivy in the dim light of the headlamp. We bivy again without a tent, but happy because the weather improved and we knew the harder part of the route was behind us," wrote Aleš Česen (Alpski gorniški klub) in the report of the Kijaj Nullah 2017 expedition.



The area above the Kijaj Nullah valley is still largely unexplored alpinistically. The motivation and inspiration for the Slovenian alpinists were the Polish ascents from the 1980s in the west face of Arjuna, which even by today's standards are considered top alpinistic achievements. In 1983, Tomasz Bende and Przemyslaw Piasecki climbed in alpine style via the west face to the south summit of Arjuna. In the same year, Miroslaw Dasal, Jerzy Barszczewski and Zbigniew Skierski climbed via the west face of Arjuna to its main summit. Thus, the Slovenian approach of Česen, Novak and Prezelj is the second ascent of the main summit of this six-thousander and the first in alpine style, without fixed ropes, high-altitude camps and supplemental oxygen.



"This year's expedition to the valley below Arjuna was experientially extremely intense. Urban and I knew the approach to base and the environment itself, which was both a relief and a kind of pressure. We knew there was no consolation goal on Arjuna. The high and steep wall shows a characteristic mixed route from foot to summit. The biggest difference between this year's and previous expeditions to the area is that we arrived at base this time with defined expectations that are not conducive to target relaxation. Unfavorable weather conditions forced us to utilize until the last hour the time suitable for climbing the chosen route and safe descent to base. Such precise use of time for executing the ascent has never happened to me in thirty years of expeditioning. Perhaps all these years of experience contributed, but these very experiences tell me that we hit the main jackpot in an uncertain game – we talked that the atmosphere was similar to announcing a successful valat at tarok with average cards," concludes Prezelj, the most experienced member of the expedition, and adds: "It was a special pleasure to share the expedition enthusiasm with alpinists who are leading representatives of their generation."