Himlung Himal Expedition - English version

Distances are shown in the table on the end

Youtube-Video of the expedition under: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct_kTO7m3Bg



1. About the Expedition

Himlung (Himal) is a generally regarded as a 7.000m peak with modest technical difficulty. It sits on the border between China and Nepal. The ascent from the basecamp follows three (some do two) highcamps. Due to its fairly nothern location and the fact, that it's the last higher mountain before the tibetian highlands, it's regarded as one of the colder and windier mountains in that region. Good equipment is essential to maximize the chance to summit. There are several companies offering expeditions to Himlung, the basecamp is therefore fairly comfortable.

2. Trekking to the Mountain

The plan was to go from Kathmandu to Koto via bus and then switch to jeeps, but due to heavy rainfalls in the weeks before the streets we not drivable. We drove as far as it was possible and spent our first night in Bhulbule (900m). From there we continued on foot for two days until we arrived in Koto (2.600m). Our equipment got loaded onto donkeys which served as an all-terrain alternative to the jeeps.
In Koto we took one last shower before hiking to Meta (3.600m), Kyang (3.850m), Phu(gaon) 4.050m and then to the Basecamp at 4.850m.

The trekking on its own is an experience for itself. You've got a constant view of the Annapurna-Range with 5.000m and 6.000m mountains on your sides. From some points you can see Manaslu as well. In Kyang and Phu we used the rest of the day to climb the mountain next to the village - climb high, sleep low.
The lodges are fairly comfortable with beds and the food is delicious. We mostly limited ourselves to two meals so that the cooking was easier and mainly faster. We always ordered soup just to get the sodium in.
But don't be fooled - it gets really cold from Meta onwards. A big and good sleeping bag is essential from here on.

3. Basecamp

Since a swiss medical expedition went to Himlung BC in 2013 the basecamp is quite comfortable. The area is flattened with big stone-plates lying around to use for campsites and walkways. As we arrived as one of the later expeditions all the good spots we're already taken and we had to make due with what we had. This meant flattening our tent sites ourselves which took us about two hours together with setting up camp.
For 13 climbers we had one kitchen tent, two toilet tents and one dining tent. We had single or double tents, depending on what you had booked.
There we're of course several other tents for the sherpas and our kitchen stuff.

4. First Rotation

After staying in Basecamp for two days after arrival to adjust to the altitude and relax we did our first rotation. The plan was to climb to camp 1 5.400m, spend a night there and then continue to camp 2 6.050m with another night there.
To make the summit push as easy as possible we decided to carry as much gear and equipment as possible on the first rotation. This meant carrying all gas cartriges we would need, all of the clothing and climbing equipment we needed and everything else. At the end each one of us carried around 16-20kgs in their backpacks. The only thing the sherpas carried for us we're the highcamp tents, which we then shared as two in one tent.
The first thing we had to do though was crossing the muraine which takes about an hour to complete. Leaving the muraine requires climbing a short but steep wall which was made easier by two fixed ropes that we're installed beforehand. On top of the wall sits the French/New Basecamp. I never understood which purpose it serves but okey. We put on our crampons and continued up until arriving at the beautiful situated camp 1. We set up camp and went to bed at 5pm. During the night the temperature dropped to -17°C/1°F.

At 10 in the morning we continued onward to camp 2. Before heading off we deposited some items we needed for our summit push (gas, dried food, etc.) in Camp 1.
Directly behind Camp 1 there's a steep ascent which is followed by the "bottleneck". This is a steep and narrow section which is secured with fixropes though. Just use your Jumar/Ascender/Prusik and you're safe to go, although a heavy backpack with close to 20kgs makes this a challenge still. 

After arriving at the top you traverse a bit, have one more small hill to climb and you arrive at Camp 2 which sits in a really beautiful spot on a small "hill". The view is mesmerizing and one can see the Annapurna region.
At night we had around -20°C in camp 2. We desposited further items at camp 2 (Gas, down gloves, down mittens etc) to be left behind and picked up on the summit push. On our way back to basecamp we left some more items in Camp 1 (heavy down jacket, Jumar, Balaclava) which we would pick up on our way back up.


4. Summit Push / Second Rotation

We allowed ourselves two restdays in Basecamp which we used to play cards and walk around the basecamp, photographing the surrounding area.
On the third day we started off at around 10am after having our purja ceremony. We spent one night at camp 1 and picked up our items there. We spent another night at camp 2 and picked up the items left behind there as well to then continue onwards to camp 3. Carrying 18-20kgs above 6.000m took its toll and so the pace was quite slow to conserve energy for the following day.
The key section from camp 2 to camp 3 is a small steep icewall that has to be climbed. Its secured by a fixed rope - a good ascender comes in handy (literally) as its far easier to climb than with just a prusik or a microtraxion.

Camp 3 sits at 6.450m close to the ridge which is where we would climb on the following day. As the area around the Camp is quite steep, one better not walk too far away at night. The toilets we're quite literally a few meters away from our tent...

Our plan was to get up at 4am and to be out at 5. Already having had quite a storm during the night the wind hadn't died down until the morning. We therefore decided to stay in the tents until 9 and prepare for a departure at 10am. Luckily the wind got down to around 40-50km/h and we started the ascent. During the day the wind died down to a point where we had more or less no wind at the summit.

The ascent was pretty much fixed (with ropes) all the way to the summit. This allowed each to climb on his own pace. While I felt great on the first 250vm, I started hitting the wall after that. No power in my legs, short of breath and not feeling all to well. I thought at least 10 times about quitting and just walking back down. Excuses are always easy (altitude sickness, cold fingers, cold feet etc.), but that's when it matters.
I focused and kept climbing, staying in my rythm the whole time. Two steps, 3 breaths, two steps, 3 breaths...

I continued that way until there was no more mountain left to climb and I had finally reached the summit. It was a wonderful feeling being on top of my first 7.000m peak. The view was amazing - we had 3x8.000m peaks all around us. The complete Annapurna-Range and Dhaulagiri not far from it while Manaslu lay on the other side.
Still not feeling all too well I decided to take a few minutes of rest, take a few pictures and head back down to get back to tent before nightfall. Having carried the drone all the way up and not using it still annoys me but that's how it is....

The descent followed the same route. We spent one night in camp 3 and packed up the camp the next morning climbing all the way down to basecamp.

Of 10 climbers reaching camp 3 9 reached the summit.

Thanks a lot to:

• Jürgen Landmann, our Lead Guide. He has summited the 7 summits and guides every year for different companies (to be contacted at https://www.abenteuer-outdoor.eu/)
• Mingma Sherpa and Dorji Sherpa for guiding us and helping us all the way to the top
• Our porters and the kitchen stuff for making the whole thing possible and caring for us with delicious food and Masala-Tea.

None of us suffered major injuries or illnesses. My toes and my nose we're a bit red and numb on the front, but that went away after some time. Guess a bit of frostnip.

The cherry on top was to get to know another expedition in basecamp. Having spent a lot of time with you in Basecamp and back in Kathmandu I hope that we will meet again! Thank you Paula, Bella and Francois! Hope to see you again!


Update: Went iceclimbing with Bella and Paula and doing Mera Peak/Baruntse with Paula in 2023!