British Chombu Expedition

The objective of the expedition was to make the first ascent of Chombu (6,362m) in north Sikkim. Negotiating the closely controlled access to Sikkim, the two climbers obtained permission to make an attempt on Chombu in April. Arriving on the 1st April they made base camp by the 6th April and spent a further 18 days scouting the route and acclimatising before making an attempt. After two days resting, they moved up to the base of the route in heavy snow. The poor weather continued with heavy snowfall that refused to freeze. Each day a further fresh fall of snow would arrive and cover the unfrozen snow from the day previously. With progress proving slow and a high risk of avalanche, they retreated and instead opted for a secondary objective on a peak they named Chungukang North. The weather continued in the same pattern but despite the conditions, they were successful in ascending Chungukang North via its rocky south ridge. Following this, they broke camp and walked out to Tanggu on the 26th April. They concluded, as have a number of other previous expeditions, that better conditions would be more likely after the monsoon season and plan to return in the near future.