Tien Shan

The main objective was the first ascent of the North Face of Khanjaylak I (5424m), with a secondary the Northwest Spur of Xuelian East, in the Xuelian Massif in the Chinese Tien Shan. The expedition got off to a slow start after Thompson’s kitbag was lost by the airline, and delays at a police checkpoint. Because of the delay they decided to abandon the attempt on Khanjaylak, and concentrate on Xuelian East. They began acclimatising on a peak near base camp, and then established an advanced base about 18km east of base at about 4100m on the Muzart Glacier. After closer inspection of the route, they changed their plan to climbing the East Ridge of Xulian East, and continuing with a traverse of Xulian Feng, which had not been climbed from the east. They continued with their acclimatisation during a week of good weather, and set up an advanced base camp. Unfortunately the weather then deteriorated, with frequent snowstorms, mild temperatures, and poor visibility. Taking advantage of a weather window they did manage to climb up to the East Ridge of Xuelian East, reaching 5200m. They were then caught in a snowstorm which lasted two days, and with no sign of improvement and depleted supplies they returned to base camp.