Thursday 19th October 2017, three French mountain guides opened a new climbing route in pure alpine style, in the south face of Nuptse, Nepal.
The Nuptse south face, one of the most coveted walls in the world, ia a 2,500m face of steep rock and ice, 4 km across and topping out at 7,861m at the highest point.
According to Le Dauphine, this three mountain guides composing the Gang des Moustaches: Hélias Millerioux, mountain guide based in Chamonix and his two companions Frédéric Degoulet from Saint-Martin-de-Queyrières (Hautes-Alpes region) and Niçois Benjamin Guigonne, engraved their name yesterday, Thursday 19th October 2017, in the middle of the day.
With only four ascents by big names in alpinism, this new climbing route up this face will put the Gang des Moustaches into the history books.
Nuptse South Face in alpine style
Summit for the Gang des Moustaches!
The Gang des Moustaches opened a climbing route in alpine-style outgoing the western summit (7742 m).
"It may be a break", estimates their colleague Stéphane Benoist, who in 2008, along with the Savoyard Patrice Glairon-Rappaz, opened an itinerary - the only one in Alpine style to date - that himself judges less difficult in this same face.
"There the level of difficulty could be close to a north face of the Grandes Jorasses. At this altitude, it is very impressive", said Benoist.
19th October 2017
Thursday 19th October 2017, the group progressed very slowly, about 50m per hour.
It took five days to the climbers to complete this ascent from their base camp. They had to go back to Camp 5 (7,443m) where they spent their last night.
18th October 2017
Wednesday evening 18th October 2017, they were very confident. They reached their last bivouac, having climbed the right bank of a long corridor in eleven lengths, leaving an astonishing and timely ice flute giving access to the continuation of the ascent.
"Big day of 450m of climbing with the bag of 8 kg and a late arrival at Camp 5 on the ridge at night. We're definitely trying tomorrow".
The three mountain guides will have two long days of descent to the foot of the mountain (5,400m) before returning to their lodges.
Follow the expedition of the Gang des Moustaches: on Facebook or on their website
