Style and Tactics
The plan on both attempts was to climb in alpine style with a small alpine rack. Aid, or extensive sac hauling etc wasn’t envisaged and indeed wasn’t required. On both climbs we left Gokyo Resort lodge at just before first light, allowing us to negotiate the moraine at the base of the face in daylight. There are cairns here, marking the best route, but they are very difficult to follow in the dark.
We simply started climbing and aimed to bivvy at a suitable spot. We opted not to take a tent considering the terrain to be too steep for the most part. As a back up we did have a small shelter tent/bothy bag to keep spindrift off us while cooking and sleeping etc.
Phari Lapcha and Dawa Peak/Phari Lapcha West: a brief history of attempts/ascents
The first authorised ascent of the mountain was made in 2003 via the Upper Machermo Glacier. In November 2003 the mountain received a visit from Frenchmen Seb Constant and Jerome Mercader who climbed the inspiration line ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’. ED1 M5 WI4.
In 2005, Owen Samuel and Andy Turner attempted to climb the north face but were quickly thwarted by deep unconsolidated snow.
October 2006 Constant returned to the Khumbu establishing ‘The Oracle Night TD-V WI3+ M4, 750m. Constant’s team had considered trying to make an integral traverse from Phari Lapcha to Dawa Peak/Phari Lapcha West. The attempt was aborted when they decided that they weren’t sufficiently acclimatised.
Nick Bullock and Jon Bracey visited the area in late October 2007 and climbed ‘Snotty’s Gully’ ED1 WI5 M5+ 1000m, named in memory of the late Sue Nott. They described the route as a potential classic and it didn’t wait long for a repeat from Norwegians Halvor Dannevig and Nils Nielsen, who found it in excellent condition after giving up their plans on the North Face of Phari Lapcha due to lack of ice.
Also in autumn 2007 Fumitaka Ichimura and Hiroyuki Nakagawa, two Japanese alpinists, chose a thin goulotte towards the centre Phari Lapcha’s north face. This direct line was eventually forced right at half-height to finish up Bonfire, creating a 24-pitch route at ED1, WI 4 R.
Later in January 2008 Andy Parkin, on his first visit to the Khumbu, soloed the big mixed face on Dawa Peak. Being pretty “handy” he climbed down the East Ridge past the exit of Snotty's Gully and then descended an easier line on the North East Face.
The attempted line on Phari Lapcha
Phari Lapcha North face. The line marks our attempt on the face, X marking out highpoint in a granite rock band. We suspect that the central line to the right was also attempted by and Italian Team.
Having reconnoitered the face from a number of positions, we opted to attempt the left hand line marked in the image above. Shortly before our attempt another team was spotted on the central line. Having looked at the base of the face we saw no evidence that anybody had been there and our own observations suggested thin ice and poor snow. We left Gokyo at 5am on the 14th November negotiating the moraine at the base of the face in
day light. An initial section of Scottish III allowed us to gain access to the first snowfield where we discovered some terrifying snow conditions. This varied between unconsolidated sugary snow which appeared to be bottomless, and hard wind slab with an air void underneath. Hugging the left hand side of the snow field we were able to make progress, moving together as appropriate.
Above this the ground was much steeper: a ramp system leading through the steep rock band of homogenous granite. Here we climbed two to three pitches on loose snow, and tricky mixed ground until we decided to retreat (two knife blades mark Andy’s high point). Descent was made with a series of abseils, many on abolokov’s by digging down to hard glacier ice, combined with some down climbing.
We arrived back to Gokyo Resort lodge at about 8pm having stumbled through the moraine at the bottom of the face.
With the snow conditions we encountered a rethink was required. Noticing that the best conditions appeared to be on “Snotty’s Gully”, we decided to attempt a repeat. It appears that this line gets a little more sun, resulting in better neve and water ice.
Snottys Gully
Dawa Peak/Phari Lapcha West (5977m) taken from the Gokyo Valley. The line marks “Snotty’s Gully”, ED1 WI5, M5+ c1000m of climbing.
Leaving Gokyo at 5am on the 17th November we climbed to approximately two thirds height with difficulties up to WI5 and M5+. Conditions were variable, with some unconsolidated snow low down and on the approach to the lower gully. Water ice in the upper gully was good, but often thin, only just taking screws. After an open bivvy, the final water ice pitches led to the summit ridge.
Descent was made by down climbing a small rock rib just short of the summit, and making a series of abseils to the Upper Machermo Glacier. We reached Machermo village on the 18th Nov.