Watch: David Lama and Conrad Anker attempt to summit Lunag Ri
Exposed faces, first ascents and -25° temperatures… Watch David Lama and Conrad Anker reach the headwall of Lunag Ri
In November 2015 25-year-old Austrian climber David Lama and his American partner Conrad Anker became the first expedition ever to reach the headwall of Lunag Ri, a 6907 meters high mountain located at the border of Nepal and Tibet.
Martin Hanslmayr/Red Bull Contentpool
With a difficult approach on all sides, Lunag Ri has yet to see a successful expedition, but Lama and Ankers planned a first ascent of the peak via a new line on its northwest face.
With perfect weather at basecamp, expectations were high and after less than two weeks of acclimatisation, they were ready for a summit attempt; “Because of a lack of snow and ice in the lower part of the face, which drastically increased the risk of rockfall, we had to change our planned line of ascent and thus chose a different line through much steeper and more difficult terrain.”
Martin Hanslmayr/Red Bull Contentpool
The Austrian-American team came up with the plan to climb a steep rock wall up to the northwest ridge, from where they would try to make it to the summit the following day. After climbing the tricky wall, the two reached the ridge in the early afternoon. There, they found steep, bottomless snow and bad protection. “The climbing was continuously tricky and more complicated than anticipated. There was not a single pitch that you would just walk up,” says Conrad Anker.
Martin Hanslmayr/Red Bull Contentpool
With only one day of decent weather conditions ahead, the two started their summit attempt at 2 am after an extremely cold bivouac at around 6000 meters. In order to move faster, Lama and Anker decided to stake everything, leaving behind their bivvy gear.
After twelve hours of climbing along the demanding ridge, the only hurdle separating the team from their eagerly anticipated goal was the 300m headwall. The summit was out of reach for that day. With no tent or sleeping bag and -25°C temperatures, spending the night was far too risky. Even though the decision wasn’t easy, they agreed: Retreating was the only reasonable option.
Martin Hanslmayr / Red Bull Contentpool
“Had we reached the summit, our climb would have been perfect,” said David Lama. “In turn, we still have our fingers. They will surely be useful on our next attempt, which we have set our sights on for next year.”
