Ramsden and Miller Make the First Ascent of Surma-Sarovar (6605m)

Less than a month after being announced as the recipients of a Piolet d'Or for their 2022 ascent of 'The Phantom Line' on Jugal Spire (6563m), Paul Ramsden and Tim Miller have returned from Nepal with another stunning first ascent on an unclimbed peak.

^{Miller and Ramsden on the Summit - Photo: Paul Ramsden}

The pair, along with Hamish Frost and Matt Glenn, travelled to the Salimor Khola in the far west corner of Nepal. The area had seen very few previous visits and the team had limited information and no photos of the valley to help with their planning. Howerver, what they saw on Google Earth looked promising and ultimately, the huge effort required to reach the valley proved worthwhile.

Over fours days, Ramsden and Miller established a route to the summit of the previously unclimbed Surma-Sarovar (6605m). Their route climbed the mountain's colossal north face which stretches for 2km above the valley floor. Miller noted that the route's major difficulties involved crossing a rock band between 6000 and 6250m. After this, the weather turned and the pair summitted in poor conditions before starting a complex descent, made more hazardous by the fresh snow. The whole descent, which involved downclimbing a long ridge, took two days.

^{The line of ascent (right) and descent (left) Note: The image does not show the entirety of the north face - Photo: Hamish Frost}

Commenting on the expedition experience overall, Miller said: "The social aspect of being a team of four was definitely the highlight for me and we all agreed that it was the wildest trip we had ever been on."

Glenn and Frost made attempts on two adjacent peaks, but on both occasions were forced to retreat in the face of poor conditions.

The expedition was supported by both the Montane Alpine Club Climbing Fund and a grant from the Mount Everest Foundation.

Paul Ramsden and Tim Miller's 'Phantom Line' Receives Piolet d'Or

The committee of the Piolets d'Or have announced their selection of awarded ascents for the 2022 calendar year. Amongst the three lines to receive a Piolet d'Or is 'The Phantom Line' (ED) on Jugal Spire (6563m), which was climbed in April 2022 by Alpine Club members Paul Ramsden and Tim Miller.

A press release from the Piolets d'Or commended the style of ascent, saying: "Members of the jury felt this was a perfect example of ambitious exploratory mountaineering, carried out in simple but effective alpine-style: two sacs, two ropes, one tent, and no ascenders, bolts or weather forecasts."

The other routes to be awarded a Piolet d'Or this year are Christophe Ogier, Victor Saucède, and Jérôme Sullivan's first ascent of Pumari Chhish East (6850m) via 'The Crystal Ship' (1,600m, 6b, A2, M7) and the first ascent of the south-southeast spur of Jirishanca (6094m) via Reino Hongo (1,000m, M7, AI5+, 90°) by Alik Berg and Quentin Roberts. You can watch an excellent short film of the awarded ascent of Pumari Chhish East below.

The women’s sailing and climbing team who made the first ascent of 'Via Sedna' (7b+, A1) on Northern Sun Spire in Renland, Greenland also received a special mention from the jury. Caro North, Nadia Royo and Capucine Cotteaux were commended both for their style of ascent and the low impact nature of this all-female expedition.

You can read more about all of these routes on the Piolets d'Or website.

The award ceremony itself is due to take place on 15 November in Briançon, France.

Alpine Club to Co-Host Autumn Expedition Symposium

After the success of this January’s Expedition Essential for Women Explorers event, the Club is once again partnering with the Mount Everest Foundation, as well as Plas y Brenin and The Arctic Club, to host an expedition symposium.

^{Mick Fowler - Prow of Shiva}

The event, which takes place from 10 – 12 November this year, will be hosted at Plas y Brenin and features workshops on a variety of essential topics including expedition kit and wilderness first aid. A number of AC members will be in attendance, with Guy Buckingham delivering a workshop on Himalayan logistics and Mick Fowler giving one of the evening talks.

Aimed squarely at those planning their first large-scale expedition, the symposium has been heavily subsidised, with non-residential places available for as little as £60 for the full weekend. Further details and booking via the PyB website. 

Honorary AC Member George Lowe Receives Piolets d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award

American alpinist and honorary Alpine Club member George Lowe has been announced as the recipient of the 2023 Piolets d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award.

^{George Lowe photographed in Tanzania in 2015 by Wikipedia user Mellowish126 and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International}

Among Lowe's many notable accomplishments are the first winter ascents of several peaks in the Grand Teton National Park, the first ascent of the north face of North Twin Peak in the Canadian Rockies, the first ascent of the Infinite Spur on Mount Foraker and the first ascent of Everest's Kangshung Face. However, perhaps his most famous climb is one he did not complete. In 1978, alongside Michael Kennedy, Jim Donini and Jeff Lowe, he made an attempt on the north ridge of Latok I, turning back just shy of the summit. It was an incredible effort, handily demonstarted by the fact that the line remains unclimbed to this day.

The 2023 Piolets d'Or ceremony is due to take place on 15 November in Briançon, France. Further details are available via the Piolets d'Or website.