Himalayan Update: Singapore Girls Begin Summit Bid!


MountEverest.net has all the latest news from the Himalaya, including reports on the NMA Awards from last weeks “Yak and Yeti” event, at which Meagan McGrath took home a Golden Ice Axe award for her efforts in helping to save Nepali climber Usha Bista last Spring when she fell ill, and was abandoned by her team, on Everest.

In other news, Sergey Kofanov and Valery Babanov have announced that they will be climbing the North Face of Jannu, a 7710m peak in the Sikkim region near Kangchenjunga. The mountain has a notoriously long, and challenging summit climb up a sheer faced pyramid on all sides.

Both climbers are currently in Tibet, but will soon set out on a bus trip of several days length to arrive at their destination. The two men met with Elizabeth Hawley this week to discuss their climb, with Babanov declaring her “a very nice woman”.

Notable women climbers in the region this Fall are also on the move, with Edurne Pasaban finally arriving in BC on Shisha Pangma, which will be her 10th 8000m summit should she top out. Arrival in Base Camp was a bit bittersweet though, as she received word that her only brother had just become a father for the first time, and Edurne wasn’t home to greet her new nephew.

Over on Cho Oyu, meanwhile, The Singapore Girls have announced that they are a go for the summit, hoping to launch their bid tomorrow, and topping out on Sunday. They’ve had three days of rest in Nyalam, and are now back in ABC with an eye on the weather. Reports say that it should be calm, and stable for the next week, giving them a wide open window.

At the moment, it’s looking like they may be the first team to summit the mountain his fall, and giving me the opportunity to break out the sensationalist headline of “Women On Top!” Dare to dream! 😉

Kraig Becker

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