Tengkangpoche 2025

The unclimbed south ridge of Tengkangpoche (6487m) is an aesthetic line tucked away at the back of the secluded Lumding valley. This team of four hoped that the late monsoon snow in October would help conditions on the mountain. What they had not expected was for another storm to arrive in November, right at the start of the trip. This was the same storm which caused the tragic avalanche on Yalung Ri in the neighbouring valley. At basecamp the team found 1m of unconsolidated snow. With short days and cooler temperatures in late autumn, the snow conditions did not improve quickly. The glacier was loaded with soft snow, had only weak snow bridges and was exposed to objective danger from the south face of Tengkangpoche. Avalanche activity on all aspects was visible but particularly on the south and west face, including up to three weeks after the last snowfall. Further misfortune came when the team hoped to climb the ridge. A low pressure system brought 40-50mph westerly winds, depositing windslab on the approach gullies to the south ridge and the east ridge descent route. Under the circumstances, it was deemed too unstable to attempt the climb and the team returned to Lukla.

This expedition were recipients of the Nick Estcourt Award for exceptional mountaineering objectives.