Far West of Nepal Expedition

First ascent of Lasarmu La 6246m, Humla

by Simon Verspeak (with Rebecca Coles)

We were wading through sugary snow. It wasn't so bad when it was boot or shin depth; knee deep felt however like the living end. After 50 particularly bad metres I threw the dolls out the pram and complained it was futile. Becky quickly gave me a dressing down and we continued uphill again.

Big trips have started to become a biennial thing for us. We are mere mortals unlike the hardcore adventurers such as Mick Fowler and Nick Bullock, however keen we are for the adventure. In 2014 we went to Tajikistan to attempt some unclimbed peaks and then 2016 found us thinking about somewhere we've been lots and love, Nepal.

Summit of Lasamu La
Photos Simon Verspeak

In alternate years, we go to the Alps and try to push our grade (in fact we go nearly every year) usually on ice or rock, but we are keen skiers too (yet to take that to the Greater Ranges so far). Working as expedition leaders means rarely half a year goes by without a trip somewhere up high but we value the time to go and explore for ourselves.

Researching objectives can be difficult: you usually need someone to give up some hard-won knowledge, a glance of a peak or a photo. Thankfully we had got some good beta. Trips are not easy to plan either as there is lots to think about. Permits, flights, insurance, logistics, food, finances, kit, the list goes on. We luckily have lots of experience now doing this but it still ends up being a mad rush to get everything in place.

First View of Lasamu La

To be honest, trekking into a new area is usually my favourite part of a trip; after this it all becomes hard work! We arrived in Kathmandu to the usual chaos. Quickly getting the last few provisions we had two internal flights to the Far West. The second plane wasn't exactly big; just one propeller and a handful of seats and, as usual, spectacular views on the way in. Our trek was nice and simple: 3 days up a big valley then turn up and off for a further day. Getting our first views of the intended peak was an exceptional moment; I found my pace quickening as we rounded the corner racing to see the line.

This trip had its moments but by far my memories will be of the suffering.... Sadly our base camp received no more than 6 hours of sun a day, the river running alongside was frequently frozen and on a 'warm night' we measured -8ºC! In fact, substitute suffering for cold. A night at the North Col at 5300m was -30ºC if not colder; I wore all my clothes including down gloves on my feet and was still cold.

Our initial plan had been an attempt on the North Ridge of the mountain but the ridge had a ridiculously hard-looking rock band which would be possible to bypass in good snow but not in this condition, or with the forecast winds and cold. So, we headed back down to base camp with the plan to switch attentions to the East Ridge.

And after all this we achieved something remarkable: we explored a new area and we summited. Summit day was tough. Probably one of the toughest summit days I have ever done. However, strangely, it got easier as we got higher. The initial 3 hours mainly in the cold and dark and at times wading thigh deep between complex crevasses wasn't exactly high thrill mountaineering; this portion of the day would later prove 'type 2 fun' and in fact be immensely satisfying in retrospect. The ridge then took a further 7 hours: false summit after false summit, serious traverses on a knife edge crest with oblivion below, interspersed with a few fun pitches past crevasses or bergschrunds, until finally we were there!The relief was palpable. Descent after this was simple. On the map this prominent peak was simply labelled '6246' but we learned that the local name was Lasarmu La.

By far the most stressful moment however was in our last moments in base camp. We'd been visited early on by a friendly but pyromaniac of a shepherd. After this encounter we had deliberately hidden our base camp in some rocks. Waiting for our mules to arrive we moved our kit back across the river. Would our mule man arrive? It turned out he had walked past and not seen us! Shortly we were on our way out, successful in the main, as my partner commented, by surviving 12 days with just each other for company!

We are grateful to The Mount Everest Foundation, The Alpine Club, The British Mountaineering Council, The Austrian Alpine Club (UK), Lowe Alpine and Rab Equipment, Beta Climbing, Spring PR, and Rob Greenwood, our 'emergency' contact!

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