LA LÍNEA VERTICAL sponsors the ascent to Kanchenjunga, with which the Ama Dablam Alpine Club resumes the 8000 Project. After last year’s expedition to Nanga Parbat, climber Lolo González faces the climb to Kanchenjunga, which at 8,586 meters is the third highest peak in the world, after Everest and K2.
The 8000 project aims for climbers from the Alpine Club to complete the attempt to ascend to the 14 eight-thousanders of the planet. This beautiful adventure is scheduled to conclude next year, 2023, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ama Dablam Alpine Club with the ascent to Shishapangma.
The expedition, led by Lolo González, departed on April 1 for Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal and entered the Himalayas. There he joined the international group of 13 climbers and 10 Sherpas, which is the one that will attempt the ascent. Last day 8th they were already in Yamphudin, at 2,080 meters of altitude, from where they will advance to the Base Camp of the southern slope of the Kanchenjunga, and that will be located at an altitude of 5,500 meters, on a stony glacial terrain.
Ascent through glacial terrain as in 1925
To undertake the final climb, the expedition will install four camps: the Camp 1 to 6,100 meters, the Camp 2 to 6,400 meters, the Camp 3 to 6,900 meters and, finally, a last field to 7,600 meters, from where they will launch the summit attempt in the last two weeks of May.
According to Lolo González, the expedition thus follows the route of the first ascent, completed on May 25th, 1955, which was carried out by the British George Band and Joe Brown. This itinerary runs through glacial terrain, to end in a section of mixed climbing by rock, ice and snow. This route of ascent along the southern slope of the Kanchenjunga place at the level of K2 the technical difficulties offered by the mountain.
The name Kanchenjunga translates to “the five treasures of the snows”. The treasures represent the five repositories of God, which are: gold, silver, gems, cereal, and sacred books.
60 kilograms of technical equipment and clothing
The expedition to Kanchenjunga 2022 was presented on March 31st in Marbella, with the presence of Antonio Moreno, owner and founder of LA LÍNEA VERTICAL, and Javier Mérida, councilor of Sports of San Pedro Alcántara, in addition to Lolo González himself, who the next day left, via Istanbul, to Nepal.
The gateway to the Himalayas is the Republic of Nepal and specifically its capital, Kathmandu, which has just fifty square kilometers, 1,400 meters of altitude and a population of more than 1,400 million inhabitants. Expeditions and trekking groups that visit the mountain areas or try to climb the highest peaks in the world depart from the city. In Nepal there are, totally or partially, eight of the fourteen mountain massifs with peaks of more than eight thousand meters of altitude. As a curiosity, Lolo left with 60 kilograms of technical material and all the necessary clothing to undertake the ascent of the Kanchenjunga. For this type of expeditions, the necessary clothing consists of: boots with inner booty, first layer of clothes of hot fabrics and fast drying, second layer of outerwear in fleece fabric, to complete the insulation with a jacket filled with feathers and / or waterproof jacket. It is also very important to protect the hands at maximum altitude, so it is essential to use mittens.