Chukyima Go | 2014 W Face

A Slovenia expedition to Chukyima Go in 2014 via W Face, led by Domen Kastelic. Summit reached on 12th November 2014. 2 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 8655
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID CHUG14301
Peak ID CHUG
Year 2014
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 W Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Slovenia
Leaders Domen Kastelic
Sponsor Slovenian-American Chugimago Expedition 2014
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 1st official
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries USA
Approach -
Basecamp Date -
Summit Date 2014-11-12
Summit Time -
Summit Days 0
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6258
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 2
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC,Biv,Smt(12/11)
Route Notes From Domen Kastelic (www.mytendon.com): After first visit of Rolwaling region in Nepal last year I headed back this autumn with new climbing objectives. My company and climbing partner on this trip was Sam Hennessey, who I met and climbed with a few years ago in Yosemite. By a set of coincidences, just as we approached Rolwaling we met a local that remembered me from the last year, and who arranged us with an accommodation in a house of an elderly Sherpa couple, instead of staying in a lodge in last village before the mountains, Na Gaon (4200m). This was our base camp. Our climbing objective was first ascent on a virgin West Face of Chukyima Go (6259m) and an actual "first" ascent of the mountain. Nepalese authorities have opened the peak for climbing in this year. Before our departure to the mountains, when we were sorting out the formalities in Kathmandu, the ministry claimed that the peak was yet unconquered, although before our expedition we have found a record that the first ascent was made by the English-Nepalese expedition in 1952. We have not found any other records of ascents on the mountain [originally thought that 1952 Scottish expedition climbed this peak, but likely Peak 5794m instead]. After arriving to the base camp we started with acclimatization. The first departure was onto a glacier and eponymous ridge called Rimposhar, from where we examined the peaks in the area and checked climbing conditions. Following that we have spent 3 days under and around Chukyima Go, to see the West Face and sleep at the altitude. We also climbed Yalung Ri (5630m), which offered a good view on our climbing objective. For the present, 14 days since we arrived in Rolwaling, the weather was still unstable, post-monsoon with clear mornings and cloudy afternoons. It even occurred a couple of times that the weather forecast we were receiving showed partial clouds, only in reality it snowed with occasional thunders. After few rest days and waiting for nicer weather after acclimatization, the forecast showed 3 days of improvement and clear sky before the next weather front. We decided to give it a try and started packing. Part of the gear that we used for acclimatization tour was already stored half way up of the approach to Chukyima Go West Face, so we started with lighter backpacks on the first day. We pitched our tent on the glacier bellow the wall, only to be surprised by light snowing. Instead of exposing our gear and tent to the wet conditions already on the approach, we cooked and spent the rest of the afternoon under an overhanging boulder nearby. The evening though sky cleared up. Early next morning we entered the wall in the light of headlamps and started climbing. We encountered different conditions during the climb. In first, lower part we were sinking in the snow and waded through the terrain; the middle revealed excellent alpine ice and some mixed terrain; while in the upper part of the wall we were slowed down by the fresh fine snow. It took as whole day before we reached the ridge, found a bivy place and pitched our tent before the sunset. Next morning we waited for the sun, left the bivouac gear behind, and started with lighter packs. There were only about 150 meters that separated us from the summit, but because of the sharp ridge, fresh drifted snow and some rocky sections, the progress was slow. In three hours we reached the summit. Based on the available information we did second ascent of the mountain. This was also the first time we viewed the South and East faces of the mountain, and thought that the English-Nepalese expedition did a good effort to reach the peak in 1952, because the terrain of the mountain was visibly technically demanding on all sides. The same day we descended back by our route and continued further to the base camp, which we reached at night.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency Dreamers Destination Treks
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2462768
Year 2014
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) w face

Members

2 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Domen Kastelic M 1982 Slovenia Leader Ljubljana, Slovenia Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Samuel William (Sam) Hennessey M 1989 USA Climber Bozeman, Montana Alpine guide Details Other expeditions

References

5 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
CHUG14301 HCN - - - 31:5 (Jan 2015) -
CHUG14301 - - http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web14f/newswire-rolwaling-chekigo-chukyima - - -
CHUG14301 - - http://www.mytendon.com/nepal-chukyima-go - - -
CHUG14301 AAJ Kastelic, Domen Chugimago, First Known Ascent, West Face - 89:295-296 (2015) -
CHUG14301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201213200/Chugimago-West-Face - - -