Gandharva Chuli | 2013 SW Ridge-W Ridge

A Romania expedition to Gandharva Chuli in 2013 via SW Ridge-W Ridge, led by Cosmin Andron. Summit reached on 6th May 2013. 2 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 8084
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID GAND13101
Peak ID GAND
Year 2013
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Ridge-W Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Romania
Leaders Cosmin Andron
Sponsor Alpine Style Expedition of Romanian Alpine Club to Gandharva Chuli
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 1st
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 2013-05-02
Summit Date 2013-05-06
Summit Time -
Summit Days 4
Total Days 6
Termination Date 2013-05-08
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6248
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 1
Fixed Rope (m) 30
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(02/05,3857m),ABC(03/05,4448m),C1(05/05,5586),Smt(06/05)
Route Notes 26 April: the team arrived in BC. 27 April: the team reached a high camp. 28 April: the rope of Cosmin and Christina went close to the top (50 meters) of Tharpu Chuli (5695m) in bad weather conditions. 29 & 30 April: the duo spent 2 nights in BC, whilst the trekkers left. 1 May: Machhapuchhare BC. 2 May: the team did a first reconnaissance on Khado Khola with no success. Then the duo with 6 Nepalis went to put a 2nd BC at the confluence of west glacier river and Modi Khola (NNE) Their main aim being to reach with porters the kind of plateau lying around 4000m allowing to get a clear view of the whole mountain and have a comfortable background with[out?] porters and anything. This was a first steop, as still 2400m were separating them from top. Most of their information dealing with the appraoch have to be found in Noyce's Fishtail book of 1957. Why they believed at first the Khado Khola to be the most obvious approach. 3 May: the team reached through a delicate steep grass ground their ABC (directly west of point 4705m of the map 1/50000) at 4448m (GPS). They put 30m of fixed rope to secure porters progress. From there with a clear view of the ascent part itself, the team chose to avoid the SW Face, which was their first aim. According to them, this face looking like 60-degrees steep on Google Earth was in reality 45-degree slopes with seracs, prone to the avalanches thus not safe! Thus the team chose to climb the SW Ridge of the main West Ridge. This day they climbed the central part of the trident shaped lower part of the SW Ridge, putting a first bivy at 5438m. This day had a storm just below 1st bivouac! In the book of 1957, it was reported that the weather did every day the same schedule: clear morning; at 12 am, clouds; 2 pm, light rain coming, stopping at 6 pm; clear weather back after that. 4 May: after a late wake up, the duo chose to put higher his C1 at the safer area of camp ridge, that the team reached after a couple of hours of climb, like 4 or 5 pitches. Altitude C1: 5586m. 5 May: considering the snow avalanche danger, the team had a rest. 6 May: even snowy much, in a clear sky with a moderate cold, the team started his summit push at 1 hour 45 minutes. The ridge allowing to join the main West Ridge looked like Cassin Ridge on Denali. The team had a rest in a notch before final ridge part (with XYZ seracs, RLR of the W ridge). They had moderate wind all day. Because of sacred summit aspect of neighbour Machhapuchhare, the team deliberately had chosen stop before the summit, what they effectively did, stopping one meter below the top (physical evidence on the pictures). Here they left one snow bar with flags as a material evidence. On Google Earth, summit is given the altitude 6300m. In fact already during the trekking, some Nepalis didn't agree with the fact of climbing this peak, as linked on the same ridge than Macchapuchhare! Morever, as they presented their pictures to the ministry yesterday (13 May), the officers didn't believe them! A kind of typical Nepali paradoxical attitude, aiming to open the arms then closing it for any possible mixed reason (jealousy, sacredness of the mountains, etc.). The team then descended by the same route, only contouring the black triangle junction of West and SW Ridges by the north (whereas they previously came up the same day by the south side of it), coming back at their C1 for the night. 7 May: the duo abseiled lightly further on the left (north) than their way up (central pillar of the trident), in fact between central and left pillars, then slept at the ABC. 8 May: the team went back to its 2nd BC then to BC, then further down in the valley on the main Annapurna Sanctuary trail. Conclusion: The team choose to climb a virgin mountain, in a very charged historical and sacred area. The team inspired itself with the spirit of the first ascenders of Machhapuchhare, mostly for the reconnaissance part. As a respect due to the Nepalis, the team stopped 1 meter below the summit to keep it sacred (as it is not considered so officially). As a respect due to the mountain, the team only left 6 pitons (ones used for the abseils) on it.
Accidents -
Achievement 1st ascent
Agency Snowy Horizon Treks
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2458747
Year 2013
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sw ridge-w ridge

Members

2 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Cosmin Ioan Andron M 1976 Romania Leader Baia Mare, Romania Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Cristina Laura Pogacean F 1984 Romania Climber Targu Mures, Romania Civil engineer Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
GAND13101 AAJ Andron, Cosmin - - 88:309-310 (2014) -
GAND13101 AJ - - - 118:294-295 (2014) -
GAND13101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201212620/Ghandarbha-Chuli-6248m-southwest-face-and-west-ridge - - -
GAND13101 - - https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2014_files/AJ%202014%20293-297%20Nepal%20Notes.pdf - - -