Kangchenjunga | 2014 N Ridge

A Russia expedition to Kangchenjunga in 2014 via N Ridge, led by Denis Urubko. Summit reached on 18th May 2014. 5 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 8500
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID KANG14111
Peak ID KANG
Year 2014
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 N Ridge
Route 2 SW Face (BC only)
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Russia
Leaders Denis Urubko
Sponsor Kangchenjunga International North 2014
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Poland, Spain
Approach Ghunsa->Pangpema
Basecamp Date 2014-04-20
Summit Date 2014-05-18
Summit Time 0940
Summit Days 28
Total Days 38
Termination Date 2014-05-28
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8586
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 4
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 5
Summit Members 1
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(20/04,5130m),C1(22/04,5700m),C1+(23/04,5700m),C2(01/05,6600m),C3(08/05,7050m),C3+(08/05,7050m),C3+(16/05,7300m),C4(17/05,7650m),Smt(19/05)
Route Notes At first the team intended a new route on the North Face, but after a few days of observation, they could notice much serac danger on the imagined new line, with avalanches falling on it practically every day. "One year may be possible, but it wasn't this year". Then they shifted onto the classic North Ridge route. First wave: to C1+ (6000m) First wave started from BC by two teams in different days (21 and 22 April). Set C1+ for acclimatization and deposit, turned back to BC on 24 and 25th of April. Second wave: to C2 (6600m) On 29 April Adam found a harder but safer way to plan their C2, more on the left than initially planned and sheltered from serac fall danger (in fact, they didn't know it was German-Bavarian route of 1983). Denis and Alex would eventually fix it on 1 May, and the day after were back to BC in 5 hours. Meanwhile, Adam, Dmitri and Artem behind were hit by a small avalanche at C2, but the tent resisted it; a bit afraid, they decided to go back to base camp which they reached later than their friends. Would have needed 5 days of hard work in cold snowy conditions to equip the route up to that point already, 200m including a hundred vertical meters in hard ice remaining above the camp to reach North Col (this upper part being a new route/variant). Third wave: to 7300m 5 May: Urubko and Braun in C1. Other 3 left the day after and joined with Urubko and Braun at C2 for dinner. Needed 6 hours to dig the camp out of the snow. 7 May: Alex and Denis stayed at C2. 8 May: Denis and Artem reached 7050m whereas Alex, Adam and Dmitri installed C3. All went back tired to sleep at C2 ice cave. 9 May: in the morning, Adam and Alex fixed the last 250 of rope up to 7300m, contacting Kathmandu for 200m rope in anticipation of the bastion (route from C3 to 7300m not difficult, but preferred to secure it with rope). All slept at C3. C3 much better place than C2, the latter being very cold in NW Face shadow. 10 May: Adam and Alex descended back to BC for rest, whereas Denis, Artem and Dmitri reached 7150m on the ropes (altitude record for Artem). Trio found a German remnants deposit that day. Not good weather. Trio slept at C3, then back to BC the day after. 12 May: the team had a birthday celebration for Adam at BC. Climb more difficult than anticipated, in unfavourable ice (dry) and weather conditions. Summit push: 14 May: received 400 of fresh rope, ready to go for the summit push. The group would be divided into teams: first with Adam, Alex and Dmitri; second with Denis and Artem following one day from 7500m to 7900m. Sunday 18 May teams should reach summit. 15 May: first team reached C3 (7100m), the second C1. 16 May: second team at C3 (7100m), Artem feeling tired after 2000m from BC in 2 days. Meanwhile first team went to sleep at C3+ at 7300m. And fixed ropes by bastion to 7400m. Dmitri stayed in C3+ for cooking dinner. 17 May: first team spent all day working hard on the bastion. In fact Alex and Adam opened a new variant on the right side of the usual bastion couloir as they feared it may be prone to avalanche. Then they reached old fixed ropes in the upper part and eventually fixed C4 at 7600m where Alex, Adam and Dmitri slept (Denis and Artem established their tent at 7650m). Thus all slept at C4 that night, ready for summit push the day after. 18 May: First team started with everything to bivouac in their bags, aiming to do the first traverse of the mountain. As it made them too heavy, they had to stop at 4:30 pm in the NW triangle face (8350m) and returned to C4 with difficulty after 22 hours of hard attack. Alex had contracted big right thumb frostbite (same as the one contracted on Kangchenjunga south side in 2009 with Edurne Pasaban's team). Artem helped him to reach C4 as he had difficulty to walk. Dmitri had phalanxes (hand) swelling that Alex helped him to contain that evening, and Adam was very tired with a very bad cough, Denis helping him to warm. Meanwhile second team waited at C4 after short try in "too dangerous slope" where Artem gave his maximum, anyway expecting to follow footsteps of the first team the day after. But the plan was cancelled after the failure of first team; day after would go down with them for care. 19 May: During the night Denis decided anyway to have a try for the summit on his own, even in unfavourable conditions with wind planned for that day. His companions would be able to rely on themselves to care. Denis started at 5:10 am, reaching the top at 9:40 am. At the col lying directly above pinnacles, Denis went 7 to 8 meters down on southwest side to join the normal route and finished its climb through it. "My limit is usually 8500m (without oxygen), but here I felt perfectly well. Ate very few food during the expedition, was not very hungry". After he made some pictures with Russian flag, he begun his descent to reach empty C4 at 12:10 am. Then could join with Adam and Dmitri at 7050m, then Alex and Artem in C1 where all slept that night. 20 May: entire team back to the BC, with expected wind now well established on the mountain (this wind was initially expected for 19 May by weather forecasters). Last attempts: 21 May: Alex Chicon decided to cancel any new attempt on 21 May due to his right thumb frostbite; he left BC on 23 May and was heli-rescued on 24 May from Kangbachen to Kathmandu. 25 May: Adam Bielecki intended to climb alone to the summit, but abandoned that day due to too much snow (Denis accompanied him at C1, to prevent from crevasse danger of the 9 kms way between BC and C1) He and Denis left BC 3 days after. On the day, Artem Braun and Dmitri Sinev had reached the south side base camp intending a try on the equipped normal route by previous teams. After 3 days of continuous snow, they had to admit defeat to resume their attempt and left BC on 28 May. The team had much difficulty to leave with both BCs buried in snow. Impressions: Adam Bielecki: "it was tecnically more difficult and demanding than K2." Denis Urubko: "I already climbed more difficult routes with new routes on Broad Peak or Cho Oyu. However for existing routes, it was the most difficult one (more difficult as well than SW Face which consists more in glacier and snow slopes), with 26 technical pitches and a very "puzzled way" for the final push during which I had to remain fully concentrated on any move. NW triangle face (40 to 50 steep slope) was hard snow with some obstacles to negotiate at best (one delicate traverse around a rock - avoided on descent, a 3m hard snow vertical wall, then a rocky wall to reach the pinnacles saddle climbed by the right on a "like warm nice rock," but with no mistake allowed all time. Touched really to have walked in the steps of Scott and Messner on this route. "Limited by weather and ice conditions, the 5-person team has worked like a 10 to 15 team. Alex had done the most for North Col route and the hardest pitch in the bastion, Artem gave anything he could at the selle." Denis worked ahead in difficult points sometimes also. They were dry conditions on Kangchenjunga upper plateau this year. This they could find at 8200m the body of Atsushi Shiina, lying in the same position his partner let him in 1998, sitting hands posed on the thighs, body not scratched. Fixed rope: 1400m divided in 1000m from C1 to C3 (20 pitches of 60m in the W Face of N Col) plus 400m between C3+ (7300m) and C4 (6 pitches of 60m in the bastion). All fixed ropes left on slope. One rope 50m left on the mountain at 8150m by Alex group on the descent.
Accidents Chicon got left big thumb frostbitten; Sinev had hand swelling
Achievement Urubko 2nd man after J. Oiarzabal to climb Kangchenjunga from both Nepal sides without oxygen
Agency Seven Summit Treks
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2459350
Year 2014
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) n ridge

Members

5 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Adam Radoslaw Bielecki M 1983 Poland Climber Tychy, Poland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Artem Braun M 1976 Russia Climber Moscow, Russia Engineer Details Other expeditions
Jon Alexander (Alex) Chicon Navarez M 1981 Spain Climber Lemona, Vizcaya, Spain Alpinist Details Other expeditions
Dmitri Sinev M 1972 Russia Climber Moscow, Russia University geology teacher Details Other expeditions
Denis Viktorovich Urubko M 1973 Russia Leader Ryazan, Russia Sportsman & journalist Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
KANG14111 HCN - - - 31:4 (Jan 2015) -
KANG14111 AAJ Griffin, Lindsay Kangchenjunga, Northwest Face and North Ridge, Variants - 89:309 (2015) -
KANG14111 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201213286/Kangchenjunga-Northwest-Face-and-North-Ridge-Variants - - -