Ramtang Chang | 2009 N Face

A UK expedition to Ramtang Chang in 2009 via N Face, led by Andy Houseman. Summit reached on 1st November 2009. 2 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 6698
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID RAMC09301
Peak ID RAMC
Year 2009
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 N Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality UK
Leaders Andy Houseman
Sponsor British Chang Himal Expedition 2009
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 2nd
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach Lhonak->Kangchenjunga Glacier
Basecamp Date 2009-10-17
Summit Date 2009-11-01
Summit Time 1200
Summit Days 15
Total Days 19
Termination Date 2009-11-05
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6802
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(17/10,5050m),Series of Bivs,Smt(01/11)
Route Notes The two members did all their climbing together. They had no Sherpas or bottled oxygen, had no fixed camps above BC, and fixed no ropes. First they did some acclimatization climbs from their BC from the afternoon of 17 October to and including the 24th. They summited one 6200m peak and attempted two 6000ers in the area north of Pangpema village, near where they had pitched BC in the morning of the 17th. They shifted their attention to Ramtang Chang, or Wedge Peak, on 25 October, when they deposited gear at the bottom of the mountain's unclimbed North Face at 4900m. They rested in BC for the next two days, then moved to the deposit site, where they bivouacked for the night of the 28th. Then they started up the face to the top in a series of three bivouacs, all on the face. On the 29th they made a 1000 meter-high direct line, starting from the first bivouac at 2:30 am and ending at 3:00 pm by dogging out a platform on a snow field above a rock formation for their next bivy at 6000m. On the 30th they gain much less altitude because of the difficult terrain. They begin at about 7:00 am up very steep bare rock, which in parts was vertical and even overhanging slightly; this section averaged about 80 degrees. They bivouacked at 7:30 pm above the rock at 6200m. Next day, the 31st, they again started climbing at abot 7:00 am. Now they moved slightly to their right onto the right side of the face on very loose snow "with little bits of rock as well" to 6550m at about 4:30 pm for their final bivouac. The 1st of November was their summit day. As usual, they got started at about 7:00 am. They climbed snow fluting to 100m below the summit, where they joined the snow-covered West Ridge and followed the ridge to summit, enjoying the first direct sunshine they had since the start of the North Face climb. At 12:00 noon they stood on the summit in the first ascent of the face. They were back in their last bivouac at 6550m, where they had left their rucksacks, at 3:00 pm. The 2nd of November was their last day on the mountain. At about 7:30 am they began their descent of the route they had just come up, and they down climbed the entire route to their first bivy at 4900m at 9:30 pm. Bullock confessed that they were "quite tired" when they reached the bottom of the face. They were back in BC on the 3rd and left it on the 5th. They flew to Kathmandu from Sukitar's grass airfield via Biratnagar on the 11th. At the time from arrival at BC to their departure, they had winds coming from the west, which were especially strong in the afternoons above 6500m. The temperature was about minus 10 to 15 Celcius, so the chill factor was "uncomfortable."
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency Loben Expeditions
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2458676
Year 2009
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) n face

Members

2 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Nicholas Ivor (Nick) Bullock M 1965 UK Climber Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France Writer and climber Details Other expeditions
Andrew William (Andy) Houseman M 1981 UK Leader Harrogate, N Yorkshire, England Driver & trainee alpine guide Details Other expeditions

References

9 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
RAMC09301 CLIM Bullock, Nick & Houseman, Andy Into the Shadows - 61:32-37 (March 2010) -
RAMC09301 ALP Bullock, Nick Into the Shadows - 30:66-75 (Spring 2010) -
RAMC09301 AAJ Houseman, Andy A Bit of Luck, The Alpine-Style First Ascent of Chang Himal's North Face - 84:42-47 (2010) -
RAMC09301 AJ Houseman, Andy More Than You Can Chew? - 115:45-52 (2010-11) -
RAMC09301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12201032301/Asia-Nepal-Kangchenjunga-Himal-Chang-Himnal-North-Face - - -
RAMC09301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12201004200/A-Bit-of-Luck - - -
RAMC09301 - - http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web09f/newswire-chang-himal-details - - -
RAMC09301 AAJ - - - 84:323 (2010) -
RAMC09301 - - https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_2010-11_files/AJ%202010-11%2045-52%20Houseman%20Chang%20Himal.pdf - - -