Ratna Chuli | 2023 W Face

A France expedition to Ratna Chuli in 2023 via W Face, led by Maud Vanpoulle. Summit reached on 27th October 2023. 6 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 11301
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID RATC23301
Peak ID RATC
Year 2023
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 W Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality France
Leaders Maud Vanpoulle
Sponsor Ticino Treks Ratna Chuli Expedition 2023
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 -
Approach Besisahar->Koto->BC
Basecamp Date 2023-10-11
Summit Date 2023-10-27
Summit Time 1030
Summit Days 16
Total Days 18
Termination Date 2023-10-29
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 7035
Traverse False
Ski True
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 6
Summit Members 6
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 Summited Hulang Go (HUGO-233-01) and Upche Dada (6150m)
Campsites BC(11/10,4700m),C1(13/10,5600m),C2(20/10,6000m),Smt(27/10)
Route Notes Approach: KTM, Besisahar, Koto BC 11/10 4700m C1 13/10 5600m at the foot of a “glacier tongue” C2 20/10 6000m at upper Hulang Glacier Smts see details for each peak below Left BC on 29 Oct. Routes: NNE Ridge of Upche Dada SW Face of HUGO W Face of RATC Oxygen: Not taken, not used • Upche Dada (6150m): 1st recorded ascent and 1st ski descent via the NNE Ridge. For its acclimatization, the group chose to climb the 6150m Upche Dada via its NNE Ridge. 13 Oct: group went up to C1 for sleeping, further staying there a day more. 15 Oct: from C1, the group made a round trip to the top on skis. The NNE Ridge faced most of time 30° steep slopes. Only the last summit ridge section would prove to be steeper, with two 50m sections at 40°, the ridge becoming more sharper as they would near the summit. In any case, they could stay on the skis all the way to the top. With a nice powder snow, the group enjoyed a nice ski descent. It was back to BC on the same day. Meanwhile, Bastien Levy hadn’t joined the group, having contracted a beginning of AMS. He went back down to BC on his own during that day. From there the group rested 3 days at the BC, with snowfall every day. • HUGO: 1st ascent of the mountain via the SW Face, 1st ski descent. 19 Oct: group went up to C1. 20 Oct: group went up to C2, located on the glacier plateau of the upper Hulang Glacier. On the way up, they had had two glaciers’ options: one coming down from the circa 6000m plateau, the other one from the 6374m peak lying more to the south. The group eventually chose the second one to go up. Group put skis on from 5800m, going up throughout 35 to 40° slopes in correct snow; it just needed to take skis off for a 20m section. 21 Oct: group went 600m up throughout the icefall giving access to Ratna Chuli’s West Face, then it went back down to C2 for sleeping. 22 Oct: group went up to Hulang Go. Starting at circa 7 am from C2, it first went down gently westwards on the plateau of the upper Hulang Glacier. Then it went up via its SW Face’s most leftward part towards the summit. In the face it would meet with hard snow conditions, even ice sometimes. Went up on the skis for a first part (“better on skis than on the feet”), then took skis off for crampons, eventually climbing a last 300m section consisting in a slope of circa 45-50° steepness. With some good ice at the end, group eventually reached the top at circa noon. For the ski descent, the group chose a slightly different line lying further in the West Face: that option would prove to offer a better snow quality than on the way up. Team was back at 3 pm at C2, then at BC on the same day. During the descent, they left their skis at 5800m, walking down from there in ski shoes, then sneakers. • RATC: 1st ski descent of the West Face. 25 Oct: team was back at C1. 26 Oct: C1 to C2. 27 Oct: 1st ski descent of RATC. Group started at 2 am in cold conditions. With the trail previously broken in the 600m icefall, group first went up on skis through a section prone to serac fall risk, then mostly with crampons and ice axes. Having reached the top of the icefall at sunrise (circa 5:30-6 am), group went down 200m to the 6412m col lying down to the final section, leaving there an emergency tent and boiler. From there, they would just take their daily bag and down jackets to go for the final section. Until the rimaye, the group went up on skis; from there, it went up on crampons, with the last 400m in sustained 45° slope. Group eventually reached the top at circa 10:30 am. With a few variants, the group skied down by the same line. They reached C2 at circa 3:30-4 pm, then BC at circa 7 pm. During the descent, they dismantled both their C1 and C2.
Accidents -
Achievement 1st ski descents of RATC, HUGO and Upche Dada; 1st ascent of HUGO
Agency Ticino Treks
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2464203
Year 2023
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) w face

Members

6 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Maud Cecile Vanpoulle F 1993 France Leader Grenoble, Isere, France Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Damien Erienne Coelho Mandes M 1990 France Climber - Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Victor Marie Colombie M 1995 France Climber - Alpine guide & materials engineer Details Other expeditions
Firmin Louis Remi Fontaine M 1992 France Climber Grenoble, Isere, France Alpine guide & mountain natural hazard research engineer Details Other expeditions
Aurelia Fanny Lanoe F 1988 France Climber - BASTIEN PAUL GUILLAUME LEVY Details Other expeditions
Bastien Paul Guillaume Levy M 1993 France Climber - Alpine guide & engineer Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
RATC23301 - - https://explorersweb.com/young-guides-first-ski-descents-nepal/ - - -
RATC23301 AAJ Lanoe, Aurelia Upche Dada and Hulang Go, First Ascents; Ratna Chuli Ski Descents - 98:308-310 (2024) -
RATC23301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201216865 - - -