Talung | 2013 W Face (to 6600m)

A Czech Republic expedition to Talung in 2013 via W Face (to 6600m), led by Zdenek Hruby. Summit reached on 19th May 2013. 2 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 8123
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID TLNG13101
Peak ID TLNG
Year 2013
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 W Face (to 6600m)
Route 2 NW Pillar (up); W Face (down)
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Czech Republic
Leaders Zdenek Hruby
Sponsor Talung Nepal 2013
Success 1 False
Success 2 True
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 4th
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach See route notes
Basecamp Date 2013-05-01
Summit Date 2013-05-19
Summit Time 1200
Summit Days 18
Total Days 20
Termination Date 2013-05-21
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 7349
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(01/05,5100m),ABC(07/05,5400m),Biv1(15/05,6000m),Biv2(16/05,6350m),Biv3(17/05,6700m),Biv4(18/05,7000m),Smt(19/05),Biv5(19/05,6600m)
Route Notes The team made their way to Talung base camp by flying to Bhadrapur and trekking to Taplejung, Sukhetar, Lelep, Ghunsa, Mirgin La, Tseram, Yalung Glacier and the area of Kangchenjungaj's base camp for its normal SW Face route. (Talung is due south of Kangchenjunga). This two-man team had no climbing Sherpas, no fixed camps, no bottled oxygen,; the two members always climbed together in pure alpine style. They achieved the first ascent of Talung's North Face by a line they pioneered on the left side of, but close to, the NW Pillar. But first they went to the already-climbed route, the West Face, in order to acclimatize and to know the route if they decided to descend that way. They climbed on the face from 3 to 5 May to 6700m. Next, they made an aborted attempt to climb their new line from ABC on 7 May, but they ascended only 300m and retreated to BC because Holeck had stomach trouble. Finally to their goal, a line on or near the NW Pillar. On 14 May, they moved from BC to ABC, and on the 15th they began their ascent via their new line by setting out from ABC at 5:00 am. They arrived at the base of the pillar at 5:30 am and started climbing hard ice mixed with rock on the left side of the pillar. They found a relatively good place for their first bivouac at 6000m at 7:00 pm and spent the night there. On the next morning, the 16th, they were tired from their first day's exertions and started to climb slightly late, at 7:00am. They found a way through seracs and crevasses as they moved up, a little farther to the left of the pillar. They stopped climbing at 2:00 pm at 6350m, the only good place they could find for their second bivouac. On the 17th at a bit after 7:00 am they started up an icy ramp with no snow covering it but more rock mixed with the ice. It was well after 7:00 pm when they stopped at 6700m at their third bivouac. That night a strong wind was moving snow from the head wall. The next morning's start was even later than usual: it was only at 8:30 am that they began moving up and making a slight traverse to the right as they climbed above the top of the pillar on ice and rock. Now some of the rock was falling and it destroyed Zednek's helmet. They had gained only 300 vertical meters that day when they made their fourth bivouac at 7:30 pm. Finally they reached the summit at noon on the following day, 19 May. They started to climb at 7:30 am in a light wind up a snow field 150m high, then a head wall 100m high of mixed rock and ice, and lastly 100 more meters up the NW Ridge, which was not steep, to the top. They had a clear view of Kangchenjunga and Yalung Kang and to the southeast to Kabru. There was no wind now, but clouds were coming in bring the next days clouds cover. The men decided they should come down the West Face: it would not be possible to descend their pillar without fixed rope. They went down to 6600m, the high point they had reached during their acclimatization. They arrived here at about 6:30 pm and made their fifth bivouac. The next day they were back in BC at noon. And the day after, the 21st, they left on their return journey to Kathmandu.
Accidents -
Achievement 1st ascent of NW Pillar
Agency Iceland Trekking
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2460110
Year 2013
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) w face (to 6600m)

Members

2 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Marek Holecek M 1974 Czech Republic Climber Prague, Czech Republic Alpinist Details Other expeditions
Zdenek Hruby M 1956 Czech Republic Leader Prague, Czech Republic Economics teacher Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
TLNG13101 - - https://www.thebmc.co.uk/holecek-and-hruby-climb-north-face-of-talung-in-alpinestyle - - -
TLNG13101 AAJ Holecek, Marek Talung, A Favorite Partner, A Final Summit - 88:52-57 (2014) -
TLNG13101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201212831/Talung - - -