The Japanese team going after the unexplored Sharpu VI mountain has a tough decision to make. They either have to go up and conquer it or call it quits. Time is running out, and this weekend is their last shot at reaching the top of the 6,076m peak in Nepal near Kangchenjunga.
Japanese climbers Takahiro Kaneko, Saki Terada, and Takahiro Ishikawa at Sharpu VI
Gave it their all but had to turn back because they weren’t used to the high altitude. They didn’t give up though. They regrouped set up more safety ropes, and made a second camp at 5,600m. Fighting strong winds, they spent two hours securing their tents yesterday before heading back down to base camp for a good rest before their big final push for the summit.
At first the team planned to climb another unclimbed peak, Sato Peak (6,164m) after Sharpu VI. But that is on retain for now.
This Saturday the climbers will head up to their high camp hoping the weather will be good for their final attempt to reach the summit on Sunday.
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Bad Luck on the White Wave
While the Sharpu VI team is getting ready for their last-minute try, another Japanese group in the same area didn’t have much luck. A team from Meiji University tried to be the first to climb Anidesh Chuli, also known as the White Wave. They did a great job going up the north side but fell short.
“We kept trying until the very end, but we had to come back down at 6,600m,” said the team, sharing a picture of the route they couldn’t finish. Climbing the towering White Wave turned out to be a tough challenge for the Meiji University climbers.
