Ganesh I (Yangra/Main/NE), Nepal

Altitude Junkies are now offering some exploratory expeditions on unclimbed or seldom climbed peaks in Nepal.

Our chosen climb for 2012 will be the 7,422-meter Ganesh I, also known as Yangra/Main/NE which is part of the beautiful Ganesh Himal that lie between the Budhi Gandaki and Trisuli Gandaki valleys, northwest of Kathmandu. Ganesh I lies on the border between Nepal and Tibet, and is east-southeast of Manaslu. The Ganesh Himal is an enormous mountain massif with nine towering peaks. Its icy crest is visible in the north from Kathmandu. It was named in honor of Ganesh, a Hindu deity who is represented in mythology as having the head of an elephant.

The Ganesh Himal was first reconnoitered for climbing by H. W. Tilman and party in 1950 and the first attempt on the peak was in 1953. The first ascent of Ganesh I in 1955 was by a French-Swiss expedition led by Raymond Lambert, via the Southeast Face and Ridge.

Our research with limited resources shows no other ascents of Ganesh I although a 1960 attempt reached the East Peak of the mountain.

Our expedition is limited to six climbers and one expedition leader with a 1:1 Sherpa to climber ratio. Due to the unknown complexity of the route, we plan to take enough Sherpas, rope, hardware and ladders to make sure we can climb the mountain safely. We are unsure on what exact route we may climb and this will be assessed by the collective team at base camp.

The expedition will be a little longer in duration than most established 7,000-meter peak expeditions with a possible 24 days at base camp and above. This is to maximize our chance of reaching the summit in case of bad weather or change of route during the expedition.

We have chosen to climb this peak a little later in the season than usual for a 7,000-meter peak as all of our Sherpas will arrive at base camp fully acclimatized from our previous Manaslu expedition. This will allow the Sherpas to immediately start to place fixed ropes on the chosen route and the slightly colder temperatures will hopefully allow for more stable weather and safer snow conditions. We expect the temperatures higher on the mountain to be comparable to it's neighbor Manaslu and this serves as a great test for those climbers wishing to climb an 8,000-meter peak in the future. Base camp will be warmer with its low elevation of 4,200 meters.

Leadership
Himalayan veteran expedition organizer Phil Crampton will lead the Ganesh I expedition and has experience of the area and several ascents of the neighboring 8,000-meter giant Manaslu.

In addition to an experienced leader, the team’s head climbing Sherpa Sirdar will be Dorje Sherpa who was the Sherpa responsible for carrying the IMAX camera from the South Col to the summit for the hugely successful IMAX Everest film from the 1996 spring season. Dorje has vast experience being a Sirdar on Everest and Manaslu and will be directing our climbing Sherpas who have all reached the summit of numerous 8,000-meter peaks before.

The Trek
Our expedition will meet in the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu where we will stay in the beautiful boutique Courtyard Hotel located in a quiet area of the tourist district of Thamel. After a few days in Kathmandu we drive to the gateway of the Manaslu trekking circuit, Arughat, to start our six or seven-day trek to Ganesh Himal Base Camp.

After arriving in Arughat we organize the porter loads for the following days trek to Soti Khola. Our trek will be continuous as we do not need to stop in any of the villages for extra nights for acclimatization purposes as the elevation gain is gradual without any large daily gains in altitude higher up on the trek above the 3,500-meter mark. We spend nights in the villages of Macha Khola, Jagat, Ripchet, Kharka and possibly Torogumba Kharka respectively before finally arriving at Ganesh Himal Base Camp.

During the trek our kitchen staff will prepare all meals where we camp and will serve a hot lunch during the day.

Base Camp
Our base camp is as luxurious, if not more so than some of the other more expensive Himalayan operators and the food prepared by our highly experienced cooks is considered some of the best available in the Himalayas.

Each climber is provided with a personal Mountain Hardwear 3-person tent at base camp, which is insulated with a foam floor covering and complimented with an extra thick foam mattress. For group occasions we provide a Mountain Hardwear dome for dining with large padded chairs and is spacious, carpeted, heated and lit by solar electricity.

We provide a carpeted, heated and solar-lit toilet and shower tent with flushable toilets, stainless steel wash sinks and hot water on demand propane heated showers. We make it a policy at Altitude Junkies to remove all human waste from base camp and have porters carry our toilet drums to a lower village where it can be disposed of properly.

The Kitchen
The head and assistant cooks have all been trained by western chefs in food preparation and strict hygiene standards and produce a varied and nutritious western menu throughout the expedition. They prepare three delicious hot meals a day as well as preparing an amazing array of appetizers for our customary early evening cocktail hour during rest days at base camp. We use local fresh produce and meats and these are complimented by a huge selection of imported foods and snacks.

Climb Strategy
We follow a cautious acclimatization schedule at base camp spending two or three nights there before taking our first trip up the hill. We will decide as a team on which route we should climb after assessing the route from base camp. If one route proves unsuccessful then we have allocated enough time to climb another one if the conditions allow. The Sherpas will place fixed ropes where necessary as we will need to get the higher camps stocked for a summit push. The old rule of climbing high and sleeping low will be adhered to.

Because we are unsure on the exact conditions that we will encounter on the route we will bring ample supplies of fixed rope and hardware to sufficiently fix the mountain wherever necessary. We advise all the team members to bring their regular mountaineering gear but also ice tools in case we need to climb the upper slopes alpine style.

Our initial reconnaissance showed several possible routes including a line up the impressive North-West Ridge. The ridge is easily accessed from base camp and we estimate a 2.75km linear climb to where camp one could be placed at 5,200 meters. Camp two can be placed on the upper slopes of the glacier at 5,850 meters where the glacier meets the North Ridge roughly 1.5km distance from camp one. A high camp three could be placed on a saddle on the ridge at 6,750 meters 1.5km from camp two. Camp three to the the summit is roughly 1.3km in distance.

High Altitude Camps
Mountain Hardwear tents will be used at high camps and these will be occupied by two persons up to the highest camp where we usually place three persons per tent for warmth. All high altitude food, stoves and cooking gas will be in place and members are only required to carry their own personal gear during the expedition.

Health
We provide medial oxygen, portable altitude chambers and comprehensive medical chests at base camp. The higher camps also have medical kits and we also ask that all climbers carry individual micro high altitude medical kits at all times above base camp.

Communications
All team members and climbing Sherpas have their own personal two-way radio at all times on the mountain for constant communication. We also have base station radios at base camp and have these active at all times when members and Sherpas are on the mountain.

Our satellite phones and satellite internet modems are available for our team members to use at base camp at actual cost price as we feel charging an outrageous amount to phone or email family is unfair during such a long expedition.

Weather Forecasts
To ensure the safety of all our climbers we subscribe to a professional weather forecast service for the duration of the season and have access to this information at all the respective base and high camps and receive constant updates during our summit push.

Altitude Junkies does not allow any solo climbing above base camp on any of our expeditions.

Photo credits: Mark Horrell - Ganesh II (aka NW) on the left and Ganesh IV (aka Pabil/SW) on the right photographed from a helicopter on route to Kathmandu from Sama Goan. Ganesh I (aka Yangra/Main/NE) lies out of view directly behind Ganesh II/NW. Google Earth Maps - The view looking south towards Ganesh Himal with Ganesh I, IV, III and II from left to right with the yellow line showing the border between Nepal and Tibet. Ganesh I with possible route and camps on the impressive North-West-Ridge.

The expedition cost includes:
· Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu as itinerary
· All transportation and meals in Nepal as itinerary
· Porters for personal gear to base camp and return
· All meals at base camp
· Group Nepal climbing Sherpas
· Group Nepal cooks at base camp
· Expedition permit, peak fee and conservation fees
· Liaison Officer expenses
· Garbage Deposit
· Base camp and high camp tents
· Group climbing equipment, stoves and fuel
· Two-way radios
· Medical kits, portable altitude chamber and medical oxygen
· High altitude freeze-dried meals
· Climbing Sherpa summit bonus and carry bonus
· Satellite phone and satellite internet use at cost price
The expedition cost does not include:
· Airfare to and from Nepal
· Meals and drinks in Kathmandu
· Alcoholic beverages
· Bottled beverages on trek
· Nepal visa costs
· Evacuation costs, medical and rescue insurance
· Personal climbing clothing and equipment
· Staff gratuities
· Personal Puja contribution

Contact us: info@altitudejunkies.com