Publicado en el American Alpine Journal en 2010.
From 2002 to 2009 a group that at different stages included doctors (Marian García, Guillermo Mañana, Miriam Ferrer), one camera-climber (Dani Salas) one biologist-climber (Elena Goded), one geographer-climber (Pedro Nicolas) and four climbers (Carlos Soria, Tente Lagunilla, Miguel Bonet and myself) explored, climbed, despaired and finally summited Dome Khang, a seven thousand unclimbed peak in the corner of Sikkim, Tibet and Nepal (north of Kachenjunga). It took one reconnaissance trip (2002) and three full expeditions (2004, 2006 and 2009).
Our quest was the solitude of far-away relatively unknown mountains, the pleasures of discovery and the fulfilment of solving the different challenges that are found in remote places. We faced the restrictions of our own capabilities. We recognized that climbing new routes in seven/eight thousand peaks, alpine style, is the most aesthetic approach to follow, but we accepted that we didn’t have that climbing level and therefore we had to live with classical-heavy expeditions, i.e., fixed ropes, sherpas, etc.
In our first trip (2002), we wanted to explore Janak (7,041) an unclimbed peak in the same plateau as Dome Khang. The whole area is closed from Tibet and Sikkim due to frontier problems and therefore, the only possibility to reach Janak, Jonsang or Dome Khang isto access the plateau where the three of them are, climbing the barrier that defends that plateau and that is 5 km. long and 1 km high. In 2002 we decided that Janak’s south face would not be suitable for a heavy expedition (it has been climbed in 2006 by Stremfelj and Zalokar in a remarkable achievement).
Back in Kathmandu, in the library of our hotel we found Kanchenjunga, the book that covers the Dyrenfurth expedition. Due to that accidental encounter, I started the research that convinced me that Dome Khang was virgin (several sources “High Asia by Jill Neathe, 1989” assigned the first ascent of the Dome Khang to Dyrenfurth in 1930 (look in AAJ 2005 – 2007). That research was the base for our 3 expeditions to Dome Khang.
In 2004, we set up BC in Panpegma. We walked the Jonsang Glacier to Jonsang La (6,100) and tried to climb the east ridge of the plateau. We got to 6,500 but we had expended our strength on the glacier and had to go back. In 2006, we knew how hard the glacier was, so we not only set up BC in Dyrenfurth’s old Corner Camp (3 hours closer to the mountain) but also prepared a complicated logistical system to carry equipment to Camp I. We got to 6,700, but at that altitude the ridge was hazardous, possibly suitable for a strong alpine style team, but not for us. Back again.
Finally, in 2001, we mastered the logistics, set up BC in the middle of the glacier (5 hours from Panpegma and nly 8 hours from Camp I). We also changed the route to a corridor to the ridge that was first climbed in 2001 by two young Slovenians. We climbed the first part in difficult conditions (very icy, IV+ - V mixed) and we exited the corridor to the left instead of the right exit followed by the Slovenians. We put 1,500 of fixed rope and set up Camp II on the plateau at 7,200. The day after, Carlos Soria and Tente Lagunilla walked in 3 hours to the Dome Khang summit.
We learned by heart the beautiful meaning of the poem by Kavafis:
As you set out for Ithaka,
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind
Arriving there is what you are destined for
But don’t hurry the journey at all
Better if it lasts for years
So you are old by the time you reach the island
Wealthy with all you have gained on the way
Not expecting Ithaka to make you rich