The Nun - Kun Expedition

Fly Brussels to Delhi, arriving in the evening in Delhi.

Visit of the Indian Mountaineering Federation (IMF) to obtain our climbing permit.

Fly to Leh, early in the morning. Leisure day.

Exploring the city of Leh and the monasteries

Beginning of acclimatisation .Drive to Kanji Village (3,870m) along the main highway from Leh to Kashmir.

Trek to base of Kanji La (4,400m)

Cross Kanji La (5,280m) descending to the river (Sumdo)

End trek at Rangdum Gompa (4,040m) and drive along the Kargil to Padum road. Vehicles take us to Tangol, where we stay in the so called “Alpine Hut”. Here we organise local porters for our trek to Nun ABC tomorrow.

Trek to Nun Advance Base Camp (4,625m)

Ascent of Nun via the West Ridge

We need to establish three camps on the mountain and fix ropes on various sections of the route. The Sherpas will do the bulk of load carrying and fixing, but each member of the team needs to be prepared to carry their own share of the kit.

The route to Camp 1 is first up a moraine and scree slope and ridge for one hour, then onto the glacier and up an icefall with 200m of fixed line, which gives access to a huge glacial plateau.

Camp 1, at 5,500m, is on this plateau. The route from here goes across to the base of the mountain and the start of 600 vertical metres of almost continuous fixed ropes to the site of Camp 2.

Camp 2, at 6,100m, is squeezed onto a narrow sloping shelf between a glacial ridge and a vertical drop of a very long way.

Above Camp 2, a short scramble takes us onto the rocky summit of a subsidiary peak, with a steep snow slope down the other side to a crevassed col. The col gives access to snow and ice slopes, which have one short section of fixed rope and lead to the plateau at around 6,400 meter.

Camp 3 is put on this open area, giving access to the final summit slopes which terminate in a steep and narrow snow arête.

Return to Leh. The return journey can be done in two days. The walk from ABC to Tangol takes less than 4 hours and the drive to Kargil takes another 3 or 4. The drive back to Leh from Kargil takes anything from 6 to however many hours depending on traffic, road conditions, landslides, roadworks and the like.

Fly Leh to Delhi. De-briefing at the IMF. Visiting Delhi or Taj Mahal excursion.

Early morning: flight from Delhi to Europe Paris-Brussels.

Altitude 7,087m/23,250ft –{Duration 28 days} Grade 4c the steeper twin to Nun, located in thye Zanskar Himalaya- an attractive and accessible 7,000er

Introduction

The twin peaks of NUN {7,135m}and Kun{7,087m}dominate the suru valley and are highest Peaks in the zanskar Himalaya, Northern India. Due to quick access from Leh to Base Camp and the ease with which a climbing permit can now be obtained, we are organising an Expedition to Kun in 2014.