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Gauri Shankar and Menlungtse Photos - Cross the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass from the Rolwaling Valley to the Thame Valley

Gauri Shankar and Menlungtse Photos - Trakarding Glacier to Thame, passsing the Drolambau Glacier, climbing to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass, and descending the Thame Valley

Rolwaling 07 01 Sunrise On Kang Nachugo From Trakarding Glacier Below Drolambau Icefall The east face of Kang Nachugo shone brilliantly at sunrise from our camp at the end of the Trakarding Glacier.

Rolwaling 07 01 Sunrise On Kang Nachugo From Trakarding Glacier Below Drolambau Icefall

Rolwaling 07 02 Sunrise On Gauri Shankar South Face And South Summit From Trakarding Glacier Below Drolambau Icefall The south summit of Gauri Shankar just barely poked its head above the intervening ridge at sunrise from our camp at the end of the Trakarding Glacier.

Rolwaling 07 02 Sunrise On Gauri Shankar South Face And South Summit From Trakarding Glacier Below Drolambau Icefall

Rolwaling 07 03 Climbing Steep Rocks To Drolambau Glacier, Looking Back To Chugimago, On Side Of Drolambau Glacier With Tengi Ragi Tau A brutal day over the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha Pass, but certainly the highlight of the trek. The trail quickly left the Trakarding Glacier and climbed steeply over some scary rocks to reach the Drolambau Glacier in 85 minutes. The climbing Sherpa Palden had to hold my hand through some of the trickier sections. Lower left: Chugimago shines in the early morning sun from the trail on the side of the Drolambau Glacier. Lower right: The porters trek along side the Drolambau Glacier with Tengi Ragi Tau beyond.

Rolwaling 07 03 Climbing Steep Rocks To Drolambau Glacier, Looking Back To Chugimago, On Side Of Drolambau Glacier With Tengi Ragi Tau

Rolwaling 07 04 Tengi Ragi Tau From Drolambau Glacier Tengi Ragi Tau (6943m) is the beautiful mountain to the north of the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. Tengi Ragi Tau was first climbed on December 4, 2002 by Koichi Ezaki and Ruchia Takahashi from Japan and Pasang Tamang and Tul Bahadur Tamang from Nepal.

Rolwaling 07 04 Tengi Ragi Tau From Drolambau Glacier

Rolwaling 07 05 Gauri Shankar South And North Summits From Climb To Drolambau Glacier Gauri Shankar south and north summits poked their heads above Chekigo on the rocky climb from the Trakarding Glacier to the Drolambau Glacier.

Rolwaling 07 05 Gauri Shankar South And North Summits From Climb To Drolambau Glacier

Rolwaling 07 06 Approaching Beginning Of Climb To Tashi Lapcha Pass On Side Of Drolambau Glacier With Tengi Ragi Tau The porters trek along side the Drolambau Glacier with Tengi Ragi Tau beyond.

Rolwaling 07 06 Approaching Beginning Of Climb To Tashi Lapcha Pass On Side Of Drolambau Glacier With Tengi Ragi Tau

Rolwaling 07 07 Approaching Bottom Of Climb To Tashi Lapcha Pass, Jerome Ryan, Takargo Above Drolambau Glacier, Looking Back At Our Path And Bigphera Go Shar Upper left: It took 80 minutes to walk on the side of the Drolambau Glacier to reach the bottom of the snow slope leading to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. The temperature was a cool -9C until the sun finally hit us. Upper right: Jerome Ryan at the start of the climb to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. Lower left: Takargo (Dragker-Go, 6793m) to the north from the start of the climb to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. Lower right: Bigphera Go Shar (6729m) and our path on the side of the Drolambau Glacier are visible from the start of the climb to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass.

Rolwaling 07 07 Approaching Bottom Of Climb To Tashi Lapcha Pass, Jerome Ryan, Takargo Above Drolambau Glacier, Looking Back At Our Path And Bigphera Go Shar

Rolwaling 07 08 The Beginning Of The Climb To The Tashi Lapcha Pass The lower section of the climb to the Tashi (Tesi) Lacha pass was on fairly straightforward snow.

Rolwaling 07 08 The Beginning Of The Climb To The Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 09 Climbing Sherpa Palden Leads Us Towards The Tashi Lapcha Pass Our climbing Sherpa Palden led the way towards the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. Palden rests waiting for the rest of us to catch up.

Rolwaling 07 09 Climbing Sherpa Palden Leads Us Towards The Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 10 Climbing Sherpa Palden Cutting Steps On Steep Snow On Climb To Tashi Lapcha Pass Climbing Sherpa Palden cut steps to ensure we had a safe place to step and not fall back down the face on an especially steep section of the climb to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass.

Rolwaling 07 10 Climbing Sherpa Palden Cutting Steps On Steep Snow On Climb To Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 11 Crew Climbing Steep Snow Towards Tashi Lapcha Pass Gyan, Dumbar, Chandraman, and Pasang struggle up the steep section of the climb to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. Although everybody felt the altitude, nobody was sick or had any headaches. We were the only team to climb to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass today, so we had the slopes to ourselves.

Rolwaling 07 11 Crew Climbing Steep Snow Towards Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 12 Parchamo From Near Tashi Lapcha Pass Parchamo (6273m) rises to the south of the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. Parchamo was climbed for the first time in April 1955 by Peter Boultbee and Denis Davis from the U.K.

Rolwaling 07 12 Parchamo From Near Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 13 Jerome Ryan Almost At The Tashi Lapcha Pass Jerome Ryan rests on the final snow slope to the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass.

Rolwaling 07 13 Jerome Ryan Almost At The Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 14 Takargo Above Drolambau Glacier From Tashi Lapcha Pass I reached the top of the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass (5755m) after a grueling 90 minute ascent on the steep snow slope. Takargo (Dragker-Go, 6793m) shone in the mid-day sun in the view west from the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass, with the rest of my crew still struggling upwards. Takargo was opened for climbing in 2003.

Rolwaling 07 14 Takargo Above Drolambau Glacier From Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 15 On Tashi Lapcha Pass. Front - Gyan Tamang, Jerome Ryan, Palden, Back - Dumbar, Chandraman, Pasang My crew on the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass: Front: Guide Gyan Tamang (his seventh time with me), Jerome Ryan, Climbing Sherpa Palden (his third time with me). Back: Porter Dumbar, cook Chandraman (his second time with me), porter Pasang.

Rolwaling 07 15 On Tashi Lapcha Pass. Front - Gyan Tamang, Jerome Ryan, Palden, Back - Dumbar, Chandraman, Pasang

Rolwaling 07 16 Chandraman, Dumbar, Pasang, Jerome Ryan, Palden, Gyan Tamang On Tashi Lapcha Pass My crew on the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass: cook Chandraman (his second time with me), porters Dumbar and Pasang, Jerome Ryan, Climbing Sherpa Palden, and guide Gyan Tamang.

Rolwaling 07 16 Chandraman, Dumbar, Pasang, Jerome Ryan, Palden, Gyan Tamang On Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 17 Palden And Clouds Rolling In Over Parchamo From Tashi Lapcha Pass The mid-day clouds already starting rolling over the icy slopes of Parchamo (6273m), rising to the south above the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass. Climbing Sherpa Palden is in the foreground.

Rolwaling 07 17 Palden And Clouds Rolling In Over Parchamo From Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 18 Tengi Ragi Tau Towers Over Tashi Lapcha Pass Tengi Ragi Tau (6943m) rises directly to the north above the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass.

Rolwaling 07 18 Tengi Ragi Tau Towers Over Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 19 Parchemuche Tsho Below Panalotapa and Tengkangpoche In Thame Valley From Just Beyond Tashi Lapcha Pass The views to the east from the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass were disappointing with a ridge blocking the view towards Everest, and the clouds already rolling up the valley. On the descent from the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass, the view of the Thame Valley opened up with the Parchemuche Tsho Lake visible below Tengkangpoche and Panalotapa.

Rolwaling 07 19 Parchemuche Tsho Below Panalotapa and Tengkangpoche In Thame Valley From Just Beyond Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 07 20 Chandraman And Jerome Ryan Use Rope To Descend Steep Snow Section From Tashi Lapcha Pass From the Tashi Lapcha pass the trail goes downhill on snow until we reached a tricky steep snow section. Palden fixed some ropes and we descended one by one. Even with the rope I still fell five or six times on the snow descent.

Rolwaling 07 20 Chandraman And Jerome Ryan Use Rope To Descend Steep Snow Section From Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 08 01 Camp Below Tashi Lapcha Pass In Thame Valley The trail finally leaves the snow behind, passes glacial Parchemuche Tsho Lake, before my energy gave out and we decided to camp at about 4800m after almost three hours from the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass.

Rolwaling 08 01 Camp Below Tashi Lapcha Pass In Thame Valley

Rolwaling 08 02 Tengi Ragi Tau At Sunrise From Camp Below Tashi Lapcha Pass In Thame Valley Tengi Ragi Tau (6943m) shone in the early morning sunshine from our camp between Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass and Thame.

Rolwaling 08 02 Tengi Ragi Tau At Sunrise From Camp Below Tashi Lapcha Pass In Thame Valley

Rolwaling 08 03 Tengi Ragi Tau At Sunrise From Camp Below Tashi Lapcha Pass In Thame Valley Tengi Ragi Tau (6943m) shone in the early morning sunshine from our camp between Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass and Thame.

Rolwaling 08 03 Tengi Ragi Tau At Sunrise From Camp Below Tashi Lapcha Pass In Thame Valley

Rolwaling 08 04 Descending Thame Valley After Crossing Tashi Lapcha Pass The trail from the Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha pass to Thame follows the left side of the Thame Valley.

Rolwaling 08 04 Descending Thame Valley After Crossing Tashi Lapcha Pass

Rolwaling 08 05 Panalotapa Ridge to Bigphera Go Shar From Thame Valley The sun was out for the first hour from our camp between Tashi (Tesi) Lapcha and Thame, with the ridge between Panalotapa and Bigphera Go Shar shining across the valley. Panalotapa (Paniyo Tapa/Tippa, 6687m) was first climbed in May 1955 by Peter Boultbee and Dennis Davis from U.K.

Rolwaling 08 05 Panalotapa Ridge to Bigphera Go Shar From Thame Valley

Rolwaling 08 06 Tengkangpoche Ridge To Panalotapa From Thame Valley The pointy summit of Tengkangpoche (Teng Kang Poche, Thyangmoche, 6500m) shines in the early morning sun with Panaltopa on the right. Tengkangpoche was first climbed in October 1984 by Trevor Pilling from U.S.A. and Andy Zimet from U.K. Swiss climbers Ueli Steck and Simon Anthamatten made the first ascent of the north face of Tengkangpoche in alpine style on April 23, 2008.

Rolwaling 08 06 Tengkangpoche Ridge To Panalotapa From Thame Valley

Rolwaling 08 07 Thengpo Kharka And View Towards Thame In mostly cloudy weather, the trail was fairly easy descending from our camp at 4800m to Thengpo Kharka (4230m) in 65 minutes. The clouds had already filled the Thame valley, blocking any hoped for view of Makalu.

Rolwaling 08 07 Thengpo Kharka And View Towards Thame


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