Dave Turnbull climbing above Mick Fowler on the pair’s ascent of Gojung (6310m). [Photo] Mick Fowler
The following is an update to this NewsFlash. -Ed
This October British mountaineers Mick Fowler and Dave Turnbull made the first ascent of the remote peak in Nepal, Gojung (6310m). Gojung is located in the upper Kajichuwa Valley in western Nepal; it was given the name Mugu Chuli by Spanish climbers that were unaware of the correct local name. The route established by Fowler and Turnbull ascends a very steep line up the west face (ED).
Fowler is well known for his ascents of remote unclimbed peaks as well as for being, “the taxman.” He is able to keep up with family life, hold down a full time job and still squeeze in mountaineering feats all over the world. Dave Turnbull is chief executive officer of BMC and has also climbed globally.
According to Fowler, Gojung was suggested to him in 2009 by Ed Douglas. “It was in a remote area I had not been to before, it had ethnic interest, the line looked safe and technically interesting, was visible from afar, led direct to an unclimbed summit and there was scope for an exciting traverse. It had nearly all the criteria I look for when choosing an objective.”
Gojung, the pair climbed the face’s “obvious right to left line”. [Photo] Mick Fowler
Gojung is located in an area of Nepal that is rarely visited. Before the British pair left they predicted that simply getting to the climb would be an adventure in and of itself. They reached the summit after five days of steep climbing. Fowler told Alpinist.com that the “descent was made by traversing another peak (6264m) and descending westwards to the glacier that we started from. We took nine days round trip from base camp.” The stand out section of the climb was the ridge traverse to the summit icefield.