Their expedition’s main goal was to reach the summit of Chaukhamba III, never climbed before, in the Garhwal massif, the Indian part of the Himalayas. Michelle Dvorak and Fay Manners, professional climbers, set off after acclimatisation on the route. But on the sixth day of their ascent, a rock broke the rope hoisting one of their two packs containing a stove, crampons, ice axes and a tent. After three days’ battle against the cold and dehydration, they pulled through with the help of three climbers from the French GMHM. Fay Manners looks back at the ordeal.
On Friday, the 27th of Septembre, Michelle Dvorak and Fay Manners left their base camp on the Satopanth glacier to attempt the ascent of Chaukhamba III in the Garhwal massif, the Indian part of the Himalayas. Their objective? To reach its untouched summit via the south-western strut, which is also untouched. The first five days of the ascent went well for the two climbers-mountaineers-skiers in their thirties, with challenging craggy terrain, seventh-degree granite climbing and precarious bivouacs. They felt they had overcome the main difficulties of the route. Fay Manners, a Brit living in Chamonix, tells us about the rest of their journey, which was a little less happy.
Chaukhamba III on the left, Chaukhamba II in middle and Chaukhamba I on the right. ©Coll. Manners/Dvorak
Can you tell us a bit more about what happened for you on the sixth day of your attempt?
Fay Manners: It’s a bit blurry, but