Gyachung Kang is a significant mountain between Everest and Cho Oyu on the Tibetan - Nepalese border. It is a very attractive mountain despite its height (7952 m) and awkward name. The mountain has huge neighbors and due to its missing 48 meters, Gyachung Kang was less interesting in the past. Before us, only three successful expeditions reached the summit from the Nepal side. We were the first to try from Tibet. 15 people from four different countries were recorded to have climbed the summit.

Leader: Andrej Stremfelj

Doctor: Zare Guzej

Members: Marko Prezelj, Marko Car, Matic Jost, Peter Meznar, Tomaz Jakofcic, Janko Meglic, Blaz Navrsnik

17.09. Arrival in Kathmandu.

18.-23.09. Kathmandu - we were packing and waiting for some cargo loads. We left the kitchen boy to bring the missing loads to BC later.

24.09. Kathmandu - Kodari - Zangmu. We met an interpreter who was also a liaison officer.

25.09. Zangmu - Nyalam

26.-27.09. Nyalam - we made acclimatization to 5000 meters.

28.09. Nyalam - Lalung Leh (5200 m) - Tingri - Shegar

29.09. Shegar - Pang La (5120 m) - Tashi Dzom - Chinese (car) Base Camp (4650 m)

30.09.-01.10. Spent two days waiting in car BC for yaks and acclimatization up to 5500 m.

02.10. Car BC - the first camp (5150 m) on the way to the real BC. Late departure.

03.10. The first approach camp - the second approach camp (5470 m). We should have reached the real BC but yak drivers stopped just one hour before BC which cost us additional 300$ and one day more.

04.10. Arrival at BC (5550 m).

05.10. Arranging BC.

06.10. The first acclimatization climb. Car, Meznar, Prezelj, Stremfelj - the peak, 6700 m (NE of Siguang Ri and N of Gyachung Kang). In the guidebook of J. Kielkowski the summit was described as virgin and we suggest the name Zero peak. We made an ascent over the E face and SE ridge and descended over the E ridge and E face. Guzej - 6135 m; Meglic, Jost - 6270 m

07.10. Jakofcic, Jost, Meglic, Navrsnik climb the peak 6700 m (Zero peak)

08.10. BC - rest

09.10. BC - a bivouac under the N face of Siguang Ri Shar. Four couples made different bivouacs.

10.10. Meglic - Navrsnik started the climb of Siguang Ri Shar N face. Navrsnik turned back on E ridge, 200 m under the summit. Meglic reached the 6998 m high Siguang Ri Shar as first and descended over the S side. They both descended to the BC the same day. Prezelj - Stremfelj climbed a new route on the N face of Siguang Ri, finishing it on 6660 m near the saddle between Siguang Ri and Siguang Ri Shar. Car-Jost and Jakofcic-Meznar climbed another new route more to the right and joined it with first one 100 meters below the saddle. All six made a bivouac on the saddle (6550 m).

11.10. All six of us climbed a new route to the summit of Siguang Ri (7309 m) with a very strong wind blowing. We probably made our second ascent to the mountain. All six returned back to the bivouac on the saddle.

12.10. Car, Prezelj and Stremfelj climbed Siguang Ri Shar from the saddle via long traverse over the S face. Descended to BC the same day. Jakofcic, Jost and Meznar descended from the saddle directly to BC.

13.-14.10. BC - rest day

15.10. BC - ABC (5850 m). Due to long distance over the glacier we put two tents one hour from the N face of Gyachung. We also marked the way with stone-men and returned back to BC.

16.-17.10 BC - rest day

18.-20.10 It was snowing for more than sixty hours. There was nearly a meter of snow in BC. Our kitchen and store tents collapsed.

22.-25.10. We were short on the kerosene for cooking and our satellite phone had zero (that is the source of the 6700 meter peak's name). Because of that, the leader went down to the village to order yaks for the 3rd of November.

26.10. Car-Jost & Prezelj-Stremfelj went to ABC to start the climb the next day. In the evening Prezelj and Stremfelj got poisoned by gases (CO, CO2 and gas) during cooking. Car and Jost found us unconscious and helped.

27.10. Car, Jost, Prezelj and Stremfelj went to BC; Jakofcic-Meznar and Navrsnik-Meglic came to ABC.

28.10. Jakofcic-Meznar and Navrsnik-Meglic climbed to bivouac 1 (6800 m).

29.10. During the night and in the morning strong wind blew. The two pairs stayed on B1 one more day. Car-Jost and Prezelj-Stremfelj went to ABC.

30.10. Navrsnik and Meglic decided to go back to BC, Jakofcic and Meznar decided to continue the climb. At the most delicate parts they were belaying. At dark they reached the left edge of a big serac and set the second bivy (7500 m). Car-Jost and Prezelj-Stremfelj climbed to B1 to the same place as the first two.

31.10. Due to very low temperatures and being tired, Jakofcic and Meznar went towards the summit only at 12:00. After six hours of climbing they stood on the summit and went back to B2. Car-Jost and Prezelj-Stremfelj reached the place of B2 at 15:00

01.11. Car-Jost and Prezelj-Stremfelj climbed the summit. The weather was nearly perfect. After descending to B2 they joined Jakofcic and Meznar and started descending to the ABC. Due to delicate climbing in the middle part of the climb up, we descended in another variant of the route. We descended independently. With dark Jost, Prezelj & Stremfelj were at ABC, Car and Meznar were near bergsrund and Jakofcic was just below B1.

In the dark Meznar slipped and after 200 meters stopped under the wall. Luckily Car noticed his fall and alarmed Jost, Prezlj and Stremfelj in ABC and doctor Guzej in BC. Meznar suffered injuries in the head - concussion of the brain, nose bleed. He could not stand on his feet so we evacuated him from the line of the seracs. The doctor was on his way to ABC. We put up a tent on the way to ABC as he was not easy to carry in deep snow. At noon, Jakofcic safely descended.

02.11. Early in the morning Guzej, Meglic & Navrsnik came to ABC and further to the tent with the injured Meznar. After receiving medical benefit Meznar was, with some assistance, able to walk to BC. We also packed ABC and all went to BC.

03.11. Jakofcic and Meznar were exhausted and had some frostbites on their toes. In the evening the yaks came.

04.11. We left BC and reached the road - truck. Transport to Nyalam.

06.11. Nyalam - Kodari - KTM

07.-14.11. Drying equipment and resting.

15.11. Leaving Kathmandu.

16.11. Back home.

All times in Tibet are local Beijing time. Just for acclimatization we climbed five new routes on three different peaks (two of them were climbed for the first time). After heavy snow we climbed a new route with a descent variant on the N face of Gyachung Kang. The wall is steep enough to have been soon cleaned of heavy snow by avalanches and winds.

We started the climb in strong winds because we had no time to wait for better conditions.

Gyachung Kang: N face, the new Slovene route, Peter Meznar and Tomaz Jakofcic 28.-31.10.1999 & Marko Car, Matic Jost, Marko Prezelj and Andrej Stremfelj 30.10.-01.11.1999, 2000 m, VI/4

Siguang Ri Shar: N face and E ridge, the new Trzic route and first ascent, Janko Meglic 10.10.1999, 1100 m, IV+/4 S face descent route Janko Meglic 10.10.1999; 800 m, III/3 S face new route, the second ascent to the summit, Marko Car, Marko Prezelj and Andrej Stremfelj 12.10.1999, 450 m, IV/3.

Siguang Ri: N face and E ridge, new route, Marko Prezelj & Andrej Stremfelj to the saddle, further to the summit also Marko Car, Matic Jost, Peter Meznar and Tomaz Jakofcic 10. & 11.10.1999, to the saddle 650 m - IV/3, above 800 m - II/2 N face, the new route, Marko Car, Matic Jost, Tomaz Jakofcic and Peter Meznar 10.11.1999, the height where it joins with Prezelj-Stremfelj route is 550m, IV/3

Zero peak/Peak 6700: E face and SE ridge, the new route and the first ascent to the summit, Marko Car, Peter Meznar, Marko Prezelj and Andrej Stremfelj 06.10.1999 & Matic Jost, Blaz Navrsnik, Tomaz Jakofcic and Janko Meglic, 07.10.1999, 700 m, III/2 E ridge and E face, the new descent route, Marko Car, Peter Meznar, Marko Prezelj and Andrej Stremfelj 06.10.1999 700 m, III/2

—Dejan Pirtovsek, Living the Life with MountainZone.com