Joint KMC / Alpine Club Expedition to Nepal - Brief report

KMC / Alpine Club Team members: Andy Stratford (expedition leader), Stevie Graham, Jess Bailey

Alpine Club Team members: John Wolfe, Harry Moss, Anna Fleming, Oli Birkhill, Mark Garland and Paul Cooper

A few days before our nine-strong team departed the UK on 31 October, Cyclone Montha hit India and Nepal, dumping huge quantities of unseasonal snow in the high mountains above 4,500m. We were so lucky with our timing – so many expeditions and treks were cancelled, postponed or rerouted in that week and the few days after – and at one point there was a five-day backlog of trekkers and climbers trying to leave from Lukla airport – the word was that there were no beds to be had within two days' walk of the village!

Leaving Kathmandu on the 4^th of November, we bumped our way on the terrible, washed-out road to Ramechhap for six hours. The following morning, our 06.25 am flight finally left at 11.30 am once the fog had cleared. A good landing on the world's shortest and steepest runway at Lukla (2800m) and then a 3.5-hour walk to Phakding and our first night’s accommodation in the Khumbu region at 2600m. The next day, we arrived in Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital, and at 3400m had a much-needed acclimatisation day. Our  trek that followed round the Gokyo circuit, up Gokyo Ri (5330m) and over the Renjo La pass (5350m)to acclimatise properly was blessed with settled sunny weather, no clouds, light winds and the mountains looking unseasonally snowy and especially beautiful.

On the 14^th November, we arrived in Mende (3800m) and switched from tea house to tent, and after a day re-organising our gear made our way up the rarely visited Khumche Himal valleys, a series of three hanging valleys with alpine Lakes, each of which held greater quantities of Cyclone Montha's snow. We had a series of three camps planned as we ascended the valleys with a final one at the col below the summit slopes. Normally, the three lower camps are free of snow at this time of year but only at base camp at 4,550m were we able to clear enough snow to put the tents on the frozen ground. Alpine Lake camp at 4,950m, Glacier camp at 5,300m and Col camp at 5,700m were all on substantial snow depths.

Jess had been struck by a viral infection in the trekking phase and was poorly from the 10^th in Gokyo, and after difficult nights at Base camp on the 16^th and Alpine Lake camp made it to two nights at Glacier camp 18^th and 19^th (5300m) before descending due to worsening health. The eight remaining members made it up to 5,700m on the 20^th November. After a few hours, we rose in the early morning in strong winds, with estimated temperatures of well below -20°C and set off at around 4.10 am.

The wind and cold were brutal in that first hour, and Harry turned back after 30 minutes with breathing issues, while the rest climbed on up the steep snow with occasional rock pitches, with Stevie, Anna and John climbing roped up free of the fixed lines until about 6,050m where they switched to jumars. As we had climbed higher and the light of dawn arrived the worst of the winds subsided, and finally we had some warmth returning.

Andy, Mark, Stevie, Anna, John, Oli and Sherpa Norbu summited between 8.05 am and 8.35 am and were treated to light winds and fantastic views from the highest peak in the range. We met Paul on the way down as he pushed on, reaching the summit with Isu at 9.45 am. After a long descent on the lines and a brief rest at Col camp, we packed up and descended safely to Glacier camp at 5,300m for a proper rest and food. By the 23^rd we were back in Namche and caught up with Jess, who was slowly recovering. With two days in hand, we opted for a day of rest, shopping and sightseeing, then a split walk to Lukla, departing on our planned flight on the 26^th back to Ramechhap, then the bumpy bus journey to KTM.

Thanks are due to Mohan Lamsal, owner, CEO and wrangler extraordinaire of  Makalu Adventure, our Nepali agents, for organising our logistics and being so flexible in dealing with schedule changes, illness, sick porters and sherpas and the massive amounts of unexpected snow!

A special thanks to our Trekking guide Jiri Rai and his two sons and assistant guides Praben and Vijay, who completed the entire circuit with us and revealed fantastic insights into the nature, culture, lifestyle, politics and religion in this very special and precious part of our planet. We were very grateful we had such excellent climbing Sherpas, Norbu, Isu and Raju, who joined us for the camping phase and greatly assisted us at the higher camps and on the mountain.

I’d like to personally thank all the team members who gave so much of themselves, were kind, thoughtful and looked after each other – living at such close quarters at altitude for three weeks is no mean feat.

Last but by no means least, I want to thank Jess Bailey for being such an amazing climbing partner for 2025 as we trained together and for putting up with me on various optimistic adventures including looking for a wet gully on a rare dry day on Raven Crag, being the only team on Tower Ridge on the North face of Ben Nevis on a minging day, being frozen off The Napes in June and completing the Dri Horlini traverse in Switzerland with a 'minimal rack'...... 

At some point later in 2026 there will be a slideshow about the expedition along with a few tales.

Where and when for the next one?

I am sure that I will organise another, but I don’t know where yet..... and definitely not in 2026…. !

Joint KMC-AC Meet - Kyajo Ri 6186m, Khumbu. Nepal, Autumn 2025.

Dates: UK departure 1st Nov to 28th Nov 2025

Meet Organiser: Andy Stratford (KMC / AC member)

This expedition is FULL and the application process is now closed. 

Introduction and team

This joint Greater Ranges Open Meet links the Karabiner Mountaineering Club with the Alpine Club. It is a single-objective expedition to climb Kyajo Ri 6186m. Following an application process in January / February 2025 Andy is joined by Stevie Graham and Jess Bailey from the KMC - the other team members are from the AC; overall there are three women and seven men on the trip ranging in age from mid-thirties to mid-sixties. 

The Objective

Kyajo Ri 6,186m is the highest point on the range of mountains sandwiched between the Thame and Gokyo valleys and is accessed from a valley north of Namche Bazaar (3400m). To acclimatise fully for maximum chance to succeed on this 6000m peak the team will fly into Lukla (2800m) and then follow an eleven-day acclimatisation circuit via Namche Bazaar (3450m), Gokyo (4790m), Gokyo Ri (5360m),  Renjo La pass (5360m) before dropping back towards Thame (3800m) then up the quiet Khumuche Himal valley to Base Camp at 4490m. The itinerary then allows a generous 8 full days to climb and descend Kyajo Ri which includes load carrying over sometimes difficult terrain to three further camps, Alpine Lake camp (4900m), Glacier camp (ABC) at 5370m then Camp 1 at 5700m. Summit-day is on an aesthetic narrowing exposed snow ridge/ice pitches/mixed ground to 6186m on ground of approx. AD+ difficulty. The mountain has been somewhat under the radar and whilst commercial expeditions do climb it, it has a tiny fraction of the ascents of the other popular Khumbu peaks as it’s a little harder. The valley has some other interesting mountains many of which have been climbed only a few times and there are still teams climbing new routes on these peaks, including some of the harder face routes on Kyajo Ri. We will pass Phuletate 5597m, Machhermo 5559m, Teningbo 5839m, and others. 

Karabiner MC -  Mountaineering Grant

The KMC team, Andy, Stevie and Jess would like to acknowledge the kind support of the KMC Grants committee and of the benefactor(s) who make this grant scheme possible – your support is as deeply appreciated as ever.