New Czech climb on Tengi Ragi Tau in Nepal by Marek Disman, Jakub Vlček

Czech mountaineers Jakub Vlček and Marek Disman have made the first ascent of 'Honzova cesta' on the West Face of Tengi Ragi Tau (6938m) in Rolwaling Himal, Nepal. The pair travelled to Nepal in October with Jan Kresinger to complete a line Kresinger had attempted in 2021 with Karel Roudnicky. At the time the duo was forced to retreat at about half-height and after two bivoucs due to adverse weather conditions.

This season the Czech team had decidedly better luck and from 29 - 31 October 2023 Disman and Vlček managed to finish the unclimbed line in alpine style, requiring one bivouac at 6400m on the ascent and one on the descent. The summited the face on the 30th at about 5pm local time and after the ritual photos began their descent.  "Our intention was never the main summit." Marek Disman explained to planetmountain. "We came to climb the perfect direct line to one of the side-summits, logically ending our new route where no one had ever set foot before."

The 1300m route starts in the fourth snow cone from the south and leads straight through the central section of the formidable west face, to the left from the Trinité route opened in 2019 by Silvan Schüpbach and Symon Welfringer. Difficulties are estimated at M5, 80° and the route has been called Honzova cesta, Johnny's Route, after Kresinger who retreated after the initial section due to insufficient acclimatisation.

Tengi Ragi Tau was considered off limits for many years, until in early 2002 the Nepalese government issued climbing permits and later that year a Japanese expedition led by Koichi Ezaki managed to make the first ascent of the mountain via the SE Face. The West Face was climbed for the first time in 2019 by Alan Rousseau and Tino Villanueva.

 

 

 

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