Jannu North Face: interview with Alan Rousseau after Alpine Style ascent with Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell

From 7 - 13 October 2023 American alpinists Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell and Alan Rousseau completed a highly impressive ascent of the North Face of Jannu (7710) in the Nepalese Himalaya. Their "Round Trip Ticket" is 2700m high, breaches technical difficulties up to M7 AI5+ A0, and was climbed in a radically different alpine style compared to the 2004 Russian Direct, with which it shares much terrain and which was established capsule style and with the use of fixed ropes by a determined Russian expedition led by Alexander Odintsov; the summit reached by Alexandre Ruchkin and Dmitry Pavlenko eventually netted the 2004 Piolet d'Or. Success now on this technically difficult outing comes after 2 previous failed attempts, the first by Marvell and Rousseau in 2021, the second by Cornell and Rousseau in 2022. Rousseau provides the details.

Jannu, what a beautiful beast of a mountain! When did it catch your attention? 
I think I stumbled on the north face of Jannu on google earth something like a decade ago. Then I found out about the Russian 2004 line. But it was so far beyond what I could comprehend at that time. Then in 2020 Jackson and I were working in construction together in the Utah heat and he said we should climb in the Himalayas together. I showed him a picture of north face of Jannu, and we shook on it immediately.

Prior to this year, you went twice before. Once in 2021 with Jackson, once in 2022 with Matt. How did those expeditions go? What did they teach you?
That first year Jackson and I had low expectations. We were unsure if it would look too dangerous, be too cold to function, or just be too hard to try in an alpine style. We were pleasantly surprised and got to 7150m on our reconnaissance burn. We were so psyched seeeing the potential of the face. In 2022 Jackson had a family medical emergency and had to leave right after arriving in Kathmandu. That year it was super cold and windy, and Matt and I only made it to 6700m. The wind created too much hazard on the face. But we learnt that with near perfect conditions, we figured we could climb the face alpine style.

This year you came as a team of 3. Did you change other tactics this year?
The plan was the same as last year: we were committed to an alpine style push up the headwall on the north face of Jannu.

How did you acclimatise?
We went up and camped a few nights at around 6000 meters on the south aspect above camp. There is nice moderate walking terrain there.

Then the climb proper. Can you tell us about it
We had 5 bivouacs on the ascent and one on descent. Three of them were free hanging. The climb begins with a 1,000’ moderate rock butresss that frees at 5.8. Then you move into a huge icefall before popping out on a glacial plateau. We camped in the Bergschrund at 5800m. On day 2 you cover a huge neve ramp from 60-90°. That second night we camped in a huge glacial cave at around 6700m. On day 3 the terrain becomes harder and the altitude begins to catch up with you. We moved through lots of M5 AI4 sort of terrain to about 7100mm, where you emerge properly established on the headwall. Days 4 and 5 were spent climbing mostly sustained M6-7AI5 terrain, with the hanging bivies each night. On day 6 we wrapped around to the SW side of the mountain and finished the climb with some surpringly challenging climbing. The technical climbing only ceased about 100 meters below the summmit.

How much gear and food did you have? That tent and those inflatable portaledges look small... How long did you envisage to be on the mountain?
We brought 1.5 rack and 12 screws. A 9.0mm 60m rope and 6mm dyneema aramid hyper static glacier rope. We used two pods for three guys to cut weight, and we planned on a 6-7 day mission.

One rope between the 3 of you? How were you guys climbing?
We fix and follow. The leader climbs up and short fixes the line. Then the other two follow using a micro traxion, while the leader hauls they packs.

Seriously?
Yes. It hasn't failed us yet ;-)

Was there a make-or-break moment?
At the end of day 4 I led through a challenging cryptic block where we couldn’t reallly see a clear passage. With some patience and solid encouragement from my climbing partners I was able to find my way through. After that we could see an escape where the terrain began to roll over. We still had a day of hard climbing ahead of us, on the headwall which proved challenging.

You mentioned you encountered some of the most sublime climbing you’ve ever had up there.
Yes, the climbing from 7,000-7500 meters blew our minds. It was what we had been searching for. Sustained steep climbing that was continually adventurous but rarely ever dangerously run-out.

Then the summit
A small snow fin with a lot of exposure....

You descended close to the line of ascent?
Yes, we rapped a plumb line down the headwall compared to our line of ascent. But we were very close to ascent line.

How much is new terrain, how much already climbed by the Russians in 2004?
From 7000-7500m is new terrain.

Any thoughts about that ascent almost two decades ago?
We hold respect for what they did 20 years ago. But new things have come to light and we think it’s better to climb in alpine style. We wish that the 2004 line were void of fixed lines and protection. We feel as though it’s not possible to have a fair-means alpine style ascent given the pro left in-situ. This played into our decision to head right of Russian line.

Yours was indeed a very different approach. How out there is that North Face?
We felt like we had left the earth's orbit. We felt so far away from everything. Which is the point really, alpine style is the ultimate in our minds, and as a team we are really only interested in this style. Anything else just seems less authentic.

Others have described this ascent in no uncertain terms as "visionary" and "maybe the best alpine climb done in the last few decades". How do you yourselves rate it personally?
This climb represents a major step forward for our climbing and partnership. We are thrilled with our experience on Jannu, and excited about what it shows we can do together in the future.