Gripped Magazine
Americans Make First Ascent of 2,300-Metre Himalayan Alpine Climb
Sean McLane and Vitaliy Musiyenko have made the first ascent of the southwest ridge of Balakun (6,471m) in the Indian Himalaya, climbing a 2,300-metre line they named Kishmish. Joined initially by Christian Black, the team left base camp at 14,500 feet shortly after midnight on May 27. Several days of snowfall had left them with a single forecasted weather window before another storm cycle. Although the mountain’s climbing history remains uncertain, local climbers continue to question reports of a previous ascent, leaving open the possibility that Balakun itself may have been unclimbed.
With only one clear day available, the team adopted an unusually light strategy for such a large objective. Rather than carry equipment for a multi-day ascent, they attempted the entire route in a single push. “The logic was simple,” Musiyenko said in a report on Planet Mountain. “We could move much faster if we left the overnight gear and multiple days of food behind.” As a safeguard, they cached a tent, stove and quilt high on the mountain, noting that “self-reliance is not optional” on a remote Himalayan route.
After around 900 metres of unroped climbing on snowy fourth- and fifth-class terrain, the team reached a snow couloir that provided an easy descent. Black, who had not been feeling well and was less comfortable with the reduced safety margins and loose rock, chose to descend. McLane and Musiyenko continued alone, roping up and simul-climbing more than 1,200 additional metres to the summit. The pair used multiple nanotraxions to protect the leader through the hardest sections, gaining more than 2,400 metres from camp.
The route proved significantly more demanding than expected. Musiyenko estimated the hardest climbing at M5 or M6 with the additional R/RX, with long stretches of fifth-class rock, steep mixed terrain and deep snow. Protection was often sparse, and sections were so runout that a fall could have had severe consequences. Rock quality varied from excellent stone to unstable choss. “The route demanded more from us physically and mentally than we had expected,” he said.
McLane and Musiyenko reached the summit at sunset, roughly 18 hours after leaving camp, only to find themselves in a windstorm. The descent was equally serious. Through the night they built V-threads and improvised rappel anchors from single pieces of protection. Around 4 a.m. they finally stopped to melt snow and rest. Exhaustion became a growing concern as both climbers began experiencing hallucinations, likely caused by a combination of sleep deprivation, dehydration and fatigue. They slowed their pace, carefully managed the remaining technical terrain and eventually regained the snow couloir Black had used during his descent.
The pair staggered back into base camp after more than 40 hours of nearly continuous movement. For Musiyenko, the ascent was significant not only for the route itself but for what it revealed about the limits of lightweight alpinism. “We had no idea whether such a long and technical route could be climbed in such a short time with so little equipment,” he said. The route was named Kishmish, the Hindi word for raisin, a nod to how dehydrated the climbers felt by the end of the effort. Despite the success, Musiyenko described the expedition as unfinished. The team’s original objective had been Chaukhamba III, but no suitable weather window appeared during the following two weeks. “I still hope the day will come when Christian, Sean and I stand together on a Himalayan summit.”
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