The Bhagirathi group in India’s Garhwal Himalaya showing routes of ascent by Marko Prezelj, Rok Blagus and Luka Lindic last month. Bhagirathi II is furthest left, followed by Bhagirathi IV and Bhagirathi III. [Photo] Marko Prezelj collection
Marko Prezelj, Rok Blagus and Luka Lindic have climbed three serious alpine objectives in the Bhagirathi group of the Garhwal Himalaya, India.
The team was stationed in the area for a month, Prezelj said, but the bulk of their climbing materialized in the last two weeks of September due to storms at the beginning of their stay. When the weather cleared in mid-September they swarmed massive, unclimbed and increasingly difficult lines in the range.
In one day, September 15, they climbed the left side of Bhagirathi IV’s (ca. 6200m) west face via a 1000-meter mixed route at a grade of D+. The next week, on September 21-22, they climbed the 1300-meter west face of Bhagirathi III (6454m) at ED (6b [5.10d] M5 WI5). And to cap off their expedition, they climbed Bhagirathi II (6512m) over three days, September 29 to October 1. The 1300-meter route goes at an impressive ED+/ABO (6b+ [5.11a] M8 WI6+).
Prezelj called it a “great trip.”