Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden have made the first ascent of Manamcho (6,264m), in the Nyainqentanghla East range of Tibet.

The pair climbed the NW ridge, covering 700 vertical metres in eight days at a grade of TD. Fowler described the climb as “classic, icy, north face terrain”. The expedition received grant support from the Mount Everest Foundation and the BMC.

Manamcho is the mountain described by Tamotsu ‘Tom’ Nakamura, the world-renowned expert on the ranges between Lhasa and Chengdu, as the ‘Matterhorn of Nyainqentanghla’. Prior to the expedition Fowler described Manamcho as the most inspiring unclimbed mountain in the world. He said, “It’s better than finding the real Matterhorn unclimbed back in the 19th century.”

Fowler, with Phil Amos, Adam Thomas and Chris Watts visited the region in 2005, when Fowler and Watts made the first ascent of Kajaqiao (6,447m). Amos and Thomas attempted the NW ridge of Manamcho, reaching 5,880m before bad weather forced a retreat.

Nyainqentanghla East is the most unexplored region of 6,000m+ peaks in the world. Just getting to the region is a challenge, with hurdles including bureaucracy, cost and weather. Manamcho is the fourth 6,000-metre peak climbed in the range; many more await ascents.

It’s not the first time Fowler and Ramsden have bagged a plum line in a remote area. In 2002 they made the first ascent of the North face of Siguniang, in the Sichuan province of China. For this climb they became the first British team to win the Piolet d’Or and Golden Piton Awards.

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