Paul Haxell - Kyajo Ri, Oct 2025
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Kyajo Ri (6,186m), first climbed in October 2002, is described as a challenging, technical climbing peak in Nepal's Everest region, offering stunning views and a less crowded alternative to popular trekking peaks, featuring snow, ice, and rock sections requiring mountaineering skills, with expeditions typically involving acclimatisation treks, making it ideal for an old git like myself!
Flights into Lukla are increasing, going from the Ramachhap regional airport rather than Kathmandu- generating a very adventurous bus ride on a road which no longer exists! Our driver drove along the riverbed, the old road where it still existed and dodged the excavators pulling down land slip debris and backfilling some of the worst holes. 6 hours later, showing signs of whiplash, I was glad to be off the bus some 60 km covered.
It was a nervous wait at Ramachhap as we were greeted with thick early morning mist. This passed quickly, allowing us to be in the air in the first round of 4 small planes on our way to Lukla.
Our circuitous acclimatising trek into Kyajo Ri Base Camp (4550m) was a fabulous journey, blessed by stable weather, a progressive ascent profile, and higher ground conditions covered in snow, from the storm of early October. We journeyed through Namche Bazar before leaving the masseson the Everest Base Camp trek and went via Mong La, Dole before arriving at Gokyo.
Two early morning starts around 03:00 saw us ascend Goyko Ri (5357m) and cross the Renjo La pass (5360m) with great views of Everest, Makalu and Cho Oyu as daylight broke on both mornings.
Base camp (4550m) for Kyajo Ri sits in a wide but steep-sided hanging valley, a day's trek from Mende, accessed on vague paths and with some spectacular run-outs- as we moved across side-long ground with our team of Yaks. We had a plan for two days in base camp: A day sorting kit, a bit of technical practice (moving together, abseiling & fixed rope) before our first rotation to camp one carrying tents, food and gear.
Well acclimatised, a period of settled weather supported by a forecast of 2cm of snow on an adjacent summit meant all looked set. We had not heard or seen anything to show Cyclone Montha was on its way.
We shouldered big bags and set out for camp 1 (5440m) through a super-sized Twll Du (Devils Kitchen) with plenty of scrambling to be had.
Our camp 1 sits at the end of a further hanging valley beyond the headwall, a little before the Kyajo glacier. We had already had some spectacular views of our peak during the trek, but now we could see our route, the site of camp 2 above the glacier and the summit ridge above.
The rock face above our planned camp 1 provided a well-protected location to dump gear before returning to base camp. Tents, food, gas, ropes, gear and anything else we needed but could do without at a lower altitude were hidden behind rocks.
During our descent, the clouds closed in, and it began to snow. It continued to snow, and it snowed all through the night at base camp and all the following day. A good 1m+ fell, or should I say buried our tents with the expectation that at our camps above there would be even more.
The heavy fall of snow left a conundrum- we needed time for the snow to consolidate before we could return to camp 1, yet more was forecast. Also, the route out was going to be increasingly more challenging on unconsolidated snow. There was no way Yaks would be in these parts for some time. We didn’t have a lot of spare time to sit it out.
Our leader, Jamie Holding, had adopted the Roger Baxter Jones 3-tier approach to safe expeditions throughout the trip so far. The hierarchy of safe expeditions is: 1. Everyone home safe, 2. We stay friends, and 3. The summit is a bonus if conditions allow.
We decided, understandably, to retreat and departed base camp with heavy hearts the next morning, having spent a day digging out tents during the continuing snow, knowing we had our gear stashed at camps1 & 2, which we may never see again. The descent was an adventure in its own right; regular small avalanches ringing around us, some of which could be seen as well as heard, poor visibility in areas of high consequence ground and the odd break through the surface crust to sinking to waist level.
One of our Sherpas agreed to man the camp until it could be recovered; however, he abandoned base camp 2 days after us, as it was effectively flattened by an avalanche!
My Kyajo Ri trip was certainly an adventure, just not the one I had hoped for!
5 weeks after returning to the UK I am hoping that I will soon be reunited with my kit after a Sherpa mercy mission.