The blow of a stone to Juan Vallejo, an added difficulty to the hard attempt of Phurbi Chhyachu

The most important is undoubtedly that Juan Vallejo suffered an accident during the ascent to the summit: A stone block fell on one of his legs. A situation that added pressure and seriousness to the activity, already very demanding and complicated by “the heavy blizzard, low visibility and cold” which the climbers had to face in a technically very complicated terrain, with a wind-exposed edge and continuous ascent and descent.

Fortunately, the veteran mountaineer is from Alava He has been able to get down “on his own and does not need rescue” in an attempt where the group, it has now confirmed, continued “a new route, along a virgin edge”. It is worth remembering that the only ascents so far made on this mountain, located in the remote area Jugal Himal (on the border between Nepal and China), was carried out by a Japanese heavy expedition in May 1986.