Bullock and Cool start up the North Face of Kalanka (6,931 m)

© Nick Bullock

The British alpinists Nick Bullock and Kenton Cool (www.dream-guides.com) started up the North Face of Kalanka (6,931 m) in the Garhwal region of India yesterday after a period of bad weather.

This 1800-metre face has been climbed once before in 1977 by a Czechoslovakian team using fixed ropes, Bullock and Cool are attempting the face alpine-style, in a single push. Bullock estimates that the climb will take a minimum of five days and possibly two days to descend.

September 8th Kenton writes:

"Sorry for the lack of updates but the weather has been so bad we have not been able to charge anything. Well at last Nick and I have been to about 6000m and feel ready for an alpine style push. The only problem is that I have come down with a nasty tooth ache. I think this is my wisdom teeth but not sure, to combat it I have taken enought drugs to kill a small horse, and now feel slighty better. The weather has picked up as well and now we have long days of blue sky, but the nights are rather colder. There has also been the arrival of a Kiwi team and Indian police team so Base Camp (BC) has become quite socialable. Even better when we beat the Indians at Cricket yesterday.!! Nick and I are thinking about the climb and its looking good, its going to be the left hand ridge and I reckon we will leave in the next day or so, depending on the tooth of course. Both of us are in good form and begining to get the need to climb. KC and Nick"

Kenton sent this email yesterday:

"Here we go forecast looks OK and we leave for the route in a couple of hours, back in a week or so we hope. Fingers crossed. KC and Nick"

You can read updates at dmmclimbing.com and the story of getting to the base of this mountain in the Nanda Devi National Park at blog.mountainhardwear.com

Bullock and Cool have been supported financially for this trip by Mammut, The Mount Everest Foundation, the British Mountaineering Council and in addition won the Nick Estcourt award.

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13 Sep, 2007
i wish my name was kenton cool
13 Sep, 2007
Wish I was there...
19 Sep, 2007
Any news on Nick and Kenton? In the report on the 8th they said they were expecting to be on the route for a week.
19 Sep, 2007
Sorry, they left on the 10th, not the 8th.
19 Sep, 2007
They are both back in base camp. Check out their blog on the Dreamguides site
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