An injured ankle and an unclimbed wall: two French climbers open «Les étoiles éternelles» on Janjmu Peak
They were heading for Pamalka, but lost gear, acclimatisation went badly and an injury made them notice a north face with no known previous ascents.
French climbers Sophie Jacob and Kilian Moni have opened «Les étoiles éternelles» (“The Eternal Stars”), a new route on the north face of Janjmu Peak (5,205 m), in Nepal’s Rolwaling valley. They climbed it on 26 October.
The route
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | 600 m, in 14 pitches |
| Grade | ED, with M7 and WI5 moves |
| Time | About 13 hours |
| Base camp | Na, at about 4,200 m |
They started with a night-time approach. The first pitches were hard snow with steps of ice and mixed ground. The crux came on the third pitch: good rock with cracks and a small overhang. After that came steep ice, corners and chimneys to the top.
A plan born from setbacks
The original goal was Pamalka, at about 6,300 m. But everything went wrong: they lost a bag with some of their gear on the flights, Moni acclimatised badly and, on a reconnaissance outing, he injured his ankle.
While he recovered, he noticed the north face of Janjmu Peak. He found no record of any previous ascent there. Moni dedicated the route to several friends who died this year.
The expedition’s other route
Meanwhile, teammates Eric Bazot and Pierre Girot opened «TchikitaMa Go» (900 m, ED, M6, AI5) on the west face of Chukyima Go, at 6,259 m.
The Rolwaling has been busy this autumn: the Russian attempt to open a new route on Lunag Ri.
Sources and references
- Desnivel – Sophie Jacob and Kilian Moni open «Les étoiles éternelles» on Janjmu Peak, in Spanish (06/11/2026)
- Desnivel – Eric Bazot and Pierre Girot open «TchikitaMa Go» on Chukyima Go, in Spanish
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