Matteo Faletti’s expedition 2017 Minya Konka Massif

Matteo Faletti’s expedition 2017 Minya Konka Massif - Mt. Edgar and Neighboring Peaks SICHUAN, CHINA

I discovered the Minya Konka massif reading Tom Nakamura’s fantastic book “East of the Himalaya: Mountain Peak Maps” ...the east face of Mt. Edgar, in the picture spellbound my self and decide to visit the Minya Konka massif and his mountains.

 I started from Italy the 25th september with my partners: Tomas Franchini, Fabrizio Dellai from Trentino and Francois Cazzanelli, Emrik Favre and Francesco Ratti from Val d’Aosta. I decide to enter in the Nanmengaunggou valley for attempt the East ridge of Mt. Edgar. We had positioned the base camp at 3850m, far away from the glacier and the mountain but was the only good place for living about 30 days...there was water and flat ground. We started our acclimatisation, climbing and enjoing the lots of peak around the base camp, all the mountains were unexplored and without name!Something of fantastic for me... With my partners Tomas and Fabrizio I climbed one mountain below Mt.Edgar, and we call it “Little Edgar” 5060m, we opened a new rock climbing route with the name “Buon compleanno Toni”.

After this, we went to see the west side of Mt.Edgar for understand and study the difficult approch that it has...to see it, was very important for our descent from the top of the mountain. We spent one long day for belaying equipment near the glacier before reaching the plateau, where we positioned the high camp: “Campo degli Italiani” 5250m.

The day after we reach the Col 6000m between Edgar and one no name Mountain that Tomas, Francois and Emrik climbed and called it “Twenty Shan”6174m. During the descent Tomas continued to watched the west face of Mt.Edgar. During the night Tomas decided to venture on the west face below the light of a big moon.

At the 6.15 Tomas reached the top of Mt.Edgar 6618m signing the first ascent of the west wall and the third ascent of the peak. Tomas called the new route “The Moon’s Power”; After this fantastic experience and a bit of resting days at the base camp, with my climbing partners Franchini and Dellai, climbed others new route and new mountains: “Tridente Trentino” 4820m-4910m, “Leonhard Shan” 5500m and “Peter Shan” 5645m.

The Valdaosta’s team climbed: “Welcome tu the Jungle” on the Pillar Joel Deanoz, “ Il Pillier Gerard Ottavio” and “ Valee Shan”.After this they opened in two times “La cresta Delle Tre Sorelle” with 3 unclimbed peak: “PuntaBarbara”,”Punta Elisabetta” e “ Punta Patrizia.

I and Tomas Franchini climbed a new very long and estetic ridge on the Jiazi Feng 6540m, a very impressive mountain. “The White Line of Jiazi Feng”. Our ascent is the third of the peak.

Finally we decided to try our project, me, Tomas and Fabrizio attempted the East ridge of Mt. Edgar and Francois, Emrik and Fracesco tryed the North-West ridge. I spended 2 days in the mountains with my partners to reach the point of 5840m, after the wall was very difficult, without safety lines. The temperature was very hot and so the third day we decided to descent down and leave there the project for the future. 2 The valdaosta’s team did an attempt until the altitude of 6450m...tecnicals difficult and very dangerous inconsistent snow blocked them. They reached a Pillar on the ridge and they called it “Piller de l’Espoir”. They descended down with more of 25 abseil.

 In the last good weather window we decided to go another time toward the west side of the mountain. I, Tomas and Francois, opened a new route on the North West face: “Colpo Finale”, and Emrik, Francesco and Fabrizio climbed the Corean Ridge. At 13 o’clock of the 25th october we are all togheter on the top of Mt.Edgar! Mt.Edgar is a very difficult and complicated mountain. Is tecnical, dangerous, is faraway and is high! To ascent it, is a very good experience, adventure and exploit!!

This trip in China was a great success for us...we dicovered a fantastic valley with some incredibles unclimbing peak...we didn’t see nobody during all the time, there wasn’t track and human signs...we were only us and the nature!

Thank you so much to my friends and the sponsors who supported us in this fantastic experience

Matteo Faletti

Alpine Guide and Ski Instructor

Mountime Team