What would it take to open a new wall in the Himalaya? It’s my dream to go on rock climbing expeditions in the Himalaya… but how am I supposed to start? I have worked on the climbing/guiding/technical skills to prepare myself for Himalayan walls, and separately on the linguistic and cultural skills to navigate India and do this expedition with Indian climbers. But how do I put it all together? How do I actually do it?

These were the questions on my mind when I moved to the small village of Sethan in the Indian Himalaya. I was there for my academic research on labor in the Himalaya, and living in the village afforded great access to the surrounding boulders and towering granite walls.

Rathan Thadi is a perfect golden granite dome, perched at 4500 meters atop a steep slope near Hampta Pass. The trail over this pass, which starts from Sethan, was the old horse road connecting the Kullu and Spiti valleys. Now it’s a popular trekking route, with commercial operators from across India bringing tourists by the batch for multi-day hikes and to see the snowy Himalayan peaks up close.

By Himalayan standards, the 20km hike and 300m rock face felt like approachable dimensions for a first-time first-ascensionist like myself. Little did I know that the 800m steep approach slope separating the base of the wall from basecamp would prove to be the logistical crux of this wall.

I failed on 2 attempts during the summer, pre-monsoon season. The first time, excessive snow left over from a wet spring foiled our designs for making a quick and supported approach. Unsupported and moving slowly, we did not establish on the wall. The second time, on the longest day of the year, we went faster, but got turned around 3/4ths of the way up the wall when the sun melted remaining snow atop the wall and our route turned into a waterfall by 2pm. That was when I realized it would need to wait for dryer conditions post-monsoon.

As October came around it was back on. Equipped with the learning from previous attempts, Nikhil Bhandari and I went on a quick mission at the end of a closing weather window. We made the first ascent via the longest section of wall, ground up, onsight, in a day from basecamp and back, at 5.11- Grade IV, 6 pitches, 270m. We called this first route Rathan Thadi Direct, honoring local nomenclature for the formation. Rathan Thadi loosely translates to “seating area made out of gems.” We may not have spent much time sitting, but the reference to this wall being a gem seemed apt.

After a spell of bad weather and rest, we returned for a longer expedition, in a larger team, to attempt the intimidating, steep, central line on the south face. It follows a series of corners and cracks up to an imposing, ~40m overhanging dihedral at the apex of the wall. When I first saw pictures of the wall, this feature immediately caught my eye.

Staying true to a ground up style, this route was not possible to complete in one day. Applying tactics I learned on Mt. Hooker, in Wyoming, we fixed lines at our high point, re-ascended, and pushed the line to the top over the course of 3 days. I mostly free-climbed to get the rope up, although several sections required some aiding due to difficulty and vegetation/lichen on the rock. One memorable pitch (#4), dubbed the “dirty deeds crack,” required vertical excavation for about 40ft with an ice axe, bathing in dirt before digging out room for the next placement. The previous pitch (#3), a brilliant obtuse corner, involved a slab dyno crux followed by an immaculate thin layback. Pitch #5, the “masaledar” or “spicy” pitch protected with only 4 pitons and #5 and #6 camalots! Finally, the crux overhanging corner (pitch #6) featured some thin face moves to gain a dark hand crack culminating in glory jugs to finish out the route.

In between these 3 days of effort, while we had established an advanced basecamp at the base of the wall to solve the problem of the approach slope, a snowstorm rolled in! The storm necessitated a few rest days at basecamp. We ate, slept, and bouldered to pass the time. When the snow melted off the face, Nikhil and I returned and did the final push to the top, naming the route “the Fissure in Time,” 5.10 A2 M2, 6 pitches, 230m. Worsening weather precluded us from sticking around to clean and free the line, but I am psyched to get back for it one day!

India is a world-class destination for bigwall free climbing. Many walls across India’s mountain ranges await first ascents and hold potential for hard, spectacular free climbing. However, the progression of single pitch crags, shorter routes, and moderate-height walls does not yet exist for Indian and other local climbers to use as rungs on the ladder to bigwall free climbing. In opening Rathan Thadi dome as a new venue for Himalayan trad climbing, we aspired not only to elevate our own climbing game but create possibility and access for regionally local climbers and the next generation to do the same.