A Korean expedition led by Ahn Chi-young has made the world's first ascent of Sat Peak in the Sharphu massif of the Kangchenjunga region in the Nepal Himalayas.
"The Korean expedition reached the summit of Sat Peak at 4:15 p.m. local time on the 2nd," the Korean Alpine Federation said on the 3rd. "Expedition leader Ahn Chi-young and team members Lee Sang-guk and Lee Eui-jun successfully completed the ascent."
Standing at 6,220 meters, Sat Peak had been an unclimbed summit featuring a high-difficulty route with steep snow walls, sharp ice ridges, and mixed rock and ice sections. In 2022, an Italian expedition advanced to a forepeak at about 6,100 meters but failed to reach the summit. The Korean expedition has now achieved the world's first successful ascent.
The Korean expedition, consisting of seven members including leader Ahn, departed Korea on the 11th of last month and arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. The team then flew to Bhadrapur, passed through the Taplejung region, and established a base camp in the upper Napinda Gorge before beginning the climb.
The expedition left base camp on the 28th of last month to set up Camp 1, established Camp 2 the following day, and was forced to wait out a day of bad weather on the 30th. After establishing Camp 3 on the 1st of this month, the team finally reached the summit on the 2nd via the east face and southeast face routes. The Alpine Federation noted that the climb holds greater significance because it was conducted in alpine style — carrying only basic climbing gear and food, without fixed ropes or external support.
Sponsored by The North Face, DYPNF, and HK inno.N, among others, the Korean expedition is scheduled to return home on the 10th after completing its summit bid.
