Millet team opens a new route in the Hungchi.

CHARLES DUBOULOZ AND SYMON WELFRINGER, TWO ATHLET ATHLETES OF THE MILLET TEAM, OPEN A NEW VIA ON THE HUNGCHI (7,029 m) BETWEEN TIBET AND NEPAL.

The Millet team

The Millet team opens a new route on a virgin face of a completely unknown peak. Starting out based only on binoculars and experience-this is the essence of high-level Himalayan mountaineering. Charles and Symon embodied the ultimate expression of exploratory mountaineering, a paean to the conquest of the absolute. An expedition supported by the French brand Millet. The two athletes climbed the 7,029-m Mount Hungchi on the Nepal-Tibet border in May 2024 inaugurating “Le Cavalier sans tête.”

The story of the adventure

Charles and Symon left at 5 a.m. on May 17 from their advanced base camp at 5,300 m. After Symon’s complicated acclimatization and bronchial infection on arrival, the start was uncertain until the last minute. The climb proved technical, but despite Symon’s advanced state of fatigue, the team’s unwavering determination enabled them to reach the summit at 1:30 p.m. on May 18, Charles’ birthday. Despite optimistic radar forecasts, snow and fog arrived and a race against time began. The team struggled to descend 300 meters in a few hours and decided to bivouac on site despite the very strong wind.

The next morning, the snow was still falling. Symon and Charles were faced with a decisive choice and had to adjust their descent strategy. A third bivouac was no longer an option, and the two guides chose to descend to the opposite (east) side, which was completely unknown, with no guarantee of reaching the bottom of the wall and no possibility of return. It was a gamble that paid off, after several hours and numerous rappels, brought them safely back to the other side of the Hungchi.

To see the video of their adventure click here.