The winners of this year’s Nick Estcourt Award for mountain exploration have been announced, with the Jannu East Face expedition team taking home a £2000 grant.
Lead by Matt Helliker, the four-strong team will use the money to part fund their ascent of Jannu East, an unclimbed 7465m peak in the Kangchenjunga region of Nepal. Heading past the Upper Yalung glacier, the men will attempt an alpine style ascent of the mountain’s 2000m East Face en route to the summit.
Set up to commemorate the climbing achievements of mountaineer Nick Estcourt after he was struck by a fatal avalanche on the West Ridge of K2 in 1978, the annual award offers grants to encourage future generations of expedition mountaineers to explore the world’s lesser known ranges, or those which are notoriously difficult to access.
Applications for next year’s award can now be submitted via the website, with those attempting a previously unclimbed face, ridge or summit, or a repeat of an existing route in a more challenging style, most likely to succeed.
RELATED LINKS:
www.nickestcourtaward.org
Photo Credit: Gavin Pikes