Benjamin Védrines and Nicolas Jean make coveted first ascent of Jannu East

French alpinists Benjamin Védrines and Nicolas Jean have made the coveted first ascent of Jannu East in Nepal. One of the most formidable and coveted summits, long referred to as “the last great problem of the Himalaya", the 7,468m mountain had seen numerous attempts by strong teams over the last thirty years. Climbing alpine-style via a line up the left.hand side of the formidable north face, Védrines and Jean spent three days ascending the mountain and, after summiting on the 15th of October, required a further day to descend safely back to base camp. Védrines described the achievement in no uncertain terms as being "the climb of a lifetime: three days of absolute intensity, between lucidity and sheer exhaustion. You had to push deep into commitment while keeping full control."

Védrines and Jean arrived in Nepal over two months ago and acclimatised patiently, grabbing the first ascent of the stunning Anidesh Chuli (6808m) in late September. This in itself would have constituted an amazing coup, but the pair had their sights set even higher, on the unclimbed Jannu East which they had already attempted in 2024 together with Léo Billon. Days of strong winds, bitter cold, and uncertainty followed their ascent of Anidesh Chuli, but then a brief weather window was forecast and on 12 October they left Base Camp at 12:20 p.m. and ascended to ABC at 5100m which they reached at 3:45 p.m. Fresh snow had made crossing the glacier slow and exhausting, and heat alternated sharply with biting cold as soon as they entered the shade. "We were sweating one moment and freezing the next. Looking up at the face… it was overwhelming — immense and intimidating.”

The climbers departed from ABC at 5:30 a.m. on the 13th of October, with Jean leading the first block and Védrines the second. Protection was sparse and they often simul-climbed, “soloing as a team of two.” as they put it. They reached their first bivouac at 6,200 m at around 4 p.m. “The packs were heavy, the snow hard, it was freezing, our calves were burning… but I was happy to be there." explained Védrines, adding "Finally in the face. Coming back here, a year later — it felt special. We’re crazy, but passionate. We wanted to finish this story.”

On Tuesday 14 October, day 2 of their push, they woke up at 4 a.m. and left two hours later. This section carried emotional weight — in 2024, their climbing partner Léo Billon had to stop here, and this same face had claimed the life of American alpinist Mike Gardner that same day. “Passing where Léo had to stop, and where Mike fell… it gives another dimension to what we were doing. We carried all of that in our minds.” Nevertheless the pair pushed on into uncharted territory. While the terrain steepened and the exposure increased, the weather remained clear and calm. They fixed 100 meters of rope through a difficult section, then bivouacked at 6,900 m around 3:30 p.m. “When we reached the bivy, we didn’t even want to look up. The wall above seemed endless. We decided to fix a section before stopping. It went through — that gave us hope.”

After enduring a bitterly cold night, with temperatures plunging down to –20 °C, the Frenchmen woke up at 3:30 a.m. on the 15th of October. They set off in the dark, fingers numb; battling the cold as dawn revealed a razor-thin ridge lit by golden light. “That final ridge… incredible. Mystical atmosphere. The rising sun, the light — you feel lucky just to be there.” Before reaching the summit though, they encountered a new obstacle: “The ridge was completely wind-loaded, impossible to go straight up. I had to traverse slightly into the face on the right — steep snow, no solid protection. I found a thin ice band, just enough to climb ten meters and get back on the ridge. It was the only option.”

That short detour, over 7,400 meters, marked the most exposed moment of the climb. “I was drained, but it was that or nothing. Staying on the ridge was impossible.” explained Védrines. At 1:00 p.m., they reached what they believed was the summit — but two peaks appeared, separated by a long, corniced ridge. From Base Camp, Thibaut Marot, flying the drone, confirmed that the true summit lay farther ahead. “We had to keep going. It was long, endless. Nico and I looked at each other — wrecked, but determined.” recounted Védrines. The pair dug in deep and after over an hour, they finally reached the true summit of Jannu East (7,468 m) at 1:40 p.m. Gusts of 40 km/h awaited them on the highest point, where fatigue gave way to gratitude. “When we finally reached the true summit, at 1:40, it was release. I shed a small tear — it was strong, real, simple. Up there, I felt this ascent would change my life as an alpinist. Everything we’ve done so far led to that moment.” explained Védrines. Afer the ritual summit photos, they descended to their bivouac which they reached at 7:20 p.m., exhausted but fulfilled.

On Thursday 16 October 16 the alpinists began their descent at 6 a.m., which entailed about 50 abseils. Anchors were scarce, the stress-level was consistently high, but they kept their focus and eventually returned to Base Camp at 5:30 p.m., welcomed by the Nepali team to an explosion of joy. The climbers celebrated in style, with Védrines commenting “It was an expedition from the heart — a total human adventure. We were two up there, but an entire team made this summit possible.”