Trip Reports

Kyajo Ri 2025 "The Montha from the Deep"

Kyajo Ri, Jamie Holding, Nov 2025 12
Trip Report

Written by Leader, November 2025

"Tropical Cyclone Montha-25 winding up in the Bay of Bengal, tracking North West to India, 27 to 28 October. A moisture laden, clockwise, WSW airstream, off the Indian Ocean, heads for the high Himalaya. Mountain Forecast from Friday 24, as we left Thame to camp at Mende 3700m, a day from reaching Base Camp, barely indicates what is coming our way, forecasting only 2cm of snow for the summit of Pharilapcha 6017m, just north of Kyajo Ri 6186m.

A pre-dawn start from Gokyo 4790m, Everest with a cloud cap, saw us cross the Renjo La 5360m. Lens-shaped orographic wave clouds form as stable yet moist airstreams are forced upwards as they cross high mountains. A forerunner of the change to come?

Our circuituitous acclimatising trek in to Kyajo Ri Base Camp 4550m was a fabulous journey, blessed by stable weather, a progressive ascent profile, and higher ground conditions covered in snow, from the storm of early October. A deep depression, named BOB 07, had hit eastern Nepal, Tibet and the headlines, bringing severe flooding, and stranding Chinese tourists on the north side of Everest. The Montha from the deep Bay of Bengal was now lining up to dump an unseasonable quantity of snow on BOB’s fitted bedsheet. It was coming our way but we didn’t yet know it..."

You can download a PDF (with photos) of Jamie's full write up here.

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