Tim Miller (Class of 2014) and climbing partner Paul Ramsden have completed the first known ascent of an unnamed peak, North-East of Kathmandu, Nepal. Mapped at 6563m, the pair have named the peak ‘Jugal Spire,’ and their 1200m granite north-face route ‘The Phantom Line ED+.’
Tim the founder of Miller Mountain Guides first made headlines back in 2020 when he saved himself and a friend from an avalanche in Pakistan. For that remarkable feat Tim was awarded the Scottish Youth Award For Excellence In Mountain Culture. Although a traumatic event not without loss, the experience would not deter Tim from tackling his next great challenge.
Writing on his blog, Tim explains: “what’s interesting about the peak we were hoping to climb is that it had never seen a previous attempt or any interest at all despite being a 6hr drive (and 4 day walk) from Kathmandu and it might even be the closest 6000m peak to the city. However, its secrecy may lie in the fact that its face is very hidden and the peak sits in front of the bigger peak Dorje Lakpa, so it doesn’t stand out on the skyline.”
He continues: “there were two essential ingredients that allowed this trip to be a success: the first, discovering such an amazing and improbable route on an immaculate, unclimbed face that leads to an unclimbed summit is extremely rare and very special. Finding these gems takes a lot of cunning and know how. The second ingredient is understanding the tactics to allow such big routes to be climbed safely and successfully – where to stop, how to bivi, how much food & kit, when to pitch etc. Both these ingredients are Paul’s forte and it is due to his experience in these areas that we were able to succeed. I can’t thank him enough for inviting me along on another of his brilliant adventures.”
From all at The Glasgow Academy, our congratulations go to both Tim and Paul for this remarkable achievement. To Tim especially, we thank you for being such a continued source of inspiration to both current and former pupils of The Academy.
You can read the full story of Tim and Paul’s adventures in Nepal, here.