A Spanish trio has pulled off the first ascent of Jugal II, a 6,518m peak on the Nepal-Tibet border northeast of Kathmandu, climbing a demanding 2,000m route up the east-southeast face in alpine style. Mikel Zabalza, Ruben Perez and Mikel Saez de Urabain reached the summit at 4pm on October 29 in clear but brutally cold conditions.
The mountain only opened to climbing teams in 2023, making it one of the newer objectives in the region. The Spaniards spent months studying the route before travelling, which paid off where it counted: above their upper bivouac the face turns into steep mixed terrain with poor-quality rock, sustained at grade M5 with harder sections up to 6,450m. The final stretch to the top is a snow slope of 55 to 60 degrees. They made three precarious bivouacs in total — two on the way up, one on descent — and credited a tarp with making those exposed ledges survivable on a face where you cannot cut a platform.
The backstory adds a warm human note. Legendary Italian couple Nives Meroi and Romano Benet had planned to climb Tilicho Peak in the Annapurna region, but flooding destroyed access, so they pivoted to Jugal II with no route information and no prior sight of the mountain. Their Slovenian teammate Tine Cuder also had to leave the expedition for health reasons. Rather than race the Spanish team, the two parties joined forces for the summit push, with the Spaniards' route knowledge proving decisive on steep ramps covered in unstable snow.
The Italians turned back before the top, deciding against risking a third bivouac without the gear to build one safely. No grudge though — Benet described the Spaniards as three new fantastic friends, and both teams hope to climb together again. Everyone is now back in Kathmandu.
For adventure travellers, the story signals something real: the Jugal Himal, a quieter range east of Langtang, is opening up. Jugal II's availability since 2023 means experienced alpinists looking beyond the crowded 8,000m circuit have a legitimate new objective there, while trekkers heading to the Langtang or Panch Pokari areas pass within sight of these peaks. You don't need to swing ice tools to care — the area remains one of the less trodden corners of Himalayan Nepal, and stories like this are how new destinations enter the map. The bigger takeaway from the climb itself: preparation beats improvisation on unclimbed faces, even for two of the greatest alpinists of their generation.
