The story began when Anja Petek and Patricija Verdev climbed a winter route in Slovenia and decided to organize an expedition somewhere in the Himalayas. As a long time had passed since the last all-female Slovenian expedition, this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Urša Kešar and Ana Baumgartner soon joined them in the adventure.

Late in the summer of 2024, the four alpinists set off for the remote Lalung Valley in the Zanskar region, India. Along with 18 porters, they established a Base Camp at 4100 meters – a place that quickly became the hub of their climbs, but also the scene of dramatic encounters with bears, which attacked their tents almost every night.

Despite the storm and unpredictable conditions, the team succeeded in climbing four new routes:

• Connection (VI-/V, 1400m) on the 5332-meter granite wall (Petek and Verdev);

• BC (Bear Camp) (V-/IV, 800m) and Calm Before the Storm? (V+/IV, 670m) on the same peak (Baumgartner and Kešar);

• and the pinnacle of the expedition – the first ascent of Lalung 1 (6243m) via the East Ridge.

Over five intense days, Petek and Verdev climbed the 2000-meter line Here Comes the Sun (ED, M6+, AI5+), in pure alpine style. They endured a snowstorm that forced them to bivouac on the ridge, lost their tent poles due to strong winds, and climbed through difficult mixed terrain of ice and rock. On September 14, tired and in thick fog, they stood on the summit of Lalung 1 – the first known ascent of the mountain.

With four new routes in one of the least explored parts of the Himalayas, the "Women's Expedition to Lalung" became not only an alpine achievement but also a testament to courage, perseverance, and the inspiring power of women in the mountains.

In 2025, this expedition receives the "Special Award" at the Piolet d'Or event – a recognition granted with the goal of promoting women's alpinism. The explanation for this year's jury decision is as follows: "...An exploratory first ascent of a 6000-meter peak in a rarely visited region, a complete crossing of the mountain, climbing in pure alpine style over technically difficult terrain, and a high level of commitment, especially during the summit push in bad weather. All these characteristics perfectly fit the values of the Piolet d'Or, and the ascent of Lalung 1 will hopefully be a wonderful inspiration for future female alpinists."

Anja Petek, Patricija Verdev, and Urša Kešar will be our guests in Skopje on October 24:

Anja Petek grew up on a large farm, where she gained her fitness and endurance as a girl, increasing her strength through work in the agricultural fields. As a child, she loved climbing trees and gave her caregivers quite a headache, as they had trouble keeping her grounded. Before university, she was not involved in sports, but in 2015, she discovered alpinism – and immediately fell in love. Her first expedition soon followed – to Peak Lenin in Kyrgyzstan. After that initial success, it was difficult for her to ignore her inner strength and desire despite the environment she grew up in not being overly supportive. She is very satisfied with her climbing career and proud to have realized several big dreams – such as the winter repetition of the Heckmair route on the North Face of the Eiger, the first women's winter repetition of the Čop Pillar on the North Face of Triglav, and the first winter repetition of the Skalaški trilogy on Špik, Škrlatica, and Triglav – in a single push. She also remembers her two expeditions to Peru with special fondness, where she climbed the new route Fango Fiesta on the East Face of Huallcana (6165m). Of course, the last women's expedition to the Himalayas, when she and her partner Patricija Verdev climbed the virgin peak Lalung 1 (6243m) – still strongly resonates within her. Today, she professionally practices psychotherapy, through which she explores other aspects of life. Although her passion for alpinism has currently calmed down, she says she remains a persistent explorer – perhaps just in a different form.

Patricija Verdev is an alpinist inspired by high mountains and the long ridge world. It all started with a dream of white peaks, which led her to enroll in the Alpinist School of PD Celje Matica in 2017. Today, she works as a freelancer and skillfully avoids office life.

Urša Kešar is a member of the Kranj Alpine Club and comes from the mountainous region of Slovenia. She joined the club intending to start enjoying ski touring, but soon became attracted to climbing. Her climbing journey began 7 years ago, without any prior climbing experience. Before the expedition to the Himalayas last year, she successfully completed her doctoral studies in biomedicine at the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana and now works as a researcher at the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana.