Mountain guides Alan Rousseau and Tino Villanueva climbed a new route on a 20,000-foot peak in Nepal and made a solid attempt on a higher peak. The two Americans were climbing in the Rolwaling Himal, an area they first visited in 2012, west of the popular Khumbu region.

After a seven-day trek and some reconnaissance while acclimatizing, the two made the likely first ascent of the west face of Pachermo (6,275m/20,587') on Halloween. The 4,000-foot route “began with firm névé, water-ice runnels, and solid granite,” Rousseau said in an email. “However, as often is the case in the Greater Ranges, the real difficulties began high on the route where, at times, neck-deep trail-breaking through deeply faceted snow was occurring on 60° terrain.”