“Less is More” is a New Climb up a Himalayan Face
The big alpine route was established by Matteo De Zaiacomo, Chiara Gusmeroli, and Davide Nesa in the summer
In August, Italian alpinists Matteo De Zaiacomo, Chiara Gusmeroli, and Davide Nesa established a new 500-metre line, Less is More, on the previously unclimbed northwest face of Shawa Kangri (5,728 m) in the remote Rangtik Valley, Zanskar region of India. The ascent marked the highlight of a month-long expedition that combined exploration, adversity, and the trio’s shared commitment to traditional, minimalist climbing. For Nesa, it also represented a powerful comeback, just months earlier he had fractured two cervical vertebrae in an ice climbing accident and faced a long, uncertain recovery.
Nesa described the route on Planet Mountain as, “a logical and elegant line up the face,” climbed entirely with traditional protection and free climbing, with difficulties up to grade VIII on excellent granite. Before opening Less is More, he and Gusmeroli had repeated the existing route Rolling Stones, which served as a warm-up and morale boost after their rapid approach from Italy. “Six days after leaving home, we were already on a summit in India,” Nesa recalled. “Everything felt possible.” When bad weather later pinned the team in base camp for ten days, they found humor and inspiration in their isolation, building snowmen, playing cards, and ultimately finding the name for their route in a line from Eddie Vedder’s Society: ‘Less is More.’
That philosophy, Nesa said, captured both the spirit of the climb and the ethics guiding the expedition. “It really takes very little to have beautiful adventures, friends, a few cams and nuts, and respect for the rock,” he reflected. “We wanted to leave no trace, to keep these wild places intact, far from the consumerist, drill-happy approach that sometimes dominates modern mountaineering.” The team went on to make additional attempts in the valley, including on Fanny Tower’s Lam Thuck Khamzang, where they turned back 100 metres from the summit due to worsening weather, and a smaller route humorously named Cuochi in Fuga (“Cooks on the Run”) after their camp cooks fled during a snowstorm.
In the final days of the trip, the trio made one last push for Remalaye (6,278 m), attempting an unclimbed pillar on its east face before deep snow and unstable rock forced a retreat at 6,123 m. “We didn’t reach the top, but we came home full,” Nesa said. “This expedition taught us patience and respect, the mountains decide the rules. For me, after such a difficult start to the year, it was the adventure of a lifetime.” As for what comes next, he added with a smile: “I’ll think about the future tomorrow. For now, living at 100 per cent was enough.”
