Text: Eivind Eidslott
Photos: Frode Guldal, expedition members
Published: Nov 11, 2026
The story of Norwegian-Polish bonding and a very successful climbing expedition to the Indian Himalayas.
“CLIMBING IS A MAGICAL ACTIVITY”, says Frode Guldal (69).
The highly experienced physician, mountain climber and outdoorsman sits at home in his beloved hometown of Ålesund, on Norway’s weather-beaten west coast.
“Climbing knows no age limits. I have exactly the same joy in moving in steep terrain today as I did 40 years ago. If you are lucky enough to have climbing as a passion, then you have something to think about for your whole life.”
WE REWIND to the beginning of the 1980s. Frode is studying medicine in the Arctic city of Tromsø and is one of the most enthusiastic in the small but ambitious climbing community in North Norway. Frode climbed in the mighty Lyngen Alps, took part in the first ascent of the "Atlantis" route on the north face of Blåmannen (Blue Man) mountain on Kvaløya, tried his hand at the infamous Eiger-Nordwand face in Switzerland, went on long ski trips on Svalbard and climbed Lenin Peak (7,194 m) in Kyrgyzstan.
In 1983, the idea of climbing the mountain Thalay Sagar (6,904 m) in the Indian Himalayas suddenly cropped up.
“We wanted to try our hand at the Northeast Pillar, on a new route that four British climbing expeditions had already turned back on”, Frode recalls.
“Our group was experienced. My good friend Håvard Nesheim and I were very familiar with climbing on snow and ice. Håvard had gotten to know some Polish climbers on a previous expedition to Lhotse (8,516 m). Andrzei Czok had been on three 8,000-meter climbs - he had, among other things, climbed a new route on Everest. Januz Skorek also had extensive experience from the Himalayas, with ascents of two 8,000-meter peaks. In addition, Hans Christian Doseth was there and he was probably the leading climber in Norway at the time. Hans Christian had amazing courage. He was simply without limits.”
Frode says that the Thalay Sagar expedition came together because the Poles could provide provisions for the trip, some equipment and rich experience in navigating the Indian bureaucracy. The Norwegians, for their part, offered hard currency.
“Ragnhild Amundsen was also on the trip to India and she almost climbed to the top of the neighboring mountain Brigupanth (6,772 m) together with two Polish climbers”, says Frode. “It is important to mention this because it was also a great achievement.”
THE JOURNEY TO THALAY SAGAR was an adventure in itself: A bus ride from the lush Indian plains took them 3,000 meters straight into the air on narrow, spectacular dirt roads. The bus driver often had to put the outer wheels well out on the muddy edge to pass oncoming vehicles, leaving the Norwegian and Polish climbers staring straight down into the frothing river several hundred vertical meters below. At one point, the bus' radiator exploded, spraying boiling water on several passengers.
“After we established ourselves at the foot of the mountain, we understood why the British climbers had turned back”, says Frode.
“After a long ice chute, the Northeast Pillar rose to a height of 1,000 meters with long, steep ice fields interrupted by vertical cliffs. And at the top: A black pyramid that culminated in a long and steep snow slope. It looked very difficult.”
NEVERTHELESS, THE NORWEGIAN-POLISH EXPEDITION set off in good spirits - and Hans Christian Doseth and Frode won the lottery to climb the first lengths of rope on the Northeast Pillar. Although Januz Skorek suffered a fall injury along the way – due to climbing icy ropes with a rope clamp – everyone made it to the top after 10 days of ground-breaking climbing.
The expedition established three camps along the way on the Northeast pillar - and two of them had to be carved out with ice axes.
“I had the honor of climbing the very last stage to the top”, says Frode.
“I remember that very well because I led up a snow slope that was around 50 degrees steep. I probably climbed around 100 meters without any kind of belaying, but managed to set up protection at the top and secured the others on their way up. We then spent two days abseiling back down to the safety of base camp.”
IN AN INTERVIEW with the local newspaper Sunnmørsposten after returning home (10 September 1983), humble Frode Guldal said he “did not want his climbing in the Himalayas to be overly dramatized.”
“My point is that you get far with the right training, the right experience and the right equipment”, he says now.
“I look back on the Thalay Sagar expedition as one of the finest trips I have been on.”
He says that he is planning a visit to the local climbing hall that evening.
“I try to climb there as much as possible. And I look forward to it just as much every time.”