tain group across the Mimoling Plain to the southwest

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tain group across the Mimoling Plain to the southwest; the highest peak in the group is 21,000 feet. We could not determine what the group is called; possibly they are the Zhey, the Lalung or the Mimoling group. We set up Base Camp at 16,700 feet at the headwaters of the Mimoling Chu and climbed nearly all the surrounding mountains. Edith and Gerhard Benker, Walter Lang, Max Flossmann, Bernhard Flemisch, Helmut Schaller and I ascended P 5640 ( 18,504 feet), P 5780 (18,964 feet), P 5860 (19,226 feet), P 6080 (19,948 feet), P 5840 (19,160 feet), P 6120 (20,079 feet), P 6040 ( 19,817 feet), and P 5940 ( 19,488 feet). We determined altitudes by aneroid barometer. On some of the peaks, which somewhat resembled the Western Alps, there were cairns. HERBERT KARASEK,Deutscher Alpenverein Pakistan Broad Peak, Alpine Style. After two weeks of completing formalities in Rawalpindi, on May 15 Georges Bettembourg and I, accompanied by Gilles Sourice, movie photographer, and Dr. Jean Fauchard, left Skardu. It took us twelve days to reach Base Camp on the Godwin Austen Glacier below Broad Peak. We had 40 porters who carried 1000 pounds of gear, about half of it food. We acclimatized on the approach by climbing high during the day and returning at night to camp. Immediately after our arrival at Base Camp at 15,750 feet, on May 29 we climbed to 20,000 feet and bivouacked, but the weather turned bad and snow drove us back to Base. Equipped with bivouac gear, food, one 35 meter rope and a few ice pitons, on June 2 we started our second try, going back up to bivouac at 20,000 feet. We climbed the 4250 feet of mixed terrain which averaged 4.5’, in eleven hours. Sourice was with us and we all went the next day to 24,600 feet in ten hours. Bettembourg and I went on from there, finding the third day the most difficult, but we got to the summit and back to the bivouac despite the cold. We had to concentrate particularly during the descent because of fatigue. After this third bivouac we descended to Base Camp. The return march was rapid, but fatigue and frost-bitten feet made things difficult.

YANNICK SEIGNEUR,Club Alpin Francais Gasherbrum ZZ. On July 26 we reached Base Camp on the Abruzzi Glacier at 16,700 feet. It took us until August 1 to set up camp on the plateau of the Gasherbrum Glacier at 20,000 feet. There our two Austrians, Otto Ziittl and Albert Hosp, had to give up and descend to Base Camp. Adi Fischer and I, Germans, went on alpine-style and bivouacked on August 7, at 21,325 feet. Conditions were very bad on the lower part with 60° bare ice. We bivouacked on the 8th at 24,000

K*

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-4

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feet. Fischer had stomach cramps and had to stop at 24,300 feet. I continued on alone but went over to the easier first-ascent route of Fritz Moravec. It took strength and time to traverse below the summit cone of Gasherbrum II since the snow was deep. At seven P.M. I reached Gasherbrum II’s summit (26,360 feet). My ascent was observed by telescope from the Japanese Gasherbrum V Base Camp. I suffered frostbite. No supplementary oxygen was used. We had followed the Polish route in the bottom part and found some of their snow pickets in the middle of the face. We also found the remains of two Polish tents at the foot of the summit ridge at 25,000 feet. From there I went over to the Moravec route to the right under the summit cone and then left up a ridge to the summit. GEORGBROSIG,Deutscher Alpenverein Gasherbrum IV, West Face Attempt. The idea of attempting the unclimbed west face of Gasherbrum IV was formed in 1976 by Martin Boysen and me from the summit of Trango Tower. Even from a distance of 30 miles, the face was impressive; from its base it rose in a single sweep of nearly 10,000 feet to its 26,000-foot summit. The mountain was first climbed via the southeast ridge by Italians in 1958. The first ascent proved extremely difficult even by this route, comparatively easy compared to ours. Our team finally comprised Bill Barker, Boysen, Pete Minks and me. We flew with a ton of equipment to Skardu on May 21. We selected 38 porters and a 14-day walk-in followed. Base Camp was placed at Concordia on the Baltoro Glacier on June 4. While Minks and I, with the help of two porters, erected a stone and tarpaulin shelter, Barker and Boysen climbed the West Gasherbrum Glacier to the foot of the face. They returned with the news that the central couloir was extremely prone to avalanche and rockfall and that the central rib would have to be followed. A convenient ramp led onto the rib and the next day the same pair reached the rib and secured 800 feet of fixed rope. On June 7 Minks and I climbed to the previous high point and fixed another 500 feet up to a glacier basin near the proposed site of Camp I. On our return to Base Camp, I remarked that the fixed pegs were not very good except for one I had placed, The next day, while the other three were climbing the ropes, the “excellent” peg pulled out and Minks fell 30 feet, breaking his left ankle. He hopped, crawled and was helped to Base Camp. We were confined there for 48 hours of continual snowfall and on June 12 the three fit members and two porters ploughed an exhausting track back up to the site for Camp I. We established the camp the next day at nearly 20,000 feet. The following morning we started climbing the steep snow-and-ice face that led to a small exposed co1 on the ridge, a possible site for Camp II. We gained 800 feet on each of the next two days. On June 17 we resumed our attempt on the ice slope.

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The weather was perfect-too perfect! The high temperature caused a rapid snow melt, which released fusillades of rocks from the vertical walls above. After only three more rope-lengths above our previous high point, we retreated to Camp I. On June 18, after a very early start to avoid rockfall, we reached the site for Camp II at 22,000 feet, a minute perch on an icy col, before returning to Base Camp for a rest. On June 21 we did a heavy carry to Camp I and next day Barker and Boysen took up residence in Camp II while I ferried loads-or attempted to. A falling rock had severed a fixed rope and I unwittingly pulled up on it and fell 40 feet. I returned shaken to Camp I. Meanwhile Barker and Boysen had fixed a few hundred feet of rope up steep, loose rock above Camp II but had to return to Camp I for supplies. Barker and I returned to Camp II and on June 26 climbed a few hundred feet above the previous high point on appallingly loose rock. The temperature was so high that rocks continued to fall throughout the night. The next day was crucial-if the standard of difficulty remained the same, we had an outside chance of success but if it increased, then the expedition was over. At midday on the 27th I breasted a subsidiary ridge at 23,000 feet and immediately knew that retreat was the only answer. The next section was definitely very hard and the summit still 3000 feet away. The mountain was falling to pieces due to abnormal temperatures. Barker confirmed my opinion. The descent turned into a minor epic with constant stonefall. Though the fixed ropes were cut through in many places, eventually we reached Base Camp unscathed. J.V. (MO) ANTHOINE, AIpine Climbing

Group

Gasherbrum V. A 12-man Japanese expedition, led by Ryuichi Babaguchi, made the first ascent of Gasherbrum V (24,020 feet), but also met with tragedy. Three members of the party reached the summit on August 1. The next day Babaguchi set out alone ahead of another pair. After they had also got to the top and not found him, they searched the region around the top and found that he had fallen to his death in a crevasse. Further details are not available to us. Trinity Peak, Southwest Peak. Our expedition was composed of Yoichi Kawasaki, Chiyoki Onodera, Yasuo Nikai, Osamu Nishihira, Dr. Akihiro Matsushita and me as leader. The name of Trinity Peak was given by an English expedition when they got a distant view of its three summits, but locally it is called Tasa Peak. It lies between the head of the Chogolinsa and the Ghandogoro glaciers. We hoped to climb it from the northwest from the Ghandogoro. After 16 days of waiting for a flight in Islamabad, we were landed in Skardu on June 16. We continued by Jeep. After seven days with 46 porters we placed Base Camp on the moraine of the Ghandogoro Glacier at 15,100 feet at the foot

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of Trinity Peak. After four days of reconnaissance we decided on the ridge which led directly to the southwest summit, which would be difficult but free from avalanches. We refixed rope up the ridge like a measuring worm. The weather was bad on nine of the 25 days we climbed from June 29 to July 23, but this helped us to acclimatize by not going too fast. On July 9 Kawasaki, Onodera, Nikai and Nishahira, the attack team, set up Camp I at 17,100 feet. By July 20 Camp III had been established at 20,675 feet. On July 21 despite heavy snowfall, they set off to climb the remaining 1000 feet. They placed snow pickets every 200 feet to secure the descent and so took longer than they expected. They then climbed six pitches on rock and another of snow to the top. They were very surprised to see a higher summit to the northeast, thinking they had been on the main peak (21,982 feet). Actually they had climbed the southwest peak (21,707 feet), but did not have strength or time to go on. SADAMASATAKAHASHI,Mountain Pilgrim Club, Japan P 6447, Near K6. The first ascent of P 6447 (21,152 feet) was made by six members of an eight-man Japanese party led by Akiya Ishimura on August 17. They climbed the north ridge with camps at 15,750, 17,000 and 19,000 feet. The peak is five miles west-northwest of K6. (Information from Zwa To Yuki of December, 1978.) Ghent II, Second Ascent. A lo-man Japanese expedition led by Harutoshi Kobayashi made the second ascent of Ghent II (24,092 feet), which had been climbed first by Austrians in 1977. Base Camp was established on the Kondus Glacier at 13,450 feet. The party climbed the northeast ridge. Camps were established at 14,100, 15,750, 18,700, 20,000 and 21,650 feet on May 27, 31, June 7, 22 and 26 respectively. Camp VI was placed at 23,000 feet near the top of Mount Depak on June 27. On July 15 Joshi Wada, Nobuaki Ogawa and Kenji Itakura climbed to the summit. On the 16th Tokio Tekenaka, Masato Okamoto and Yoshinori Ikeda and on the 17th Kobayashi and Hiroshi Yamamoto also reached the top. Choktoi I Attempt. Malcolm Howells, Barry Whybrow, Jim Curran and I attempted Choktoi I (20,229 feet) in July. This small, attractive granite peak lies between the Choktoi and Nobande Sobande glaciers. We made reasonable progress until a nine-day storm left the steep mixed face covered with fresh snow when we had only three days left to make the summit. DAVID POTTS,Alpine Climbing Group Baintha B&k or The Ogre. Our expedition was made up of Kimio Itokawa, Shiro Aoki, Tetsuji Furuta, Toshiro Kitamura, Shosaku Kato,

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Masanobu Yonezawa and me as leader. We left Skardu on June 2 and traveled past Askole to Base Camp, which was established on June 15. We were anxious to complete the route started by us in 1974 up the ice corridor between Baintha Brakk and P 6990. Our route went up the south face. We established the following camps: I at 15,900 feet on June 24; II at 18,550 feet on July 5 and III at 20,175 feet on July 17. Climbers bivouacked at 23,000 feet on July 20 but were forced back the next day by bad weather. All were back in Base Camp on July 23. On July 27, 28 and 29 Camps I, II and III were reached respectively. Itokawa, Kitamura and I set out on July 30 and bivouacked at 21,000 feet in a snow cave. We climbed nearly to the foot of the summit rocks on July 31 and bivouacked at 22,950 feet and on August 1 at 23,300 feet. The direct route on the south face seemed impossible to scale and so we headed upward to the left to reach the summit ridge, where we bivouacked on August 2 and 3 at 23,550 feet. On August 4 we bivouacked at 23,700 feet. On August 5 we climbed a lO-foot overhang just below the summit and got to a point 23,870 feet high. We could have stood on the very summit (23,900 feet) only by climbing a 30-foot pinnacle but hard snow and wind would not allow that. We carried no sleeping bags above Camp III to save weight. We found close to the summit the two packs belonging to Bonington and Scott. Yu~ro KATSUMI, Shizuoki Tohan Club, Japan Latok II Attempt. Our return to attempt the west ridge of Latok II was unfortunate. Pat Fearneough was killed by rockfall in the Braldu valley. Our party had to be split to deal with this tragedy. David Wilkinson, Dr. Peter Thexton and I had to retreat from 22,000 feet above Camp IV on September 1 after a few stormy days, primarily because with small numbers our upward movement had been delayed for most of the time since August 18; technical difficulties could not be overcome in such weather. Our time ran out just as the weather improved. It is very sad that two of the most prominent Sheffield climbers (Don Morrison last year and Pat Fearneough this) have died in the attempts on this mountain. PAUL NUNN, Alpine Club Latok III Attempt. Our baggage arrived 65 days late because of engine trouble of our freighter and we were 35 days late in establishing Base Camp on August 1 at 14,100 feet on the east bank of the Baintha Lukpar Glacier. We therefore missed the good weather of July and were forced to climb under severe conditions. And, when our visas finally expired, we had to give up the ascent still some 1500 feet below the summit. We were Satoshi Ikenuma, Shigeru Ogawa, Yukito Ito, Hironu-

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bu Kamuro, Shiro .Ishiyama and I as leader. It was eight miles from Base Camp to the base of Latok III and on this section we placed 3500 feet of fixed rope along a knife-edge. Camp III (Advanced Base) was set up on a snowcap at 18,375 feet. Two weeks of struggle up rock (up to F9) and ice walls got us to 20,000 feet. We placed Camp IV on a terrace there on September 8. Above, we climbed up the left side of the southeast face but were driven back by storms. On September 14 we got to 21,325 feet but were again driven back by a blizzard. On September 19 a police officer arrived to tell us to pack up, as our visas were expiring. MAKOTO HARA, Japanese Alpine Club Bakhor Das Attempt. After the usual problems and waiting, the British Women’s Karakoram Expedition at last got to the roadhead on the Braldu River and in three and a half days was at Askole. We were Brede Arkless, Ann Reman, Marion Winteringham and I. From Askole we had a clear view of Bakhor Das. It was disappointingly free of snow and its rock did not appear very solid. Reports of the inaccessibility of the northwest ridge were confirmed and we settled on an approach to the easier angled, but less interesting south ridge. Below Askole we crossed the Braldu on an intimidating bridge made of twigs twisted together. Two more days of walking brought us to the foot of Bakhor Das. After crossing the final nulla (valley) tyrolean, we found a Base Camp site and paid off the porters. Base Camp, reached on July 19, was at 11,000 feet above a large nalla that descends from a glacier on the west side of Mango Gusor and runs into the Braldu almost opposite the Biafo Glacier. The next day a suitable site for Camp I was found after 2000 feet of easy, but potentially dangerous climbing on loose, friable rock. Four days of bad weather hampered progress. With no freezing and such unstable rock, the climbing was going to be dangerous. Brede was anxious to continue our original route and went back to Camp I, intending to follow the upper gully to the ridge we had seen. The rest of us set off early to investigate the other possible gully. We found a probable approach and route to the summit of Mango Gusor but nothing but steep, loose walls to the south of Bakhor Das. After an extremely arduous 2500 feet from Camp I, Brede had reached a co1 from where she could see a way up to the summit ridge. We met her at Camp I the next day and from there took supplies and water to the site she had reconnoitred for Camp II at 16,000 feet. The following morning Brede, Ann and I set off, trying to convince ourselves that the rock would improve. We reached 17,500 feet but the last 1500 feet of the ridge would have been treacherously loose and we went down. JACKY ANTHOINE, Snowdonia, North Wales

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Gangchen. An eight-man Japanese expedition led by Tohru Shibazaki made the first ascent of Gangchen (21,200 feet). Base Camp was set up on June 24 at 14,375 feet on the Hoh-Lungma Glacier, west of the peak. Camp I at 15,900 feet was placed on June 29 higher on the glacier. The original plan had been to climb the ice slopes to the Gangchen-Hikmul col, but that was threatened by avalanches. They climbed instead the rock spur north of the ice slopes to the col. The rock was very difficult and it took three weeks to prepare and fix the 3000 feet. Camp III was placed on the co1 at 19,450 feet on July 29. On July 30 Koji Sasaki, Yasutaka Kanamori and Ryoichi Shikama climbed past four false tops along the north snow ridge to the summit at the southern end. The next day they were followed by Ka. Sasaki, S. Takahashi and K. Mizaki. The expedition also reconnoitered Susbun Brakk. (Information from Iwa To Yuki of February, 1979.) Spantik, Southeast Ridge. Our expedition, consisting of Yoshiharu Murata, leader, M. Kamei, H. Shibata, Y. Shiro, M. Sakai and me, established Base Camp at the junction (14,350 feet) of the Chogolungma Glacier and its Basin Glacier on July 11. We used the Basin Glacier with its few crevassesas a route to the southeast ridge. The weather alternated from fine one week to rainy the next. We established Camp I on the glacier at 15,550 feet, Camp II at P 5670 (18,603 feet) on the southeast ridge and Camp III beyond prominent snow P 6340 (20,801 feet) on July 17, 29 and August 5 respectively. Kamei and Sakai set out on August 6 to establish Camp IV but the crusted snow on the plateau helped them so much that they went on to the summit (23,055 feet). They returned again to the top on the 7th and were followed on August 8 by Shibata and Shiro and on the 9th by Murata and me. Our route was safe except for a small icefall at the entrance of the Basin Glacier and some avalanche threats on the way to Camp III.

TAKAO KONDO, Reiho Alpine Club, Japan Spantik, South Ridge. The members of our party were Shigeru Nakamura, climbing leader, Dr. Takeshi Nonaka, Dr. Isao Satou, Masaharu Mikami, Shuetsu Yamamoto, Yoshiyuki Takenami and I as leader. We established the following camps on the unclimbed south ridge: Base Camp at 13,775 feet on June 27, Camp I at 15,200 feet on July 12, Temporary Camp II at 17,625 feet on July 19, Camp II at 18,850 feet on July 29 and Camp III at 19,825 feet on August 7. On August 8 Shigeru Nakamura and Shuetsu Yamamoto climbed to the summit (23,055 feet), crossing near the top to the southeast ridge. The other Japanese party which climbed Spantik this year took the whole southeast ridge. Our route had much avalanche danger.

KOUMEI NAKAMIJRA,Club of Star and Storm, Japan

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Haramsh, West Ridge. It is reported in Iwa To Yuki of October, 1978 that a five-man Japanese expedition led by Kenji Shimakata successfully climbed this new route on Haramosh (24,309 feet). Sumiya Isono, Ryo Nishikori and the leader Shimakata got to the summit on July 22. Chumik Attempt. A Japanese expedition led by Atsuo Tokushima attempted Chumik (22,160 feet) from the Chumik Glacier, hoping to reach a co1 on the northeast ridge. After establishing Camp II at 18,375 feet, they abandoned the attempt on July 28 because of excessive rockfall danger. Two members were injured by falling rock. Hachindar Chhish Attempt. A Japanese expedition of seven, led by Hiroshi Midorokawa, failed to climb Hachindar Chhish (23,500 feet) and gave up after reaching a high point of 21,650 feet on May 19. Base Camp was placed west of the mountain on the Bartar Glacier at 12,000 feet on April 27. Since a big couloir looked dangerous, they climbed the neighboring western rock buttress. Camps I, II, III, IV, V and VI were established at 13,950, 15,000, 16,500, 18,800, 20,500 and 21,325 feet on May 14, 18, 28, June 7, 13 and 18 respectively. The attempt for the summit was made by T. Kamei and Midorokawa on June 19 along the south ridge, but they soon were halted for lack of rope and because they were running low on food. During the descent the next day, Kamei fell to his death above Camp III when he was descending a fixed rope which had been cut by rockfall. A photo of the route is shown in Iwa To Yuki, No 63, October 1978. Batura ZZ. An expedition of the Himalayan Association of Japan was composed of ten members and was led by Mitsuaki Nishigori. Base Camp was set up on the Baltar Glacier at 13,800 feet on May 9, south of the peak. They first attempted the south spur but found the route too long and gave up at 20,500 feet. They then turned to the southwest face on which they made four camps. The first ascent of the mountain was made on July 6 by Yuji Ishikawa, Mitsuru Ito and Makoto Okubo. (Information from Zwa To Yuki, October, 1979.) Passu Peak. A Japanese-Pakistani Armed Forces expedition made the first ascent of Passu Peak (23,810. feet) on July 3. The Pakistani leader was Major Manzoor Hussein and the Japanese leader was Lieutenant Isao Fukura. The promised report has not yet arrived and will have to be published in A.A.J., 1980. Nanga Parbat North, Diamir Face. Our expedition was organized by the Section for High-mountain Research of the Slovak Geographical Society and the Sports Club Iames in Bratislava. The scientific research team studied the adaptation to high altitudes and the occurrence and

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prevention of high-altitude illness as well as collecting botanical, entomological and geological specimens. We left Islamabad on May 25 and after eleven days established Base Camp in the Diamir Valley at 13,125 feet. After reconnaissance, Camp I was placed at 15,900 feet on June 7 at the site used by Germans in 1961 and 1962, Japanese in 1976 and Americans in 1977. From there our routes differed. We traversed to the foot of the west face which rises from the Diamir Glacier directly up to the northern summit of Nanga Parbat. Our expedition put Camp II on the face at 16,900 feet on June 9. While this camp was being supplied, the route was being prepared further. On June 18 Camp III was established at 18,875 feet. We reached 19,350 feet on June 18, 20,000 feet on June 19 and 20,850 feet on June 21. Camp IV was pitched on June 23 at 21,150 feet above the most complicated part of the route technically. In this section, some 4750 vertical feet, we fixed 6500 feet of rope in mixed ice and rock. The wall reached a maximum of 60’ between 20,350 and 20,675 feet. This was the key section to the whole ascent. Gradually the face became prevailingly water-ice and heat-loosened stones which made the ascent dangerous. Rockfall directly threatened Camps II and III and both were hit. At last Camp III was almost wiped out by rockfall on June 26. Unfortunately Camp III was pitched in the only possible site. Rockfall threatened the whole ascent. Ropes were destroyed several times and they had to be constantly repaired or replaced. On June 24 the first summit attempt was made by Andrej Belica, Gejza Haak, Joseph Just and Marign Zatko, but they retreated from 23,625 feet because of the insufficient acclimatization and illness of one member. Everyone had to descend to Base Camp because of bad weather from June 27 to 30. On June 30, Belica, Just and the brothers Dr. Juraj and Mariin Zatko left Base Camp and reached Camp II. On July they climbed the face to Camp III, where a tent had been destroyed and two had to bivouac. On July 2 they surmounted the wall to Camp IV. Starting at two A.M. on the 3rd the team climbed a vertical altitude of 3300 feet in one day and established Camp V, where one member had again to bivouac. On July 4 the team set out at 1:30 up mixed terrain for the summit. At seven A.M. they reached the edge of the Silver Plateau and stood on the summit of Nanga Parbat’s north peak (25,644 feet) at eight A.M. The whole expedition left the mountain on July 5 and Base Camp on July 8. Other members of the expedition ‘were Dr. Milan &muni& Zolt&n Demjbn, Dr. Rudolf Mock, Stanislav Marton, Peter ValoviE and I as leader. MARION SAJNOHA,Telvjchovruf Jednota Iumes, Bratislava,

Czechoslovakia

Nanga Parbat Attempt. Our Expedition from Schwlbisch Gmi.ind was composed of Josef Funk, Karl Wamsler, Alfred Eggensperger, Hel-

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mut Riisch, Bernd Neubaur, Hans S&mid and me as leader. We attemped the southwest ridge (the Toni Kinshofer Route) and found the section from 16,400 to 19,700 feet dangerous because of rockfall. We only reached 22,300 feet, having run out of time because of delays caused by Pakistani authorities. ALBERT KRAUS, Deutscher Alpenverein Nanga Parbat, Diamir Face. Our expedition left Peshawar on July 7 but didn’t reach Base Camp until July 24. Destroyed bridges, porter strikes and terrible heat made the way difficult. On the Diamir Face we used the Liiw-Kinshofer-Manhart route of 1962 up to 23,625 feet. We had no high-altitude porters. Camp I was established on July 28 at 16,400 feet. It was easy to get up the Diamir Glacier to here; the icefall was relatively easy. The Low Ice Couloir on the other hand was extremely difficult with 65” ice. and vertical rock pitches. It is also objectively dangerous; Karl Pfeifer was seriously hurt on his left leg by rockfall on August 13 and could not continue to climb. Between Camps I and II we fixed 6500 feet of rope. On August 6 Camp II was placed on a projecting platform at 19,700 feet about 150 feet above the steep cliff. The route through the Kinshofer Icefield was not so steep, not over 50°. Objective dangers were less. We fixed 1300 feet of rope. Camp III was placed at 22,300 feet on August 11. Some sections were as much as 55’ and there was some avalanche danger. Deep powder snow made this hard work. The first summit attempt made by Alfred Imitzer and Alois Indrich took place on August 20 and failed at 26,250 feet in bad weather. On August 23 Wilhelm Bauer, Reinhard Streif and I left Camp IV at six A.M. In the bottom part we followed the tracks of the others up a very steep ice gully (50’). Streif got to the summit at 4:30 and Bauer and I at 5:30. We were back at Camp IV by nine P.M. On August 28 Imitzer and Indrich repeated the ascent. We evacuated Base Camp on September 2 and were in Rawalpindi on the 6th.

RUDOLF WURZER, Naturfreunde,

Linz,

Austria

Nanga Parbat, New Route, Solo. Only three months after his ascent of Mount Everest, Reinhold Messner stood on the top of his fifth 8000meter summit. This time he had made a new route on Nanga Parbat, solo from beginning to end. With a liaison officer and doctor and eight porters, he approached the mountain in ten days over the Babusar Pass. Base Camp was placed at 13,800 feet at the head of the Diamir valley on July 20. As acclimatization and reconnaissance he climbed 20,000foot Ganalo Peak. It appeared to him that the Mummery rib of the Diamir face was threatened by rockfall. He decided on a route further to the right toward Mazeno Pass. On August 6 he climbed with a

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30-pound pack to bivouac at the foot of the wall at 15,750 feet. The next day he climbed to 21,000 feet over terrain much of which was difficult. An earthquake in the night shook off enormous avalanches and persuaded him not to descend the ascent route. On the 8th he climbed to bivouac at 24,275 feet, To that point the difficulties had been principally on ice. On August 9, after deep powder, he had to cope with difficult rock. He got to the summit (26,660 feet) at four P.M. and spent an hour photographing before descending to the height of the previous bivouac. Storm prevented movement on the 10th but on the 11th he descended all the way to Base Camp. The first part of the descent route followed Hannes Schell’s route but then he continued straight down to the left of the Mummery rib. He attributed a frozen thumb to dehydration caused when he was short of fuel and could not melt enough water during the storm. Thui II, Hindu Raj. Our expedition was composed of Nick Tritton, leader, Chris Griffiths, Chris Lloyd, Captain Inam ul Haq, liaison officer, and me. After a two-week delay in Rawalpindi waiting for flying weather, we flew to Gilgit on July 13. On July 14 we drove 90 miles by jeep to Yasin, beyond which the road was washed out. It took from July 16 to 19 to get with porters to Base Camp at the junction of the Aghost Bar and Qalandar Gum Glaciers. Thui II (21,401 feet), the highest unclimbed peak in the Hindu Raj, had been attempted by three previous expeditions. Major obstacles were a series of icefalls in the Qalandar Gum Glacier, which had to be overcome before the peak came into view. Camp I was above the second icefall at 16,000 feet. Camp II was at 18,500 feet in an ice cave at the head of the glacier. We returned to Base Camp for a rest before Tritton, Griffiths and Lloyd made a single six-day push from Base Camp. After Camp II the route continued over a subsidiary 19,700-foot summit before descending to a small co1 at the foot of the southeast ridge of Thui II. This rock-and-ice ridge, which was climbed over two days, culminated in their arrival at the summit late on August 4. Valuable time was spent in visiting a second summit of apparently equal height. In deteriorating weather they bivouacked an hour below the summit without sleeping gear. They made the descent safely over the next three days. Problems lay in the remoteness of the peak from Base Camp. It had an overall TD alpine grade of difficulty, with UIAA III on rock and Scottish III on ice with the CNX a gully above “Donkey’s Ears,” the high point in 1969. Our Pakistani liaison officer was a great help both on and off the mountain.

DAVJDHILLEBRANDT, University

of London Mountaineering

Club

Zstor-o-Nal. Three members of a seven-member Japanese team led by Koichiro Nishi reached the summit of Istor-o-Nal (24,290 feet) on

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July 7. Others were prevented from doing so the following day by a snow storm. KAMAL K. GUHA, Himalayan Club Tirich Mir East, East Ridge. The Polish-Yugoslavian expedition to Tirich Mir East was organized by the Klub Wysokogorski in Katowice and the Planinsko Drugtvo in Domizale, Yugoslavia. The leader was Stanislaw Rudziiiski. Of the 60 volunteers, the following were chosen: Dr. Kododzziejczyk, B. Koisar, J. Kukuczka, J. Majchrowicz, J. Oiog, P. Pallus, Anna T. Pietraszek, T. Piotowski, W. Wroczyiiski, Poles; ” and V. Ben%, S. Sikonja, M. Stebe, J. SugterSiC1,and M. Velselko, Yugoslavs. We left Poland and went by train through Moscow to Termez on the Afghan frontier. We continued by truck to Peshawar in Pakistan and by smaller truck to Ziarat, where the loads had to be carried around a washed-out stretch of the road to Ashred. From there we drove to No1 by jeep. We continued on foot with 95 porters past BaNm village to Base Camp at 12,500 feet on the northern side of the North Barum Glacier. Base Camp was set up on July 17. Reconnaissance showed that the only practical route to bypass the lower icefall was on the south side of the glacier, though it was exposed to rockfall. Camp I was at 15,100 feet. We climbed the upper icefall, above which Camp II was established at 18,000 feet. The route from Camp I to II was hazardous because of rockfall, falling skracs and technical ice climbing. The route to the east co1 (19,500 feet) from Camp II was easy. Camp III was at 20,675 feet above rock of UIAA Grade V difficulty, where we 8xed ropes. The snow-and-ice ridge to Camp IV at 23,300 feet was not difficult with a maximum of 40”. From there Kukuczka, Wroczyiiski and Piotrowski set out on August 10 for the summit. The chief difficulties on the ridge were the strong wind and -20’ C temperatures. At two P.M. they reached the summit of Tirich Mir East (25,233 feet), completing this new route. On the descent from Camp III the next day Kukuczka and Piotrowski made the first ascent of Bindu Gul Zom (20,800 feet) from the east col. On August 11 the Yugoslavs Stebe and Veselko and on August 13 Yugoslavs Beri% and SuSter%.! along with the Pole Oi6g repeated the ascent. At the same time we two, Anna Pietraszek and Stanislaw Rudzifiski, started up the South BaNm Glacier to attempt the Norwegian first-ascent route, but avalanche danger and ice conditions were much worse than in 1975. We were not a strong enough party to complete this route and gave it up. On August 16 the whole team was back at Base Camp, where we dedicated a tablet attached to the largest rock which commemorated A. Jankowski, who had died near the top of Tirich Mir on the Norwegian route on August 20, 1975. STANISLAWRUDZI~SKI and ANNA T. PIETRASZEK,Klub Wysokogdrski, Katowice,

Poland

CLIMBS

AND

313

EXPEDITIONS

Tirich Mir, Southeast Ridge of East Peak Attempt. Our expedition was made up of Marian BaIa, Wiedaw Burzyiiski, Dr. Jerzy Friediger, Marek Kalmus, Jacek Poreba, Wiedaw Stefanski and me as leader. Our objective had been the Hispar Mustagh of the Karakoram, but after waiting a month in Islamabad, we were given permission by the Pakistani authorities only for Tirich Mir from the Barum Glacier. For that reason we established Base Camp only on October 1 at the junction of the North and South Barum Glaciers at 12,000 feet. Camp I was placed at 15,600 feet above the lower icefall on the South Barum Glacier on October 3 below the first “Troll Tower.” We met great difficulties in the upper icefall and finally found a way up the rocky buttress north of the icefall. We reached the upper basin at 17,400 feet, where we placed Camp III on October 11. On the ice faces there was hard water-ice and when covered by new snow, these slopes threatened to avalanche. We gave up the Norwegian route and decided on a new one, the southeast ridge to Tirich Mir’s east peak, which was primarily rock. We fixed rope towards the ridge and pitched Camp III at 19,700 feet on October 19. Above was a 2500-foot steep rock band. We climbed some 650 feet of this but when the weather broke on October 21 it became obvious that winter was on us. We abandoned the attempt.

HENRYK BEDNAREK,Klub Wysokog&ski,

Krakdw,

Poland

Little Tirich Mir Attempt, Owir VII. The Alpine Club of Canada expedition was composed of Murray Foubister, Dr. James Prahl, Jan Smith and me as leader; our liaison officer was Captain Abbas Raza. We left the town of Chitral on September 2 and traveled 40 miles to No1 by jeep along narrow, steep jeep trails. From No1 we went up the Barum valley on foot with porters. Base Camp was established at 11,000 feet at the junction of the North and South Bat-urn glaciers. We relayed loads up the South Barum Glacier to a camp at 15,400 feet at the foot of the upper icefall. From there I had to descend to Base Camp because of high-altitude sickness. The others spent several days reconnoitering the south ridge of Little Tirich Mir (20,800 feet), our original objective. They abandoned the attempt because of crevasses and poor snow. The southwest ridge appeared the most likely route. On September 14 Foubister, Prahl and Smith climbed Owir VII (c. 18,500 feet) by the west ridge approached from the north. It involved a 400-foot 70° ice wall, rappelled in the dark on the descent. On the north side of the South Barum Glacier opposite the most easterly of the Troll Towers, we came across the mumified corpse of a climber with multiple fractures, presumably a Polish avalanche victim of several years ago.

A. RICHARDC. BUTSON,M.D., Alpine Club of Canada