|
|
|

|
|
|
|
|
|
Batura glacier :
|
By
its size (56 km length, 2,5 km broad and 220 km2), Batura glacier can
be compare with Hispar, Biafo and Baltoro glaciers. The final part of
the glacier is highly dangerous: its surge, jerked and rapid is dangerous
for the Karakoram Highway and the access to the Khunjerab Pass and push
back the Hunza river against its left bank with the risk to close it.
|
Batura group - 7280m (6638m)/7795m- :
|
After
2 days of walk toward the upper Batura glacier that is possible to see
the impressive wall of Batura. This wall decorated by unamed summits
(c7,400/c7,581m points) is capted by 200 meters of ice from where immense
icebergs are falling down into 3000 meters in a great thunderous noise
in the empty air.
Seven simmits of the Batura wall are over 7000m high. The Batura I is
the Highest of the Goup (c7,786m).
|
Batura I (Peak 32) -c7,795m-, North face :
|
|
In
1959, britishs Keith Wartburton, Richard Knight, Harry Stephenson, and
germans Martin Günnel et Albert Hirschbichler disapear in a big
avalanche in the north face of batura I: Some of the expedtion saw them
at about 7,300m high.
|
|
Bubulimating (Bubulimotin) -6000m-, North West
couloir :
|
The
North West Couloir from the Hasanabad Valley was first climbed in 1991
by a Swedish group.
|
Bubulimating (Bubulimotin) -c6,000m-, North West
face :
|
On the 19th July José Maria Andrés, Mikel Saez de Urabain,
Carlos Viera and Alfonso Vizan were 900m up the approach couloir on
the North West Face of the peak when a falling rock struck 34 years
old Vizan. The Madrid climber appears to have suffered a very bad leg
injury and died through loss of blood. It is believed that the team
had already tried the Original line on the East Side but had retreated
due to rock fall. They returned to Karimabad where they were told of
the North West approach by Australian, Damien Gildea, who was staying
at the village after his trip to Passu Sar (see elsewhere) and had attempted
the line himself in the mid-1990s.
|
Bubulimating (Bubulimotin) -c6,000m-, South East
face :
|
The
Original Route climbs a stone swept 750m snow/ice couloir set at 40-45,
followed by more mixed climbing to reach the notch between the spire
and Hunza Peak (c6,300m) to the north. The North East Ridge of Bubulimotin
is then followed to its summit. This was the line taken in May 1982
by the French Alpinists, Patrick Cordier and Jacques Maurin, but may
still be unrepeated.
Now fit and well-acclimatized Larrion made a solo ascent of Bubulimotin
(c6,000m) via the Original Route first climbed in May 1982 by the French,
Patrick Cordier and Jacques Maurin. This gave 2,000m of ascent following
the stone-swept 40-45° couloir on the east flank to a steep mixed
exit (c80°) into the notch between this and Hunza Peak (c6,300m).
Four rope lengths up the largely snowy North East Ridge of Bubulimotin,
then led to its summit. Larrion completed his ascent in a rapid time
of one and a half days, then took a similar time to descend. The first
solo and second overall ascent of this spectacular granite spire above
Karimabad took place in 1990, when Jim Beyer climbed the sheer South
East Face/South Pillar.
|
Bubulimating (Bubulimotin) -6000m-, crête
Nord Est:
|
Deux
glaciers entourent le monolithe du Bubulimotin par l'Est, le glacier
partie droite du Big Wall est excessivement dangereux (chutes de pierre)
alors que le glacier gauche est plus sûr. L'itinéraire
pris par les alpinistes français Patrick Cordier et Jacques Maurin
en mai 1982, n'a toujours pas été répété.
L'itinéraire suit le couloir mixte de 750m (40-45°) pour
atteindre l'entaille entre le monolithe du Bubulimating et le Hunza
Peak (6300m) au Nord. L'arête Nord Est du Bubulimotin est alors
suivie jusqu'à son sommet.
Les grimpeurs australiens Damien Gildea et Nayar ont fait une tentative
rapide mais n'ont pas réussi en août 1994 (frappés
par un orage qui a forcé une retraite à 4700m).
Un certain Larrion a fait une ascension solo du Bubulimotin (6000m)
en mai 1982 effectué par les Français, Patrick Cordier
et Jacques Maurin. Ce fut 2000m d'ascension dans un couloir à
40-45° situé sur le flanc Est jusqu'à une raide ouverture
(80°) entre le sommet et l'Hunza Peak (6300m). Quatre longueurs
ont suffit pour sortir de l'arête Nord Est en grande partie neigeuse
du Bubulimotin jusqu'à son sommet. Larrion a accompli son ascension
dans un temps très rapide d'une journée et demi, puis
est redescendu en un jour et demi aussi. La première ascension
solo de ce spire spectaculaire de granit au-dessus de Karimabad a eu
lieu en 1990 par Jim Beyer (pilier Sud-Est, pilier Sud).

|
Bubulimating (Bubulimotin) -c6,000m-, West face
:
|
A
four man Anglo-American team were to have attempted the South East Face,
a 1,000m wall of red granite that gently impends for the first 550m
to the only major feature on the face, a huge sloping terrace. There
have now been a number of attempts on this side of the spire, the first
serious incursion taking place in 1988 when a British team that included
Sandy Britain, Mark Lyndon, Jon Sylvester and Dave Towse climbed the
first 300m of the face in six hard pitches with the fourth rated at
British E4 and A4. Persistent bad weather thwarted further progress
and the team retreated leaving a 100m fixed rope on the crux.
In 1990 the experienced American big wall climber, Jim Beyer, together
with follow countryman Pat McIrney, also ventured on to the face. After
climbing only 150m, McIrney decided to bale out. Beyer jumared the fixed
rope he found in place on the fourth pitch and continued alone. After
climbing approximately half the face he broke out left on to the somewhat
less demanding ground of the upper South Pillar and followed this to
the summit, making possibly the second overall ascent of the spire.
This was an outstanding achievement and carried out in appalling weather
conditions. Finding the summit area rather complicated Beyer decided
to rappel the route.
Who aimed to complete the South East Face in its entirety, also included
Towse and another well-known British climber who has for some time been
resident in Colorado, Roger 'Strappo' Hughes. However, last season the
couloir approach to the face proved so taxing and dangerous that only
these two members of the team chose to persevere, allowing themselves
just one attempt on the spire. Rather undermanned for the South East
Face Direct they opted to repeat the Beyer Route but only reached about
half height before running out of supplies. Notable is the fact that
the pair jumared the now seven year old fixed rope still in place on
the wall, obviously a less daunting prospect than trying to re-climb
the A4 crux (Beyer thought that this pitch would undoubtedly be the
hardest of the entire climb and it is interesting to note that no single
party has yet climbed the entire route).
However, the main success story was due to a well-organized and efficient
Japanese team, who sieged the front face of the spire following a line
to the left of the Beyer Route. Although no technical details are available
it is reported that the team spent few nights actually on the face.
The route was systematically fixed and an unspecified number of bolts
were placed. Eventually, it appears that possibly three climbers reached
the summit to make the sixth or seventh ascent of the spire.

|
Batokshe (Batokshi/Saddle Peak) -c6,000m-
|
In
1996, a mixed nationality team of Tom Goodwin and Pete Scott from New
Zealand, Johan 'Sugar' Gouws from South Africa and Sam Stacey plus Peter
Thompson from the UK visited the fine granite spires of the Pute Towers,
which form the extension of the South Ridge of Hachindar Chhish (7,163m)
north of Aliabad in the Hunza Valley. All members made a rather extensive
exploration of the route potential on the high peaks of the Batura Wall
from Batura II to Pasu Sar and also climbed Batokshe (c6,000m) south
of Batura II. Note that the granite in this easily accessed but very
infrequently visited region is generally considered to be of quite good
quality.
|
Charikand -c5,888m- :
|
Lower down the Naltar the two man team of Robert MacFarlane and Paul
Woodhouse, after making a reconnaissance of the unclimbed Khaitar (5,591)
on the west wall of the valley and deeming it too difficult (a hard
ridge traverse or very steep, stoneswept faces), turned their attention
to Charikand (5,888m). This fine looking summit lies on the east wall
of the valley and although it does not appear to have a recorded ascent,
is strongly rumoured to have been climbed some years ago by the Pakistan
Army. The pair attempted the South West Face of the mountain over four
days in August but with the night time temperatures only falling to
0C at 5,200m, they found considerable avalanche risk and aborted their
attempt on glacier slopes at c5,400m. It was estimated that the final
part of the face would be around AD/AD+ and Scottish 3 in good (ie well-frozen)
conditions.
|
Dawson Peak :
|
The Sumaiyer Peak lies directly opposite Peak Dawson on the west side
of the lower Silkiang Glacier and was climbed via the East Buttress
(again by British) in 1984.
|
Dedo de Galupour (c5,100m) :
|
The pair then moved to Naltar and on the 17th climbed a new route
on a 5,100m peak christened Dedo de Galupour. The North East Couloir
was followed to give an 800m route of mainly 60° with a 75°
exit and a section of IV+ up the North Ridge to the summit. Four days
later they made a possible first ascent of a 5,002m peak via a mixed
route of 1,000m (IV and 50°).
|
Ghenta Peak -c7,090m- :
|
In 1974 : First ascent by Polish/German team.
|
Gutum Talji - c5,500m- :
|
A mixed nationality team of Tom Goodwin and Pete Scott from New Zealand,
Johan 'Sugar' Gouws from South Africa and Sam Stacey plus Peter Thompson
from the UK visited the fine granite spires of the Pute Towers, which
form the extension of the South Ridge of Hachindar Chhish (7,163m) north
of Aliabad in the Hunza Valley. On the 8th August the team attempted
Gutum Talji (c5,500m) to the south of the Yain Hisk Glacier. Stacey
and Scott tried the steep North West Face but were forced to retreat
due to warm conditions and associated rockfall. Meanwhile Goodwin, Gouws
and Thompson had reached the crest of the West Ridge via the South Fork
of the Yain Hisk Glacier, climbing a dangerous gully to reach a c500m
section of 60 water ice leading to a saddle on the ridge. The crest
of the ridge was then followed over snow and easy angled rock to the
top (the peak has several summits). Descent followed the same route
and was carried out in deteriorating conditions.
|
Hachindar Chich -c7,163m (c6,870m)- :
|
In
1982 : first ascent proceeded on this granite face of which the higher
part is quite visible: the 1000 last meters of the final wall are extremely
stiff, then the edge towards the top is very corniced (5 camps were
nescessary, the last at c6,900m, for the Japanese from Kanazawa).
Note : At this time, the Western pillars of Hachindar Chich are still
virgin.
|
Jurju Khona Sar -c6,055m- :
|
Prolonging
Karun Koh, the 2 summits of Jurju Khona Sar (c6,055m) and of Tpopdan
Sar (c6,106m) complete a hard stone moutains, dominates Hunza valley
(calling also the Passu Cathedrals). They force the Shimshal river an
abrupt turning towards the West. This mountain offers a fantastic play
ground to the valley where the sun rays ignite the red stones.
All attempts on the Jurju Khona Sar without success.
|
Kampire Dior -c7,143m- :
|
Kampire
Dior (meaning " The house of the old woman "). so discrete,
at the bottom of the Batura glacier, this summit was mentionned anywhere
for a long time.
The ascent in 1975 on the other face, from Karambar glacier, by the
Southern and Western edges (by the S.Mori Japanese, Y.Teranishi, 4 camps).
The approach is very long long and from Gilgit, Garkutch, Ishkoman valley
and Imit.
|
Karun koh -c7,350m- :
|
This summit was reached in 1984 by an autrian team (leader: H. Grun).
|
Khaitar peak, -c5,591m- (Naltar valley) :
|
In 1995, lower down the Naltar the two man team of Robert MacFarlane
and Paul Woodhouse, after making a reconnaissance of the unclimbed Khaitar
(c5,591) on the west wall of the valley and deeming it too difficult
(a hard ridge traverse or very steep, stoneswept faces), turned their
attention to Charikand (5,888m).
|
Koz Sar -6,677m- :
|
The peak only received 2 attempts. In 1993 an Anglo-Irish expedition
tried the South West Ridge and reached a height of 5,800m before poor
weather and deteriorating snow conditions forced a retreat.
Above: Koz Sar (6,677m) in the Western Karakoram as seen from the south.
The first ascent of this little known mountain was made last August
by Kuriyagawa, Ota and Yamagata. Although their exact line is uncertain,
it is believed the three Japanese climbed capsule style through the
big rock wall visible on the South Face and then up the final sharp
ice crest to the summit.
One of the main successes of the summer came on this previously unclimbed
6,677m peak east of the Karambar River in the West Karakoram. Ichiro
Yamagata led an eight-member team (only one of which had previously
visited Pakistan) to attempt a line on the South Face, which is characterized
by a rock wall beginning above c5,000m and steepening to the vertical
at 5,600m. Above this wall a sharp mixed arete leads to the summit.
Little information has been forthcoming on the successful ascent, though
the team carried two portaledges and planned to climb the route capsule
style. The climbers approached via the West Glacier and three members,
the 41 years old leader, Yamagata, 31 years old Takashi Ota and 22 years
old Katsuyuki Kuriyagawa reached the summit sometime during August.
|
Kuk Sar -c6,943m- :
|
First
ascent of this summit in 1982 by an expedition from UK.
|
Kuk Sar II-6925m- :
|
Virgin summit.
|
Kutshkulin Sar -c5,900m- :
|
The
mountain received its first ascent on the 20th August 1998 by four Germans
from the Dresden region. Jörg Ehrlich, Frank Polter, Dieter Ruelke
and Markus Walter first established Base camp at Karambar Ilag (3,300m),
then made a high Camp by a glacier lake in the Kutshkulin Valley at
4,300m and a second below the North West Face of the mountain at 4,900m.
The final climb began at 2am and involved 12 rope lengths on poor snow
and ice up to 60°, followed by four pitches of crevassed ground
to reach a plateau below the final pyramid. Although short, bad snow
up to 60° on the tapering North East Ridge made this last section
to the summit very time-consuming and the team only arrived back at
their camp (in a snowstorm) after 20 hours on the mountain.
A probable second ascent of this c5,900m peak was made in late August
1999 by an Anglo-American/New Zealand group. William Cadell, Adam Thomas
and Simon Woods from the UK, Brian Godrey and Jock Jeffery from New
Zealand and Walter Keller from the USA approached via the Karambar Glacier,
which flows west from the 7,143m peak of Kampire Dior. They set up Base
Camp at the entrance to the Kutshkulin Glacier (sometimes referred to
as the South Koz Yaz Glacier), which flows into the Karambar from the
north just past Karambar Jlag (3,300m). After a period of exploration
they attempted c5,900m Kutshkulin Sar, a fine snow/ice peak lying on
the eastern rim of this side glacier. On the 29th August, Jeffery and
Woods reached the summit via a route reported to follow the East Spur,
North Ridge and the final section of the West Ridge. This route took
three days and had an overall standard equating to Alpine D. It was
repeated by Keller and Thomas, who reached the summit on the 30th.
|
Kutshkulin Sar II (Sax sar) -c6,000m- :
|
The
mountain received its first ascent on the 28th August 1998 by four Germans
from the Dresden region. Jörg Ehrlich, Frank Polter, Dieter Ruelke
and Markus Walter first established Base camp at Karambar Ilag (3,300m),
then made a high Camp by a glacier lake in the Kutshkulin Valley at
4,300m. After a suitable rest at Base, they returned to the 4,900m camp
and bagged another summit to the north. This proved easier (snow/ice
to 50°) and despite established map heights of between 6,100m and
6,432m, their altimeters put the highest point a little below 6,000m.
The summit was christened Sax Sar and climbed on the 28th August.
|
Kuti Dorkush -c5,900m- :
|
The first ascent of this peak is commonly attributed to a two-person
Irish team, which climbed the c5,900m mountain in 1995 by the South
West Ridge. In fact the peak was photographed by Schomberg in 1933 and
appears to have been climbed as early as 1959 by Rudolf Bardodey and
a porter named Kabul, from a German scientific expedition employed in
triangulation survey work in the Batura Muztagh . Approaching from the
south these two report reaching a notch at c5,300m on the West Ridge,
then traversing to the crest of the North Ridge, up which they finished
steeply.
In August 1995 Irish climbers, Jack Bergin and Mairi Keenleyside made
the second ascent of this c6,000m peak west of the Kukuar Glacier via
the corniced South West
An all-women British team of Annabelle Barker, Penny Clay, Janet Vince
and Mary Twomey made the third ascent of Kuti Dorkush on the north side
of the Sat Marao Glacier. The British team, delayed by bad weather (they
only experienced five clear days out of the 26 spent at or above Base
Camp), opened a new route on the south side of the mountain, climbing
a 300m snow couloir (Scottish I/II: high risk of stonefall) to gain
the South West Ridge. The crest of the ridge was then followed, over
sections of avalanche prone terrain (40-50) to just short of the summit.
From there Vince and Twomey climbed the final and dangerously corniced
30-40m to stand on the highest point. All members descended the ridge
and then reversed the Irish ascent route, rappelling over the seracs.
The team report excellent service from the porters at Bar (north of
Chalt on the KKH) and were able to reach their Base Camp at a delightful
ablation valley on the north side of the Sat Marao in four days. However,
prior to this, there had been extended negotiations with local headmen
who insisted that the team was subject to Nagar rules of employment
and hence a higher than normal porter wage.
|
Nico Sar -c5,800m- :
|
In
2000, Americans, Walter Keller and Amy Rice, made the first ascent of
Nico Sar, a c5,800m peak off the Borth Glacier at 36° 33.917'N,
74° 09.399' E. After establishing Base Camp at c4,750m on the Nercherkin
Glacier, a subsidiary glacier branching steeply north from the Borth,
the pair placed two camps (at 5,300m and 5,650m), climbed almost 1,000m
of excellent ice up to 70° and reached the summit on the 12th August
during a period of unsettled weather. They down climbed and rappelled
the same route.
The Borth or Bhurt (aka Bort) Glacier flows down from the west side
of Kuti Dorkush (c5,900m) towards the main Ishkoman Valley in the Far
Western Karakoram. It lies approximately 35km from the Afghan border
and is the next glacier system immediately south of the Karambar. The
American pair were probably the first to climb from this glacier and
note tremendous possibilities for further exploration, especially on
some of the high quality granite faces deemed eminently suitable for
future big wall parties.
|
Pamri Sar -c7,016m- :
|
First
ascent by a italian team , same as Pamri Sar II.
|
Pamri Sar II -c6,928m- :
|
First ascent by a italian team , same as Pamri Sar II.
|
Passu group -c7,284/c7,500m- :
|
Passu
Group is in continuity of the Batura group. his exceptional group of
summits have at least 4 wonderfull summits over 7000 meters high.
|
Passu Peak (Passu Diar, Peak 55) -c7,295m- :
|
Five
members of a Japanese expedition reached the 7,295m summit of Passu
Peak (Passu Diar) on the 18th August (though their permit appears to
have been for the higher Passu Sar to the west, which has only received
one ascent to date). Sadly, two days later during the descent one of
the summiteers, Toshio Takahashi, fell into a crevasse on the lower
glacier at c5,800m and died. Passu Diar, a long but gently angled climb
from the Passu Glacier to the east, has now had a number of ascents
since the first in 1978 by a joint Japanese-Pakistani expedition.
|
Passu Peak (Passu Diar, Peak 55), East summit
-c7,284m- :
|
From
the glacier at the place name passu Ghar (mean the " Passu Fortress
", 3650m), passu Peak East is at the intersection of the edge of
Shispare (South-east) and of the limits of the edge of Batura glacier
(Est). First ascent by Japanese M.Inoue, I.Wali, K.Wakui and S.Yamada
in 1978: They went up the Passu glacier and crossed a difficult and
dangerous seracs falls to joining the South-eastern edge.
Year 1996, a team from the Pakistan Alpine Club made an ascent of the
straightforward Passu Peak (or Passu Diar: 7,284m), which lies towards
the eastern end of the Batura Chain. A reported 15 out of the 50 climbers
reached the summit via the Original 1978 Route up the Passu Glacier.
This expedition was apparently a forerunner to a possible Everest attempt
in 1997 but was led throughout by the well-known guide, Rajab Shah,
who had been employed in his professional capacity for the trip.
|
Passu Peak (Passu Diar, Peak 55), West summit
-c7,500m- :
|
A
Pakistan expedition had a success on this summit in 1996.
|
Passu Sar (Passu Dome) -c7,478m- :
|
Believing
it to be still unclimbed and therefore one of the highest unclimbed
summits in the Karakoram, a five-man Australian expedition led by Damien
Gildea booked a permit to attempt Passu Sar (7,478m) between Shispare
and the Batura Group. However, shortly before leaving, they learnt of
a German expedition (reported in the American Alpine Journal) who appeared
to have climbed Passu Sar in August 1994 and not the lower Passu Diar
(a.k.a. Passu Peak, 7,295m, which lies a little to the east, has now
had a number of ascents and was first climbed in 1978 by a joint Japan-Pakistan
expedition). Checking with a local high altitude porter in Gulmit, they
were able to confirm that Dirk Naumann, Ralf Lehmann, Volker Wurnig
and Max Wallner, had indeed made the first ascent of the higher peak,
using skis for much of the ascent and bypassing the lower peak by going
through a high shallow saddle to one side.
The Australians set up Base Camp in June close to the Passu Glacier
but instead of finding the lower glacier just badly crevassed, as they
had been led to expect after information provided by the Alpine Club
of Pakistan, which organized a successful expedition to Passu Diar in
1996, they discovered a giant icefall starting around 4,200m and requiring
over 800m of vertical gain. On closer inspection the climbers realized
that the route was very complex, dangerous and just not possible for
them in a lightweight effort, so they abandoned any further attempt.
The previous winter had been very dry and knowing this, the climbers
had arrived early to profit from whatever snow cover remained. However,
it appears that a succession of dry years has taken a severe toll.
|
Passu Sar II (Passu Dome II) -c7,295m- :
|
This
summit had some success climbs, first in 1978 by an japanese/pak team.
|
See also the same
topics pages :
|
Révision D - july 06th 2007 (http://blankonthemap.free.fr)
|