Laïla Peak -c6,952m-
Laïla Peak -c6,952m-, North ridge
Link Sar (« Berliner Peak ») -c7,041m-
Lucky Shinmo Spire (Cobra Brakk), (Khridas valley)
Marpo Brakk -c5,300m- (Nangma valley)
Nakpa Brakk -c5,300m- (Khridas valley)
Nasa Peak
Nawaz Brakk -c5,700m-, West face (Nangma valley)
Parhat Brakk (Khridas valley)
Pilastro Bimbi -c4,950m- (Khridas valley)
Pilastro Pulcinella -4900m- (Vallée de Khridas)
Pilastro Pulcinella -c4,900m- (Khridas valley)
Shingu Charpa (" The Great tower ") -c5,600m-, (Nangma valley)
Spansar Brakk -c5,300m-, South west ridge (Khridas valley)
Tahir Tower, « All Quiet on the Eastern Front” route (Kondus valley)
Tasa Kangri (Trinity Peak) -c6,614m-
The Dog’s Knob (TDK) -c5,400m-
Tysar tower -c5,000m-
Uli Peak -c4,670m- (Khridas valley)
Zang Brakk (Sotulpa) -c4,800m- (Nangma valley)
Zang Brakk (Sotulpa) -c4,800m-, « Ramchikor route » (Nangma valley)

Available maps of Charakusa & Kondus areas :

Laïla Peak -c6,952m- :

Laïla is the heroïn of a love story, this mountain be more known for the balance gracious of its form, one of more beautifyll in the world. This spectacular mountain at 6096m high above left bank of Gondokoro glacier in the valley of Hushe is often confused with the mountain of the same name of 6614m located in Haramosh group.
Forty four years old Forno, a ski instructor and prolific author with a history of expeditions to 8,000m peaks, has begun a project to attempt what he considers to be the most beautiful summit on each of the seven continents. Laila he rates as the most attractive in Asia.
This mountain had previously received at least three unauthorized ascents; the first in 1987 by a British party who climbed the West Face snow and ice slope and then rappelled down the far side, the second by a German team in the '90s who took more or less the same route, and the third by two Swiss in 1993. The Italians were able to verify the existence of some of these ascents, as they discovered a camping gaz cylinder on the summit and evidence of a bivouac on the descent.

Laïla Peak -c6,952m-, North ridge :

An Italian team led by Oreste Forno made the first official ascent of the spectacular Laila Peak above the left bank of the Gondokoro Glacier in the Hushe Valley. In 1995 Forno had made an unsuccessful attempt on this very beautiful 6,096m mountain (not to be confused with the 6,614m peak of the same name in the Haramosh Group), but had been beaten by bad weather and the constant threat of avalanche. This time he was more fortunate, although conditions on the route were far from perfect. The six man expedition chose the prominent 55 snow and ice slope on the West Side of the magnificent North Ridge. Gaining access to this slope was complicated by two difficult and delicate pitches of verglassed rock low on the route (at least grade V), while the upper slope was found to be deep unconsolidated powder. Paolo Cavagnetto and Fabio Iacchini reached the summit first at 11am on the 2nd July having started out from Camp 1 at c4,700m. The two Alpine guides made the 1,450m of ascent in 10 hours. They were followed next day by the Valtellina Alpinists, Giovanni Ongaro, Guido Ruggeri and Camillo della Vedova who took 12 hours.The team had previously acclimatized on the south side of the mountain and noted that the easiest route to the summit would follow the West Ridge from the col at its foot, reached via an easy angled snow couloir. All summiteers chose this line for their descent, making 10 rappels down the North West Ridge to the col and descending the straightforward couloir to the south. Both teams were back at their Base Camp on the same day as their ascent.

Link Sar (" Berliner Peak ") -c7,041m- :

The west bay of the Kaberi Glacier below Link Sar was probably first visited by western mountaineers in 1964, when a German expedition used it to approach the flanks of the unclimbed K6 to the west. They christened the unnamed 7,040m peak Berliner but it subsequently became known as Link Sar.
Immediately southeast of K7, the unclimbed Link Sar (7,040m) saw only its second attempt to date when a very strong and experienced American team, comprising Steve Carson, George Lowe, Steve Swenson, Andy Tuthill and Eric Winkleman, tried to find a feasible route from the south. The previous attempt took place 22 years before when, in July 1979, Kihuo Goto's Japanese team established Base Camp on the Kondus Glacier, then placed four camps on the Link Sar Glacier and the avalanche prone East Face. After reaching c6,100m on the face, the team felt the route was simply too dangerous and gave up.
It's maybe virgin peak at the update of this page.

Lucky Shinmo Spire (Cobra Brakk), (Khridas valley) :

Americans, Conrad Anker, Peter Croft and Galen Rowell visited the increasingly popular Charakusa Glacier, east of Hushe, in July and succeeded in climbing a number of the fine granite spires for which the region is justly famous. They placed a Base Camp at c4,000m near to the junction with the Chogolisa Glacier (known as Spansar) and from there Anker and Croft first climbed a c270m route on a formation situated on the next ridge east of Spansar Brakk that they named Lucky Shinmo Spire but may be known locally as the Cobra. The crux was rated 5.11b and the route took a full day. A little later Rowell soloed a c5,300m spire named Nakpa Brakk. This is the third and final spire on the main ridge coming down from Spansar Brakk and is somewhat lower than the true summit. Rowell carried no gear as he planned only to make a reconnaissance but finding easy ground completed the 350m route in a few hours (reported as 5.9 maximum).

Marpo Brakk -c5,300m- (Nangma valley) :

In 1998, new Zealanders Watkins, Wong and Woodford also climbed a c250m route at 5.10 and A1 to reach the 5,300m summit of Marpo Brakk.
It is reported that early in 1999 the Antipodean team of Andrew McCauley, Ned Norton, Paul Weber and Vera Wong, the last three on their second visit to the valley in consecutive years, attempted both Marpo Brakk (c5,300m) and Amin Brakk (5,850m) but were unsuccessful. They then turned to the two Jonono Towers and managed to climb the higher of these two rock spires, The Father (5,500m) on their second attempt.
Prior to all this activity the two Spanish big wall climbers, Pep Masip and Silvia Vidal, had visited the valley in June to make the first ascent of Brakk Zang (4,800m). Base Camp was situated on a grassy meadow more or less right beneath the wall at c4,250m. After fixing the first two pitches of the East Pillar on the 25th and 26th June, the two climbers set off with a double portaledge for a capsule style ascent of the wall. On the 5th July they reached the top of the pillar having created Ganyips in nine long pitches, some up to 75m in length. Almost all of these were negotiated on aid at A2 and A3, with a F6a free section in a nasty 40m off-width that formed pitch three. Eight nights were spent on the 540m high wall, with progress slowed due to periods of poor weather typical of their stay in the area. The route was descended in seven rappels, some 90m in length. Interestingly, around eight metres to the right of the initial section of the route the two climbers saw two old 8mm bolts, marking a previous but unknown attempt.

Nakpa Brakk -c5,300m- (Khridas valley) :

Rowell soloed a c5,300m spire named Nakpa Brakk. This is the third and final spire on the main ridge coming down from Spansar Brakk and is somewhat lower than the true summit. Rowell carried no gear as he planned only to make a reconnaissance but finding easy ground completed the 350m route in a few hours (reported as 5.9 maximum).

Nasa Peak :

First ascent by Bunnage/Hamiltonin 1988. Rowell then repeated the 1988 Bunnage/Hamilton Route on the North Ridge of Nasa Peak (another rock spire on the ridge running south from Spansar Brakk and separated from Beatrice to the east by a small side glacier). Thinking he was on new ground, Rowell climbed the 500m ridge using a backrope for half the route, noting on his descent old rappel slings terminating about 150m below the top. As this upper section was relatively straightforward, he was non-plussed to find no trace of previous parties on the summit. The British pair climbed the route at VS and it is widely believed there have been several ascents since. Rowell, while admitting that he may not have chosen the best line, reports difficulties up to 5.10b with variable amounts of 5.9 and above.

Nawaz Brakk -c5,700m-, West face (Nangma valley) :

Both teams named the peaks after their respective cooks; Amin for the Spanish (1995) and Nawaz for the British (1998). Generally quoted as 5,700m but thought possibly higher, the nawaz Brakk first saw the wall by Lazkano during a visit the previous year, when he attempted a line on the adjacent North West Face of Nawaz Brakk during possibly the first serious climbing expedition to this hidden glacier basin. Incidentally, both teams named the twins peaks after their respective cooks; Amin for the Spanish and Nawaz for the British.

Parhat Brakk (Khridas valley) :

Robinson and Jed Workman then made the first ascent of Parhat Brakk, a granite spire of more or less the same altitude as Fathi Brakk (c5,400m/c5,600m) but with a dramatic 1,000m high North Ridge. This feature was first attempted in 1995 by American guide, Angela Hawse, and party on an excellent granit.

Pilastro Bimbi -c4,950m- (Khridas valley) :

Pilastro dei Bimbi gave a fine 17-pitch route on very compact rock with sustained climbing up to VII+ and A3. The team climbed part of the route on the 21st, completing it two days later in a total time of 18 hours. Four days later they climbed the Fourth Pillar (4,900m) via its South West Face to create Pilastro Pulcinella (VII and A2). This last named route had 15 pitches and took a total of 17 hours to climb (on the 25th and 27th July).

Pilastro Pulcinella -c4,900m- (Khridas valley) :

The Italian climbers (Maurizo Garota, Giuseppe Masdea, Dario Spreafico, Corrado et Danilo Valsecchi)attempted their routes in as ethical a style as they could practically manage, using no bolts and fixing just 150m of rope on the Pilastro Pulcinella.

Sotal's Pa -c4,800m- (Nangma valley) :

On the opposite side of the Nangma valley and only 15 minutes walk (downhill) from their 4,200m Base Camp, Peter and Thomas completed a new line on the South Face of 4,800m Sotal Pa. The two climbed their 19 pitch route, Ramchikor, over 14 days, finishing on the 14th August. They followed an obvious and continuous line of steep cracks, off widths and chimneys to the crest of the South Ridge, finishing at the base of a smooth vertical granite wall just below the summit. After some discussion the two decided that this point marked a logical conclusion to the route and they descended. Subsequently, over two days they cleared the line of all equipment apart from 10m of jammed rope. The difficulties were rated British E3 5c and A2.

Shingu Charpa (" The Great tower ") -c5,600m-, (Nangma valley) :

Koreans, Shin Dong-Chul, Bang Jung-Ho and Hwang Young-Soon, made the first ascent of Shingu Charpa (aka The Great Tower: 5,600m) in the Nangma Valley. The three fixed 700m of rope in a dangerous approach couloir to an altitude of 4,800m, then committed themselves to the West Face, a steep granite wall that took seven days to ascend and descend. Climbing through generally very poor weather, the three Koreans reached the summit on the 23rd July after overcoming difficulties rated at 5.11 and A2. Frequent rain and snowstorms made the route particularly dangerous with an ever present threat of stonefall, especially in the lower section where the wall was less than vertical.
A group of experienced Soviet mountaineers together with the American, Carlos Buhler, planned to attempt the huge North West Ridge of this peak, a logistically difficult challenge but a well-known and much coveted prize in the Nangma Valley. In the end they didn't but Buhler and Durashin went on to travel in the Hindu Raj as reported elsewhere.

Spansar Brakk -c5,300m-, South west ridge (Khridas valley) :

Americans, Conrad Anker, Peter Croft and Galen Rowell visited the increasingly popular Charakusa Glacier, east of Hushe, in July and succeeded in climbing a number of the fine granite spires for which the region is justly famous. They placed a Base Camp at c4,000m near to the junction with the Chogolisa Glacier (known as Spansar) and from there Anker and Croft first climbed a c270m route on a formation situated on the next ridge east of Spansar Brakk that they named Lucky Shinmo Spire but may be known locally as the Cobra. The crux was rated 5.11b and the route took a full day. A little later Rowell soloed a c5,300m spire named Nakpa Brakk. This is the third and final spire on the main ridge coming down from Spansar Brakk and is somewhat lower than the true summit. Rowell carried no gear as he planned only to make a reconnaissance but finding easy ground completed the 350m route in a few hours (reported as 5.9 maximum). Croft, who has recently been specializing in ultra-long ridge traverses in the High Sierra and is well-known for his speed ascents in Yosemite (he currently holds the record for the Nose on El Capitan), is reported as saying that Spansar Brakk was the biggest and best climb he had both seen and done in his life !

Tahir Tower, " All Quiet on the Eastern Front" route (Kondus valley) :

Americans, Dave Anderson, Jimmy Chin, Steph Davis and Brady Robinson, managed to gain permission to visit the Kondus Valley, the next major valley east of the Hushe and close to the war zone on the disputed Indo-Pakistan border. The Kondus Glacier flows down from the Conway Saddle and the Baltoro Kangri- Sia Kangri group. It has been strategically out-of-bounds to foreigners for some years and the approach now houses a military road. The four Americans reportedly chose an impressive, virgin, c1,000m-high rock spire in the lower valley, which they named Tahir Tower, then spent around seven days fixing ropes before starting a final push in capsule style. They reached the summit on the 20th July after 10 days on the face, completing 35 pitches with maximum difficulties of 5.11 and A3. The route was christened All Quiet on the Eastern Front and the team report good relationships with the Pakistan military met in the valley during their stay.

Silver Throne -c6,900m (6600m)- :

The Silver Throne is at the front of his brother, the Golden Throne (Baltoro Kangri) -7275m-, 600m higher, as christened by M. Conway. No informations on this summit.

Tasa Kangri (Trinity Peak) -c6,614m- :

This summit is familiar by trekkers who climb the Gondokoro pass. This summit was climb by a japanese team in 1974.

The Dog's Knob (TDK) -c5,400m- :

TDK (The Dog's Knob), first climbed by Bob Marks and John Styles in 1988 and now sporting three or four separate routes to its summit. The North Ridge of the symmetrical pyramid of Nasa (first ascent in 1988 by Andy Bunnage and David Hamilton) has gained a reputation as the easiest and most accessible rock climb in the Karakoram. Graded British VS it has received seven or eight ascents in the last decade.

Tysar tower -c5,000m- :

The South Face of this virgin c5,000m granite tower in the Hushe Valley was also the scene of an attempt by the three person Spanish team of Carmen Gonzalez, Manolo Miranda and Eduard Sanchez but further details of their climb are currently unknown.

Uli Peak -c4,670m- (Khridas valley) :

In summer 1999 Maurizio Giordani, Lorenzo Lanfranchi, Luca Maspes and Natale Villa climbed two new peaks in the largely unknown Kahridas Valley of the Hushe region. The Italians were quite probably the first to climb there The team climbed the diminutive Uli Peak (4,670m: V) next to King Brakk.

Zang Brakk (Sotulpa) -c4,800m- (Nangma valley) :

In 1998, prior to all this activity the two Spanish big wall climbers, Pep Masip and Silvia Vidal, had visited the valley in June to make the first ascent of Brakk Zang (4,800m). Base Camp was situated on a grassy meadow more or less right beneath the wall at c4,250m. After fixing the first two pitches of the East Pillar on the 25th and 26th June, the two climbers set off with a double portaledge for a capsule style ascent of the wall. On the 5th July they reached the top of the pillar having created Ganyips in nine long pitches, some up to 75m in length. Almost all of these were negotiated on aid at A2 and A3, with a F6a free section in a nasty 40m off-width that formed pitch three. Eight nights were spent on the 540m high wall, with progress slowed due to periods of poor weather typical of their stay in the area. The route was descended in seven rappels, some 90m in length. Interestingly, around eight metres to the right of the initial section of the route the two climbers saw two old 8mm bolts, marking a previous but unknown attempt.
In 2000, a Korean team made two new routes on this 4,800m rock spire west of Amin Brakk in the Nangma Valley. There has been some confusion over the name of this peak. In early July 1998 the Spanish duo, Pep Masip and Silvia Vidal, climbed the 540m South East Pillar over a period of eight days in capsule style (A3 and F6a). They had hoped to descend easily by walking down the north side but on reaching the top, found that option too difficult and, therefore, rappelled the pillar. It is not clear whether they actually went to the summit of the spire, to which they gave the name Brakk Zang. Last year, the Koreans climbed two new lines on the South Face, one immediately to the right of the pillar taken by the British Route and one a little to the right again but still left of the Spanish Pillar. Fixed ropes were used and according to visiting parties later in the season, the Koreans, for whatever reason, appear to have painted big, bright, silver spots on the rock to highlight their belay stations. Jang Hyung-Won, Lim Sung-Muk and Shin Moon-He required 15 days and a lot of fixed rope on their line, which they graded 5.9 and A4-. The second route, (names reported as Anjong Neonj and Moon Sung Wook) appears to have been climbed in capsule style with a portaledge and was graded 5.9 and A3+. The Koreans report replacing the karabiner left on the summit by the British women with one of their own.

Zang Brakk (Sotulpa) -c4,800m-, " Ramchikor route " (Nangma valley) :

In August of the same year British women, Libby Peter and Louise Thomas, climbed a 19-pitch route up the central pillar of the South Face (Ramchikor: 600m: British E3 5c and A2). This line used fixed ropes and stopped just short of the summit, but the two were able to reach the highest point just a couple of days later via the pleasant and very accessible North Ridge (AD). They noticed a cairn on the approach but no sign of previous passage on either the ridge or in the vicinity of the summit to which they gave the name Sotulpa Peak. Neither the Spanish nor the British climbers placed any bolts on the mountain.

Sources :

All informations mainly coming from,

Ø The American Alpine Journal, 1996 to 2004 editions
Ø Himalaya in Alpin Style by Andy Fanshawe & Stephen Venables, (Arthaud - France), 192 pages, 1996 edition
Ø The Karakorum, Mountains of Pakistan de Shiro Shirahata édition Ferezsons (pvt.) ltd
Ø Les plus belles montagnes du monde (Glénat - Grenoble-France), 296 pages, 1993 edition
Ø Himalaya-Karakoram, Mountains of Pakistan by Shiro Shirahata, (Denoël - France), edition 1990
Ø Ils ont conquis l'Himalaya by Bernard Pierre (Plon - France), 1979 edition
Ø Deux siècles d'alpinisme by Chris Bonnington (Delachaux & Niestlé), 1992 edition

... and some others. All informations compiled by Blankonthemap.

Revision A - 24/06/06 (http://blankonthemap.free.fr)