Kulu. On October 7 the Ladakhi Wangyal and I climbed the unnamed pass of 16,391 feet between Kulu and the Bara Bangahal in the Dhaula Dhar range. The pass is marked on the Survey of India Sheet 52H/SW, somewhat optimistically, as leading from the head of the Solang nullah into the valley of the Baran Bangahal. The pass is situated 10 miles and 9000 feet up the nullah on the great ridge that runs from south to north, linking P 19,450 feet (Bruce’s Solang Weisshorn, known to the local hillmen as Hanuman Tibba) with P 19,910 (Mukar Beh). We had a splendid view of the probably unclimbed north ridge of the former, which in a mile rises some 3000 feet to the south of the pass and offers magnificent snow arêtes. The view west into the upper Bara Bangahal showed an easy glacier leading down at a gentle angle. The difficulties, such as they are, lie on the Solang or east side. This appears to be a new pass for climbers, but has been used in the past by the nomadic shepherds known as ghaddis. On October 12, we two reached the summit of an unclimbed peak at the westernmost point of the north containing wall of the Solang nullah, situated 2 miles south of Mukar Beh and 2 miles west of Shiti Dhar (17,358 feet). Its height by aneroid barometer was 17,525 feet. The summit climb along the east ridge, with occasional excursions onto the north face, was made from camp at 16,500 feet on the névé of the glacier draining south into the nullah. Also in the party were I. R. Menzies and the Ladakhi Zangbo.

Robert Pettigrew, Alpine Club