Asia, Afghanistan, Noshaq

Publication Year: 1964.

Noshaq. Two Austrian expeditions, one from Styria composed of Dr. Gerald Gruber, Dr. Rudolf Pischinger, Norbert Zernig, Sepp Weber, and Manfred Schober and the other from Upper Austria composed of Hans Pilz, Matthias Hofpointner, Siegfried Jungmair, and Gerhard Werner, found themselves heading for the same objectives and joined forces. Three days march from Qaz-i-Deh they set up Base Camp at the head of the valley at 15,000 feet, below the western spur of Noshaq. Noshaq (24,580 feet) was climbed twice in I960, by Japanese and by Poles, (A.A.J. 1961, 12:2 pp. 277-8 & 418-9.) but by a different route. The Austrians set up Camp I at 18,200 feet, Camp II at 21,000 feet and bivouacked at 22,650 feet in a snow cave. On August 21 the Upper Austrians and three of the Styrians made the first ascent of Noshaq’s west peak (23,622 feet) and the third ascent of the main peak. The Upper Austrians continued to climb, making the second ascent of Khorpusht-e- Yakhi (18,700 feet) on August 28 and the first ascents of an unnamed peak (17,390 feet) and of Gumbaz-e-Safed (21,655 feet) on the 30th, which had been unsuccessfully atacked by the Poles.