Kayo Zom, Pechus Zom, Gainthir Zorn, Das Bar Zorn and Other Peaks. On June 17 Elfriede Baltuska, Viktoria Hribar, Gerulf Wilhelm, Günther Wöhrl, and I of the Vienna Academic Section of the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV) left Vienna to drive overland to Pakistan. After arriving in Chitral we set out with 12 donkeys to make the 183-mile trip up the Yarkhun valley to Pechus. The arduous trip took us 12 days and was filled with difficulties. Base Camp was by a hot spring at Pechus (10,675 feet). In the first two weeks we explored the region, climbing smaller peaks and getting acclimatized. During this period the Japanese expedition on Kayo Zom failed. In the second part of our stay we climbed the 6000-meter peaks above the Chhatiboi and Pechus glaciers. The upper plateau of the Pechus Glacier we could reach over either of these glaciers, which the Japanese had not been able to do. On August 17 Wilhelm and Fräulein Hribar made the first ascent of Kayo Zom (22,546 feet). From the high camp they had to climb 3500 feet. They reached the east ridge by the southeast face. A difficult ice wall higher blocking the ridge had to be turned on the southeast face. Then followed a treacherous corniced ridge, an ice-covered rock buttress and an ice ridge before it flattened off below the summit. Half of the climbing had to be carefully belayed. On August 23, Fräulein Baltuska, Wöhrl and I stood on the top of Kayo Zom. On August 14 Baltuska and I made the second ascent of Gainthir Chish (20,581 feet) and all made the second ascent of Das Bar Zom (19.921 feet) on the 22nd. All other ascents were firsts. They were Gahkush (20,049 feet) on August 11 by Hribar, Wilhelm; Korum Zom (17,848 feet) on July 31 and P 4986 (16,360 feet) on July 29 by Hribar, Wilhelm, Wöhrl; P 5436 and P 5280 (17,835 and 17,323 feet) both on August 3, P 5500 (18,045 feet) on August 11, and Mroi Zom (15,830 feet) on July 31 all by Baltuska and me.

Albert Stamm, Österreichischer Alpenverein