Koyo Zom, Hindu Raj, Second Ascent. The Tokyo Alpinist Club sent Shigeatsu Ogasawara, leader, Haruyoshi Yanagishita, Kenichi Takemori and Yasuo Sato to Kayo Zom, first climbed by Albert Stamm’s Austrian party in 1968. (See A.A.J., 1969, 16:2, pp. 457-8.) From Chitral they took ten days to Mastuj. Base Camp was established at 10,450 feet in Pechus village on July 4. Sato had to remain there because he was unfit for further climbing. After ascending the right lateral moraine of the Pechus Glacier, they placed Camp I at 12,625 feet on July 6. Camp II was higher up the glacier at 15,175 feet. From the head of the glacier, crevasses turned them into a left branch valley which has a lower and upper cirque. Above these was a broad snowfield that rose to the divide. Camp III (17,950 feet) was established on the snowfield on July 13. On the 17th they went west across the snowfield and established Camp IV at 18,150 feet at the base of the 4000-foot-high southeast snow and rock ridge. On July 19 they left for the summit and climbed on the difficult ice and rock for three days with two bivouacs. On July 21 the rock ridge still soared above them for three pitches with an overhang. Then followed three pitches on an ice ridge, which connected to the summit snow cap. Deep snow on the 70 ridge had to be overcome before reaching flatter going. The real summit was 500 feet farther ahead. There they found a paper written by the first-ascent party. They bivouacked once more on the way down. They descended finally the south face, which if they had taken on the ascent would have shortened the climb by one day at least.

Ichiro Yoshizawa, Japanese Alpine Club and A.A.J.