Tirich Mir. The Army Mountaineering Association Tirich Mir Expedition had as members of the party Corporal J. Anderson, Captains J. H. Cranmer, M. W. H. Day, G. F. Owens, B. K. Porter and R. A. Summerton, Surgeon Lieutenant P. N. Dilly, doctor, Captain Mumtaz Khan and Lieutenant Azhar Hussain, Pakistani Army liaison officers, and myself as leader. We approached via Beshram and the Owir and Awi Passes to the Barum Gol, where on June 6 we established Base Camp (Camp I) at 9600 feet at the foot of the glacier. Camp II (12,150 feet, June 11), Camp III (15,000 feet, June 15), Camp IIIa (15,600 feet, June 17), Camp IV (16,300 feet, June 20) and Camp V (Advance Base, 17,300 feet, June 26) were on the South Barum Glacier. Auscher or Owir I (17,333 feet) was climbed on June 21 by Cranmer and Anderson, up the northwest ridge and down the northeast. This is the first big peak on the south bank of the South Barum Glacier. Day, Summerton and Anderson climbed Little Tirich (20,869 feet) a first ascent, on July 5. From Camp IV they crossed a not obvious col, abseiled onto the Owir Glacier and climbed the west face. Descent was along the north ridge towards South Glacier Peak and then down a steep 1000-foot descent to Camp VI (19,000 feet), which had been established on July 2 on Tirich Mir’s south face. On Tirich Mir our desired route lay up the southeast ridge to the east peak and then along to the higher west peak. However this was utterly out of condition and so we had to content ourselves with the 1950 Norwegian route, the south ridge. Camp VII (20,500 feet) was established on the face on July 16, Camp VIII (22,600 feet) on July 18 and Camp IX (23,500 feet) on July 20. Day, Owens and Summerton climbed to the summit (25,263 feet) on July 21, the same day as your compatriots trod the moon. We claim a record — we were the nearest to them on earth!

Jon W. Fleming, Major, (British) Army Mountaineering Association