Kishtwar Himal, Eastern Kashmir. The principal aims of our 1969 post-monsoon expedition were to climb and explore in the Kiar and Nanth Nallahs, in particular to investigate two virgin 21,000-foot peaks, Brammah (21,050 feet) and Sickle Moon (21,568 feet). Our 1965 reconnaissance made us elect to visit first the Brammah Glacier at the head of the Nanth Nallah and to place Base Camp in Sattar Chin at 11,150 feet. It was from this glacier that we hoped to attempt Brammah, but our logistic strength was embarrassed by the absence of two members who fell ill just before the expedition. We were now John C. Harriss, Miss Barbara Beeham, Lieutenant Kiran I. Kumar and I. We completed the exploration of the floor of the Brammah Glacier, including the four-mile eastern extension, a mass of tumbled moraine and ice which led into a large cwm; its walls and falling ice formed a potential avalanche trap. We climbed on September 11, 1969 an easy rock peak of about 17,400 feet on the ridge of Rash Galo in the western part of this glacier. We made three other sorties into different areas of this valley. First we reconnoitred P 5279 (17,320 feet), Brammah’s western neighbor, from a northwest ridge above the forests of Mustily but at 15,000 feet we saw that a north-flowing icefall which spilled over the arête to the west made for too great objective danger. We then attempted to reach the ridge forming the northern wall of the Brammah Glacier, the massif of Taparun, and on September 18 climbed a 17,725-foot snow peak which lay to its south. On September 22 we climbed a fine rock pinnacle of 18,375 feet, which we called “Crooked Finger”, in the southern cwm of the glacier, three miles west-southwest of Brammah. After an easy approach to the summit spire by the west ridge from a camp on an ice terrace at 13,775 feet, a UIAA III to IV rock climb led to the top. Miss Beeham and Kumar could not be with us during the last of the expedition. On September 27 Harriss and I began to explore the higher reaches of the Kiar Nallah, in the upper 12 miles of which lies the Prul Glacier. This area has great mountaineering potential but its southern peaks, including Sickle Moon, are particularly difficult, many descending sheer into the valley floor. By October 9 we had completed a reconnaissance and established Advanced Base Camp in Sarbal. For the remainder of the expedition we explored the northern side of the valley, which gave easy access to some fine 20,000-foot peaks above the high pastures of Wakbal and Sarbal. To gain information about these peaks, we climbed 5000-meter rock peaks above Sarbal (P 5065, 16,617 feet, and apeak 1¼ miles to its east). From camp at 14,450 feet we attempted the southeast ridge of P 6200 (20,342 feet) but turned back at 18,375 feet because of the potential danger of séracs near the summit. We still hoped to climb P 6392 (20,971 feet) by its southeast ridge. Unluckily a three-day snowstorm prevented placing camp above 16,400 feet and snow conditions on this long ridge allowed us on October 17 to climb only the mountain’s lowest satellite, P 5255 (17,241 feet).

Charles R. A. Clarke, M.D., Alpine Club