Noshaq. We had originally hoped to climb in the Darban basin in Pakistan, but just before our departure our permit was cancelled. For that reason we decided to climb Noshaq by its west ridge, from Afghanistan. We joined together with Marcus Schmuck’s Austrian party. We left Munich for Kabul on July 17 and continued by bus to Kunduz and by truck to Qazi Deh in the Wakhan via Faisabad. We ascended the Qazi Deh valley for three days with porters to reach Base Camp at 15,425 feet at the foot of the west ridge. We had to evacuate Frau Hannelore Schmatz from Camp III (21,000 feet) with mountain sickness. Dr. Gerhard Schmatz and Sigi Hupfauer climbed the main summit (24,580 feet) on August 6. Heinz Kaiser climbed the middle summit (c. 24,280 feet) on August 4 with the Austrians. The Austrians Schmuck and B. Wintersteller climbed to the main summit on August 2. I evacuated an Austrian companion from Camp III before climbing to the middle summit on August 6 from Camp II. We were back in Ulm on August 20, only 35 days after leaving.

GÜNTER KÄMPFE, Deutscher Alpenverein