Brammah, Southeast Ridge, Kishtwar Himal. During August Chris Bonington and I were lucky enough to join a climbing course of the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering. Base Camp was at the head of the Kibur Nallah, the southernmost valley of the Kishtwar area, where we arrived on August 15 after a leisurely five days of approach. After some bad weather, five days later, with some help from the Indians, we established an assault camp at 17,000 feet on the southeast ridge of Brammah. Though the weather for the next five days was not too good, we did make one unsuccessful attempt. On August 24, the day our food would have run out, the weather improved and we made the ascent. We stuck to the ridge all the way except when avoiding one or two of the gendarmes. The rock was a rather crumbly granite but there were some pitches up to UIAA V. The final snow slope was exposed and very alarming. We bivouacked on the descent at 20,000 feet. A local shepherd informed us that Brammah Peak was the highest mountain in the world! In fact at 21,057 feet, it is not even the highest in Kishtwar, but it is the most obvious and elegant.

Nicholas Estcourt, Alpine Climbing Group