Languta Barfi, Northwest Ridge. From Kabul we drove to Langar in the Wakhan in five days, arriving on July 15. We climbed the Ab-i-Sar Shakhawr to Base Camp at 13,125 feet in two days. Advanced Base (15,100 feet) was placed at the foot of Languta on July 20 and Camp I in the col at 17,400 feet the next day. Camp II at 16,700 feet was occupied on July 23. Camp III at 21,325 feet was occupied on July 25 by Roland Geissbühler, Jesef Henkel, Peter Kummli, Ernst Wahl and me. On July 26 we made a new route on Languta (23,022 feet) from the northwest. Geissbühler was altitude-sick and had to stay in Camp III. On the 28th Albert Fellinger, Viktor Dürst and Oswald Gassier repeated the ascent. From July 30 to August 1 Henkel and Kummli made an attempt on Langar Zom but failed for lack of time. They ascended a northwestern spur to P 6100 in the north ridge. They gave up there and descended over P 5800 to the Galati Kotal (a pass in the north ridge) and thence back to Base Camp. Dr. Max Dörflinger also took part. It took us over six months to get permission to climb. We sent a member to Kabul a week ahead and still were delayed for a day. Bureaucracy moves slowly!

Otto Zbinden, Solothurn Section, Schweizer Alpen Club