Pumari Chhish Attempt and Ascent of “Skirish Sar”. Our Austrian expedition to the mountains north of the Hispar Glacier was composed of Georg Bachler, Robert Schauer, Hilmar Sturm, Hias Schreder, Sepp Portenkirchner and me as leader. With 32 porters who carried 2000 pounds of gear, we approached from June 22 to 28 from Pasu up the Shimshal valley to Base Camp on the Yazghil Glacier. Then without porters, we ascended the east bank of the Yazghil to where a tributary glacier enters from the east, where we placed Camp I at 12,800 feet. Because the glacier was impassable, we climbed a rock ridge parallel to it to Camp II at 15,750 feet. From Camp II we had to descend 1000 feet to the glacier to search for a route through the ice labyrinth. Two miles short of our objective, Pumari Chhish, on August 5 we had to give up. Because of the rapid flow, the Yazghil can be ascended only on the dangerously friable and difficult rock slopes on its side. We evacuated Camp II and from Camp I on August 9 began the ascent of the southeast side of “Skirish Sar” (c. 21,325 feet), which lies east of the glacier. We had no real difficulties as far as a new Camp II at 15,750 feet. We continued up a dangerous icefall which we ascended to a small plateau. We placed Camp III at 20,000 feet on Skirish Sar’s south shoulder. On August 12 Sturm, Portenkirchner, Schauer and Schreder climbed the then still unnamed peak. Bachler and I got sick in Camp III and we descended with the rest of the team after their ascent. We named the peak “Skirish Sar” (Snow Dove Peak).

Alois Furtner, Österreichischer Alpenverein