Asia, Pakistan, Payu Attempt

Publication Year: 1976.

Payu Attempt. We had bad luck on Payu (less correctly written Paiju) this year. The members were Jean François Porret, Raymond Coène, Simone Badier, Jean Bourgeois, Dr. Lucien Honnilh and I as leader. We tried to climb Payu by the route attempted by the Clinch expedition in 1974 but had to give up because of an accident of which Porret and I were the victims. While descending from Camp I at 19,350 feet, we were swept by an avalanche which fell from the snowfield above the couloir. I just managed to stop the fall in the couloir, but Porret had a very badly broken right leg. The evacuation was very difficult and we got him out of Pakistan only after 26 days. We had great porter troubles. They demanded over 50 rupees a day on the glaciers and still went on strike.

Jean FrÉhel, Club Alpin Français