The Mummer, Paine Group. Phillip Stuart Dawson and I made the first ascent of the Mummer on December 7, 1976 by a route on the southwest face above the Mummer Cuerno Segundo (or Cuerno Norte) col. From a snow cave at the base of the rock, we fixed our climbing ropes up a few pitches in the same place attempted by Dave Nicol’s expedition a year previously*. We were unpleasantly surprised to find about ten expansion bolts in unnecessary positions on these first few pitches. On December 6 we headed for the top but were forced to bivouac about eight pitches from the top. The next day we made the summit and rappelled down to reach Base Camp that night. The route was on excellent rock with some mixed climbing near the top. It was mostly UIAA V, but one pitch was VI and another A4, where Dawson took a fall. It was about 20 pitches. We took hammocks but there were suitable ledges high up on the route.

David Malcolm Cheesmond, South Africa

* There has been confusion about the names in the Paine Group. In A.A.J., 1977, p. 234 we gave David Nicol’s account but the names of Blade and Mummer were interchanged. It would seem that the names most commonly accepted are from south to north as follows: Cuerno Principal, Cuerno Segundo (or Cuerno Norte), Mummer, Blade, Sword, Fortress.