Kalanka, First Ascent, 1975. (Somehow this important first ascent escaped the notice of much of the Western mountaineering press.) The Kamiichi Hoso-Kai Expedition was led by Ikuo Tanabe and composed of Noriaki Ikeda, Tsuneo Kouma and Kazumasa Inoue. They left Lata on May 5, crossed the Dharansi Pass on the 7th and established Base Camp at 15,425 feet on the Ramani Glacier. They placed Camp I at 17,725 feet on the western side of “Shipton’s Pass.” By May 30 all supplies had been ferried over the pass and Camp II was established on the far (Changabang Glacier) side of the pass at 18,375 feet. On June 1 Camp III was placed at 20,000 feet due south of the summit of Kalanka below the south face, protected by a huge sérac. On June 2 Ikeda, Kouma and T. Singh, one of the two high-altitude porters, traversed the south face to the Changabang-Kalanka col, while Inoue and Tanabe made Camp IV at 20,675 feet in the icefall of the south face. On June 3, 1975 the three on the col started up the west ridge. The two in Camp IV also set out and joined the advance party on the ridge at 2:30 P.M. All five members reached the summit (22,740 feet) at 4:40. On the descent they bivouacked at 22,300 feet.

Tsunemichi Ikeda, Editor, Iwa To Yuki