India—Kashmir and Jammu

Kun, 1976. Many expeditions now climb in the Nun-Kun group. There was one such on which we did not report last year which originated in Switzerland. It was the eighth on the mountain and the second successful one. On August 26, 1976 Patrick Diebold and Jean-Paul Schupisser climbed the White Needle (21,510 feet). On August 31 Patrick Morier, Pierre-Alain Secrétan and Schupisser reached the summit of Kun (23,250 feet).

Nun. Our 18-man party attempted to climb the west face of Nun (23,410 feet), a 6000-foot, 55° ice face, but the bare ice forced us onto the northwest ridge (the Czech route of 1976). The weather turned so warm—40° C. (104° F.) at 18,375 feet—that the snow ran off in floods and ice screws holding fixed lines melted out. The monsoon struck us at 20,675 feet and we gave up.

Erich Vanis, Österreichischer Alpenklub