Kun. Our expedition had six members: Jan Mikeska, leader, Jan Jursa, Jan Matúš, František Polášek, Jirí Novotný and me. On September 9 we ascended for the first time with loads to Base Camp at 14,750 feet beside the Shafat Glacier. In the following days Mikeska and Jursa placed Camp I at 19,000 feet. The other members transported meanwhile 900 pounds of material and food to Base Camp from the Suru River. We used porters neither to Base Camp nor higher. On September 22 we climbed White Needle (21,523 feet). On September 24 Jursa, Matúš and Novotný started from Camp I toward Kun. They succeeded in reaching along a steep snow ridge the plateau at 20,175 feet, where they spent the night. On the 25th they waded in two-foot-deep snow across the plateau and towards evening put up their tent below the southeast ridge of Kun. On September 26 at seven A.M. Jursa and Matúš left the tent. About noon they reached the saddle, where Matúš remained while Jursa continued alone along the sharp snow ridge. He reached the summit of Kun (23,252 feet) at 4:30 P.M. and at nine o’clock was back with his comrades. Two days later we were all back at Base Camp to find only the remains of our tent. Bears had visited the camp in our absence, had torn the tent to pieces and had eaten up our food. Fortunately passports and money remained undamaged.

Pavel Girard de Villars, Czechoslovakia