Tirich Mir, Southeast Ridge of East Peak Attempt. Our expedition was made up of Marian Bala, Wieslaw Burzynski, Dr. Jerzy Friediger, Marek Kalmus, Jacek Poreba, Wieslaw Stefanski and me as leader. Our objective had been the Hispar Mustagh of the Karakoram, but after waiting a month in Islamabad, we were given permission by the Pakistani authorities only for Tirich Mir from the Barum Glacier. For that reason we established Base Camp only on October 1 at the junction of the North and South Barum Glaciers at 12,000 feet. Camp I was placed at 15,600 feet above the lower icefall on the South Barum Glacier on October 3 below the first “Troll Tower.” We met great difficulties in the upper icefall and finally found a way up the rocky buttress north of the icefall. We reached the upper basin at 17,400 feet, where we placed Camp III on October 11. On the ice faces there was hard water-ice and when covered by new snow, these slopes threatened to avalanche. We gave up the Norwegian route and decided on a new one, the southeast ridge to Tirich Mir’s east peak, which was primarily rock. We fixed rope towards the ridge and pitched Camp III at 19,700 feet on October 19. Above was a 2500-foot steep rock band. We climbed some 650 feet of this but when the weather broke on October 21 it became obvious that winter was on us. We abandoned the attempt.

Henryk Bednarek, Klub Wysokogórski, Kraków, Poland