Sia Kangri and Baltoro Kangri III. Our expedition consisted of S. Hiraoka, S. Etori, S. Uemura, T. Mizuoshi, T. Kurita, K. Miyashita, T. Kobayashi, Dr. T. Takahashi, J. Futagami and me as leader. Having left Skardu on May 21 Kobayashi, Takahashi, Mizukoshi and I made a round trip to the head of the Chogo Lungma Glacier, went up the Kero Lungma Glacier, over the Nushik La and the Hispar Pass and down the Biafo Glacier, where we were joined on June 21 at Askole by the other members. We then went up the Baltoro and Abruzzi Glaciers to the foot of Sia Kangri. On Sia Kangri we followed G.O. Dyhrenfurth’s route. Base Camp was at 16,500 feet, Camp I on the Conway Saddle at 19,400 feet, Camps II and III at 21,100 and 22,375 feet. On July 30 Kobayashi, Miyashita, Mizukoshi, Takahashi, Futagama, high-altitude porter Gohar Shah and I reached the summit (24,350 feet) of Sia Kangri. On August 4 Kobayashi and Futagami got to the top of Baltoro Kangri III (23,885 feet), the highest in the Baltoro Kangri group. We descended the Siachen Glacier, went past the Teram Kangri III expedition’s Base Camp to the junction of the Lolofond Glacier on August 12 and descended to Goma on the 15th.

Ryuji Hayashibara, Japanese Alpine Club