Kang Guru, Southwest Ridge. Our expedition, made up of Yoshichiko Segi, Daizo Yamamoto, Hiruyasu Sugita, Kenji Murata, Seiki Iwabuchi, Ryuomaru Iwabuchi, Dr. Tadahiko Wada and me as leader, made the third ascent of Kang Guru by a new route, the southwest ridge. We established Base Camp on March 22 at 13,775 feet. We climbed the south side of the southwest ridge to place Camp I at 17,050 feet low on the ridge on March 29. It was loose rock to 16,400 feet and, in the early days, snow from there to Camp I. We followed the ridge from there, fixing some 8000 feet of rope. We made a temporary Camp II on April 7 at 18,700 feet at the beginning of the difficulties. This part was a knife- edged ridge. Camp II at 19,700 feet was established on the shoulder of the “Blue Pinnacle.” We slabbed for some 650 feet on the south side of the Blue Pinnacle despite avalanche danger. Temporary Camp III was placed at 20,675 feet on the ridge just under an ice cliff on April 24. We then met a 65-foot-wide, 650-foot-long crevasse. We traversed to the right around it and climbed the 150-foot ice wall to place Camp III the next day at 21,500 feet on the “Balcony.” From there we climbed a broad snow face to the summit (6981 meters, 22,904 feet). On April 27 Segi, Yamamoto, Sugita and Sherpas Nawang Choklang and Ang Temba got to the top, followed on April 28 by Dr. Wada, Sherpa Nawang Chiri and me.

Soichi Kobayashi, Life and Mount Club, Japan