Gasherbrum II. Philippe Grenier, Dr. Christine Janin and I started our approach march on July 9 with 23 porters and our liaison officer, Major Sher Khan. We arrived at Base Camp at 16,750 feet on July 20. We had to climb first 3000 feet of glacier and then a 6500-foot spur. We placed an Advanced Base at 18,375 feet just above the most broken part of the glacier. After much bad weather, we set out on August 1 alpine-style for the summit. We made three bivouacs along the southwest spur at 21,325, 22,650 and 23,950 feet. At the last one we were delayed a day by the wind. Finally on August 6 at two A.M. we left the bivouac for the top, which all four of us, including Sher Khan, reached at eight A.M. We were back in Base Camp on the 8th. Christine Janin is the first French woman to have climbed an 8000er. We followed the Austrian first-ascent route of 1956.

Erich Beaud, Club Alpin Français