Asia, Pakistan, Thaime Chhish, Batura Region Attempt

Publication Year: 1982.

Thaime Chhish, Batura Region, Attempt. Tim Relton, Bob Knapp, Jeff Thompson and I hoped to climb a mountain first attempted in 1954 by a strong German-Austrian team who referred to the peak as the “Wildspitze;” they retreated from a point close to the summit in bad weather. Entering the Bola Das from Chalt we established Base Camp on July 25 at a shepherds’ colony called Baltar. We carried heavy loads across the Baltar Glacier on the northern flank of our mountain. The long northeast ridge was first tried but eventually we found a route to a col on the northwest ridge. The climb to the col was up two steep, unstable icefalls. On August 18 we all set off for a summit bid and climbed steep ice and a vertical rock step some 250-feet-high. We had to retreat from 19,500 feet. Heights for the peak have varied but we think that about 6400 meters (21,000 feet) would be appropriate. The weather in the five weeks was consistently poor with much fresh snow and avalanche danger. (The peak is some five miles southwest of Hachindar Chhish.)

John Nixon, Great Britain