Bhagirathi II North Face, Ascent and Tragedy, 1981. In the autumn of 1981, Dawson Stelfox, Tommy Maguire and I visited the Gangotri region. From the usual Base Camp beside the Gangotri Glacier, we made exploratory trips to study the west faces of Bhagirathi I, II and III and the north face of Bhagirathi II. The west faces of Bhagirathi II and III were superb rock faces, but we were underequipped for such formidable undertakings. The west face of Bhagirathi I was aesthetically unappealing. We decided on the north face of Bhagirathi II (6512 meters, 21,365 feet), a beautiful ice face, which we easily reached in six hours from Base Camp. After a night on the moraine at the base of the face, we spent the first day on the route crossing a long but easy glacier which led to the bergschrund at the foot of the steep upper slopes. From here it was 35 pitches to the summit. On the second day we climbed 14 pitches to find a small but adequate ledge for our two-man dome. Weariness on the third day forced us to bivouac on a ledge chipped out of the slope, seven pitches from the summit ridge. On the fourth day we got to within 200 feet of the top, electing to visit it the next morning. This we did, unladen, on September 10, 1981. On the descent of the rotten east slope, Tommy Maguire slipped and fell 500 feet onto steep scree. Despite attempts from below at rescue, he died from his injuries on September 12. We buried him high on the mountain.

Ian Rea, Dalriada Climbing Club, North Ireland