Hachindar Chhish, East Face. The march-in with 110 porters to the foot of Hachindar Chhish from Aliabad in Hunza took us four days. On May 30 we established Base Camp on the Muchichul Glacier at 12,000 feet. We used no high-altitude porters. Our route was in three parts: the lower face of 4000 feet to Advance Base Camp, the steep upper wall of 3000 feet to the forepeak and the knife-edge ridge to the summit. We climbed a wide couloir above Base Camp to Advance Base Camp, which was occupied on June 19 at 15,950 feet on a broad snow ridge leading to the upper wall. This part was troubled with occasional rockfall and snow avalanches and a vertical aid pitch. Camp I was placed at 17,950 feet on the snow slope immediately below the east face of the forepeak. The route above Camp I started with a steep snow slope, then a smooth snow ridge and higher up, the steep icy rock wall of the forepeak with many aid pitches. On July 4 Camp II was set up on an ice band on the face at 19,150 feet. On July 12 we placed an uncomfortable Camp III at 19,650 feet on a small ledge. Camp IV, right below the forepeak, was established at 21,000 feet on the corniced ridge leading to the summit on July 21. We followed the tricky, heavily corniced ridge leading to the summit over some pinnacles. After ropes were fixed over the forepeak to the foot of the final summit ridge, all descended to Advance Base Camp to rest. On August 3 four members pitched Camp V at 21,325 feet just below the third pinnacle on the summit ridge. On August 4, seven members headed for the summit from Camps IV and V. We found a final icy gully running up to the summit cornice. Breaking through the cornice, leader Yasuyuki Higashi, Kenji Yoshida, Toshikazu Saito, Kensaku Sakai, Tatsuya Takinami, Kenichi Kimura and I stood on the summit of Hachindar Chhish (7163 meters, 23,500 feet) at two P.M.

Kiyoshi Hayami, Kanazawa University Alpine Club, Japan