Changtse. Our members were Dr. Hansjürgen Tauscher, co-leader, Paul Braun, Thomas Dünsser, Martin Engler, Walter Ernst, Rudolf Frick, Andreas Heckmair, Jr., Ludwig Hösle, Peter Lechart, Udo Zehetleitner, Dr. Wilfried Zink and I, co-leader. We drove from Lhasa over increasingly bad roads to Base Camp at the terminal moraine of the Rongbuk Glacier at 16,750 feet. We continued on the historic route up the East Rongbuk Glacier toward Mount Everest and Changtse. Camps I and II were set up on October 2 and 4 at 18,375 and 20,000 feet, the latter at the foot of the long northeast ridge of Changtse. We had no porters but used six yaks and our own backs to there. We first had to climb a 2000-foot snow-and-ice slope with some rock. Camp III was at 21,000 feet sheltered by a rock spur. Above, we fixed some rope on a steep snow-and-ice slope on a wide ridge that led first north and then east. Camp IV was set up on the ridge at 22,650 feet on October 13. On October 14 Zehetleitner and on October 16 Braun, Frick, Hösle and Engler completed the first ascent of Changtse (7550 meters, 24,771 feet).

Eduard Geyer, Deutscher Alpenverein