Porong Ri, First Ascent and Tragedy. A 14-man Japanese expedition led by Torn Ito made the first ascent of Porong Ri (7294 meters, 23,898 feet), which is connected to Shishapangma by a ridge and lies some five miles to the northwest. Base Camp was established at 17,000 feet on April 15. Minoru Wada and Yukio Eto got to the summit via the north ridge on May 14, but Wada fell to his death during the descent.