Mustagh Tower Attempt. The Fantasy Ridge Mustagh Tower Expedition arrived at Base Camp at 14,000 feet on the Baltoro Glacier on August 8. The team included Lyle Dean, Steve Gall, Doug Snively and me. Dean replaced Peter Habeler, who had to cancel at the last moment because of a knee injury and pending operation. We had hoped to do a capsule-style ascent of the French route on the Mustagh Tower’s east face, but too short a time schedule and illness turned our planned 21-day attempt into a last-minute alpine try by Gall and me, which failed below 21,000 feet when the weather turned bad and the porters arrived to take us back. We left Base Camp on August 31.

Michael Covington