Bandarpunch II West and Kala Nag. The Ruinsara Youth Expedition was organized to train young climbers between the ages of 16 and 21 and expose them to high-altitude climbing. From the roadhead at Sankri we trekked through Dapsa and up the Ruinsara Nala to Base Camp at 13,800 feet at the lower Kiar Koti and Advanced Base at 14,100 feet ahead of the upper Kiar Koti. Routes were reconnoitered and training imparted. On May 26 we started for Kala Nag (Black Peak). Camp I was across the lateral moraine of the Kala Nag icefall at 16,500 feet. Camp II at 18,200 feet was through a maze of crevasses and 1500 feet below the col. On May 28 our first attempt failed for want of equipment to climb the 300-foot ice wall. On May 29, Kartik Bhagat, Dhiren Toolsidas and I left Camp II at 5:30 and reached the summit (6387 meters, 20,956 feet) at 4:45 P.M. Arun Samant, Ravi Mariwala and Sher Singh repeated the ascent on May 31. After three days of rest, Samant, Toolsidas and I traversed the Bandarpunch Glacier for 4 miles to make Camp I at 15,000 feet for Bandarpunch II West. We found a route over the true left lateral moraine of the Bandarpunch West Glacier. We crossed the upper icefall and placed Camp II at 17,400 feet. We spent a day fixing ropes in the last icefall and had to cross very delicate snow bridges. Camp III was at 18,600 feet. On May 10 we made the first ascent of Bandarpunch II West (6102 meters, 20,020 feet), following the northeast ridge to the highly corniced summit. Three minor peaks of about 18,000 feet were also climbed.

Harish Kapadia, Himalayan Club