Asia, Pakistan, Uli Biaho Tower, East Face Attempt

Publication Year: 1990.

Uli Biaho Tower, East Face Attempt. Our expedition was composed of Carlo Grossrubatscher, Adam Holzknecht, Dieter Demetz, Walter Pancheri and me as leader. We hoped to climb the still unascended east face of the Uli Biaho Tower (6083 meters, 19,958 feet), but bad weather prevented it. We arrived at Base Camp on the Trango Glacier at 4200 meters on May 29. The first problem was getting to the base of the wall up a rockfall-threatened couloir. The couloir is 800 meters high and has sections of 80° ice. Bad weather moved in shortly after our arrival at Base Camp and hindered us as we fixed rope in the couloir and moved up supplies. The face itself was mostly covered with new snow and the cracks were full of ice. On a second attempt on the wall from June 13 to 15, we climbed to 5200 meters, where we dug a snow cave. We were blocked there for two days by the weather. On the 17th, I had to head for home with a bad knee. More bad weather followed. From June 23 to 26, the group reoccupied the camps at the foot of the wall and on the wall and, with miserable conditions, got to 5500 meters before more bad weather moved in again. All rope and equipment was removed from the face. They started the trek out on June 29.

Stefan Stuflesser, St. Ulrich, South Tirol, Italy