Meru Shark Fin, East Face Attempt. Britons Paul Pritchard, Johnny Dawes, Noel Craine and I from South Africa tackled the technical and demanding east face of Meru Shark Fin (6660 meters, 21,850 feet) via a new route. In early September, we were hampered by two massive snowfalls, which left the 3000-foot approach gully dangerously poised to slide. Pritchard, Dawes and I finally went up on the wall in late September. The steep gully was at times insecure. From a snow cave at its head, we fixed rope up a complicated and technical rock ramp (5.11) with a few pitches of difficult mixed climbing above. With line fixed to the final headwall, it was time to move to a higher camp, yet disaster forestalled this move. On the 7th day, Dawes dropped a plastic boot, forcing an evacuation the following day. During the descent, Dawes took a serious fall, luckily emerging unscathed.

Phillip Lloyd, Mountaineering Club of South Africa