Chogolisa Glacier region; Pointed Peak (ca 5,400m), Peak 5,300m; Chogolisa Catedral, Pilastro Kekka (4,500m); Raven’s Peak, Chogolisa Shield (ca 5,300m); various new routes. We left for Pakistan in our usual style, six people without prefixed goals wanting explore and to climb as we do in the Alps. Initially we wanted to go to the Kondus and Saltoro valleys, but we were denied a permit a month before departure. So we moved ourselves to the Hushe where we had already climbed in 1998 and 1999 (Charakusa, Honbrok, and Khridas valleys with eight new routes). After two days of trekking we were on the Chogolisa Glacier, where we climbed four new routes on nearly unknown mountains. We only found signs of one ascent on Peak 5,300 and some anchors along the southwest ridge of Raven’s Peak. All our first ascents were made alpine style. The team was Maurizio Giordani, Ezio Marlier, Hervé Barmasse, Nancy Paoletto, Giovanni Pagnoncelli, and myself. Our ascents:

Pointed Peak (a.k.a. Peak 5,300m but ca 5,400m) Northwest face and west ridge. New route: 800m, snow + 9 pitches rock (V+) and mixed. Giordani- Maspes-Paoletto, June 11. (Bar- masse-Marlier-Pagnoncelli stopped two pitches from the summit). The summit was first climbed by another team, we think from the other face (English?).

Chogolisa Catedral, East Face, Pilastro Kekka (4,500m). First Ascent: 300m (8 pitches)—max VI+/A1 - 1 bolt (belay). Marlier- Maspes-Pagnoncelli, June 13.

Sheep Peak (ca 6,000m). South face, first ascent: 1,200m, snow and two pitches mixed. Barmasse-Giordani, June 17.

Raven’s Peak, Chogolisa Shield (ca 5,300m). South face, new route: Luna Caprese, 1,000m (22 pitches)—max V1II-. Climbed all free, on sight and without bolts. Alpine style (1 bivouac on the wall) after fixing first 4 pitches. Barmasse-Maspes-Pagnoncelli, June 28–29. Six or seven pitches of the Hardwick-Littlejohn 1987 route (ED sup) (see Mountain magazine 120, March/ April 1988). [Ed note: Raven’s and Pointed Peaks lie on the north side of the Buesten glacier, a side glacier flowing west into the Chogolisa. Pointed Peak lies on the south side of this same glacier opposite Raven’s.]

Luca Maspes, Italy