Peak 5,772m, attempt. Our three-man team (Wojciech Chaladaj, Jakub Galka, and Marcin Kruczyk) hoped to attempt unclimbed Purian Sar North (6,247m) in July. However, the bag containing the majority of our climbing gear was lost at Heathrow Airport in London. We waited for a week in Islamabad and then gave up. After borrowing some basic glacier equipment in Gilgit, we headed toward the Sath Marau (a.k.a. Sat Maro) Glacier. We drove to Bar village, north of Chalt, and then trekked three days to base camp (3,750m) on the moraine of the Rara Gamuk Glacier. (We highly recommend Shahid Alam Nagari, whom one can find in Bar village, as a guide and porter for trips in this area.) We placed advanced base camp (4,350m) in a meadow on the ridge separating the north and south Sath Marau cwms, and put Camp 1 below the east ridge of Peak 5,772m. After a serious and exhausting struggle in deep and unstable snow, we gave up at about 5,600m. Above us the ridge steepened into a rocky step that we would not have been able to climb without protection.

Most of the peaks above this glacier are still waiting for their first ascent. This is surprising because it is a relatively accessible area with many opportunities for climbs on beautiful ridges (Koran Peak, 5,577m–5,678m), stunning walls (Swat Maras, 6,005m, and Gadeny Peak, 6,015m), and 900m rock pillars and ice couloirs (Sath Marau Tower, 5,967m).

Jakub Galka, Poland