Asia, Pakistan, Charakusa Valley, K7 West, First Ascent; Sulo Peak, probable New Route; Naisa Brakk, Southwest Ridge; Spire below K7 West

Publication Year: 2008.

K7 West, first ascent; Sulo Peak, probable new route; Naisa Brakk, southwest ridge; spire below K7 West. In August and September, Americans Vince Anderson and Steve House and Slovenian Marko Prezelj spent nearly six weeks in the Charakusa Valley. They acclimatized by climbing the northwest face of Sulo Peak (a probable new route) and by making the first ascent of the southwest ridge of Naisa Brakk. [Editor’s note: Naisa Brakk has been incorrectly called Nayser Brakk; according to House, the Alpine Club of Pakistan says Naisa is the preferred spelling.] They then made the first ascent of K7 West (6,858m), via the southeast face. While waiting for conditions to improve on unclimbed K6 West (ca 7,100m), they climbed 2,000m along a rock ridge west of Naisa Brakk, crossing two summits, with difficulties up to 6a+, before descending to the west. With K6 West still out of condition, Prezelj and Maxime Turgeon climbed a rock spire on the east side of the south face of K7 West. [See Turgeon’s note below.] House’s full account of this expedition appears earlier in this Journal.