Drifika, completion of southwest ridge to west summit; other ascents and attempts. The Czech expedition of Ondrej Baszczynski, Martin Klonfar, Ondrej Martinek, Petr Novosad, Martin Simunek, and Jiri Splichal spent most of August in the Nangma Valley. Three climbers repeated Hasta la Vista David (2004) on Zang Brakk, and then Klonfar and Splichal climbed the 10-pitch Trihedral Route (450m, VII A2) on Denbor Brakk. Later they discovered that much of their line followed the German route Haulbag, Du Arschloch (Häbel-Sauter, 2006), with variations on the first and fourth pitches. In mid-August, four climbers attempted Drifika (6,447m), reaching 6,250m.

On August 23 Klonfar and Splichal completed the southwest ridge to the western summit of Drifika, calling their line Babba’s Dead Cam (V M4, loose rock). From a camp at 5,300m the two climbed steep ice on the southwest face to reach the southwest ridge. This icefield had been climbed in 2004 by a Slovenian quartet, which retreated at 6,300m. From the cornice atop the ridge, Klonfar and Splichal climbed several pitches of icy loose rock to reach Drifika’s western summit.

Baszczynski and Novosad started a route on Zang Brakk’s east face that was completed a few weeks later by Lilla Mol- nar and Jennifer Olson (Czech Start Canadian Pinish, see note above.)

Dougald MacDonald, from a report at www.vsak.net