Chashkin Sar. In September Samina Baig from Shimshal Village made what is reported to be the first ascent of Chashkin Sar (quoted as 6,400m but according to some sources more likely to be ca 6,000m; a similarly named peak close to Shimshal was climbed in winter during 1997). Baig, an 18-year-old from Shimshal Village, climbed with her brother Mirza Ali, Yahya Baig, Arshad Karim, Salamat Khan, Tafat Shah, and Romanian film-maker, Stelian Pavalache. The expedition was organized by Pakistan Youth Outreach, an educational youth mountaineering program (founded by Mirza Ali) that also promotes women adventurers. The mountain has been renamed Samina Peak.

In early December Baig attempted a quasi-winter ascent of Mingligh Sar (6,050m) but retreated 150m below the summit due to extreme cold and insufficient clothing (mostly due to the expedition’s financial constraints). This previously climbed peak close to the Shimshal Pass was ascended again on January 3, 2011 by eight girls from Shimshal and their four instructors from the Shimshal Mountaineering School, including the renowned Qudrat Ali. One of the successful female summiteers, Hafiza Bano, was 16 years old. Summit temperatures were recorded as -38°C.

Lindsay Griffin, Mountain INFO