Darwo Chhok (5,860m), southwest face, attempt; Kako Peak (ca 4,900m), east face
Pakistan, Batura Muztagh
Approaching from Chalt through Bar and Baltar, Italians Florian and Martin Riegler, accompanied by photographer Monika Mehlmauer and Christoph Mohl (Austria), attempted the ca 1,000m rock wall that forms the southwest face of Darwo Chhok on the east side of the Toltar Glacier. They had previously tried this in 2008, climbing around 14 pitches before retreating due to bad weather and illness.
In 2012 conditions on the face again proved too dangerous, so after 15 pitches they descended. Instead the Riegler brothers made a four-day, alpine-style first ascent of a lower rock spire, dubbed Kako Peak (Big Brother). They climbed the east face by a 1,100m route named Ramadan (6c/7a and two wet pitches of A2). The summit was reached on August 1. Bolts were placed on some belays.
Kako Peak lies immediately above the moraines of the Baltar Glacier at 36°28’06.11” N, 74°23’27.21” E, at the end of the southwest ridge of Pt. 5,275m, a summit on the south-southeast ridge of the unclimbed Dadayo Chhok (5,940m). The first part of the east face, which rises out of grassy slopes, is slabby, but the upper headwall gave very steep granite climbing.
Lindsay Griffin, Mountain INFO, from information supplied by Martin Riegler, Italy
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