Nanga Parbat Range, Toshe Ri, South Side, Attempt and Tragedy

Pakistan, Western Himalaya
Author: Lindsay Griffin. Climb Year: 2015. Publication Year: 2016.

In August an expedition from Pakistan attempted to climb Toshe Ri (6,424m, a.k.a. Toshain I, Sarwali, or Dabbar) from the south. There is no confirmed ascent of this peak. Ascents reported in 1974 and '75 were almost certainly of Toshe V (6,132m), and documentation of an ascent of "Toshe (6,600m)" in 1983 by Bernd Neubauer's German team is totally unclear as to what peak they climbed, or even from where they approached. A team organized by the Kashmir Tourism Department went to try it in 2004 but abandoned the expedition when the leader came down with altitude sickness at base camp. In the summer of 2009, Robert Koschitzki and Christian Walter attempted it from the north and then northwest ridge, reaching a point 150m below the summit before high avalanche danger forced them back (AAJ 2010).

In 2015 a five-member Pakistani expedition approached via the Sarwali Glacier (35°4'56.94"N, 74°26'42.31"E) to the south, and established Camp 2 at 5,000m. The following day, August 31, Imran Junaidi, Khurram Rajpoot, and Usman Tariq continued the climb and were spotted at 5,500m, after which they made no communication with other members of the expedition. Subsequently, an aerial search provided no clues as to their disappearance. Junaidi and Tariq climbed Little Trango in 2014 (AAJ 2015).

Lindsay Griffin



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