In August, Vilnis Barons, Eduard Skukis, and I climbed in the Shakhdara Range of the southwest Pamir, south of Seydzh village (37°12'31"N, 72°03'E). We traveled to Seydzh in a 4WD truck, via Dushanbe and Khorog, and then, finding the local Pamiri people very friendly, were able to hire donkeys for two days to transport our equipment up the Seydzh River valley to Lake Zardiv (ca 3,700m), where we acclimatized for three or four days. After this we went to Zardiv Pass (4,706m), from which we saw a wonderful mountain, Dzharkh (a.k.a. Jarkh, 6,038m), a peak climbed two or three times, from 1973–’76, by Soviet mountaineers. There are only two routes to the summit, but potential for more. On August 8 we climbed Louknitsky (5,802m, 37°04'07"N, 72°06'40"E) via the Chibud Glacier, icefall, and east ridge (Russian 3A). This peak had been climbed four times previously, in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1981, with TD routes on the north face.

After this we moved into the valley that rises southeast from Lake Zardiv, where the peaks of Asham (5,858m), Granatovy (5,446m), and Borovikova (5,848m) are located. We climbed to the Latvian Rifleman’s Pass (5,580m), first reached in 1987, and from there climbed Bagritsky (5,725m) via the southwest ridge at 3B. This peak was climbed once before, in 1977, by Nataly Tikhonkova’s Russian team, via the northeast face. We followed a similar line to their descent route. The weather and snow conditions were good, so we got fine panoramic views, including the Afghan Hindu Kush. We crossed the pass and continued down the Ganzek Valley to Yamchun (3,500m), just north of the Oxus River, where there are hot springs and a small hotel. From there we took a truck ca 200km to Khorog, and the following day to Dushanbe.

Oleg Silin, Latvia