From June 5–7, Max Didier, Cristobal Señoret (both Chile), and I made the first ascent of the unnamed rock peak immediately south-southeast of Kishtwar Shivling. We climbed alpine style via the southeast ridge from an advanced base camp on the glacier below at 4,000m, making one bivouac on the ascent and another on the descent. There was only one ledge on the route that was big enough for our tent, in the col behind the very obvious spire on the ridge, where there was also enough snow to melt for water.

Just two pitches above our bivouac we were slowed by a massive slab that had no options for natural protection. Here, we placed two hand-drilled bolts. Above this lay the most technically difficult section of the route, a fine overhanging crack system (6c+/7a). The route had clean, solid granite throughout, except for three pitches in the middle where we had to climb a rocky gully hidden from the sun and thus quite icy. We measured the summit altitude at 5,370m and named it Monte Iñaki after Iñaki Coussirat, a good friend who died on Fitz Roy the previous January. We named the route Namaste Dost / Arista de los Sueños (700m, 17 pitches, 6c+/7a).

Later, we put up two rock routes on a little spire below and to the northeast of Monte Iñaki. Both had five pitches and difficulties up to 6b+ on good granite. The left route we named Dawa and the right Chai-Chillum-Chapati.

– Caro North, Germany