These climbs were not previously reported in the AAJ. In August 1988, Walter Phipps and I established base camp at Daltanas (3,922m), at the junction of the Hispar and Kunyang glaciers (36.154714°N, 75.123350°E). We had no particular objective, and we decided to walk up the hillside above base camp and see what we could find. This led us into a cirque to the northwest, where we set up an advanced base at 4,910m (36.193268°N, 75.092607°E) and attempted a number of climbs. This is the cirque above the last stream before reaching Daltanas.

First, we attempted Peak 5,643m (36.199847°N, 75.084696°E) on the west flank of the cirque. This is effectively a subpeak on the southwest ridge of Faroling Chhish. We climbed a couloir to the left of the peak, breaking right at two-thirds height to reach the difficult 10m rock pinnacle on the summit. This was badly iced and Walter was shivering uncontrollably, so we abseiled back down. The route was alpine PD to our high point.

From a bivouac at 5,230m, we next attempted the left side of the south face of Faroling Chhish South (ca 6,170m, 36.210278°N, 75.090165°E), the highest peak in the cirque. At about 5,950m, we began to traverse toward the summit. Moving slowly and with no bivouac gear, we decided to descend. The route was on snow and ice (D to the high point).

Walter was still suffering from frostnip and split fingertips, so I decided to attempt Faroling Chhish South on my own. After resting at base camp, I returned to the 5,230m bivouac, this time opting to attempt the more direct central couloir on the south face. I set off at midnight on September 8. Conditions were good as I climbed the 800m or so of ice unroped to reach the southeast ridge. A long cornice guarded the summit, and I circumvented this to the left with some exposed moves over the south face. I arrived at the top at 8 a.m.

I had intended to descend the south face, but realized this would be far harder going down than it had been going up. Instead, I set off down the southeast ridge. One short rocky section had some tricky moves. Eventually I joined a couloir that led back to the bivouac.

After resting at base camp, Walter and I returned to the cirque. On September 14 we climbed a rock peak (5,594m, 36.192386°N, 75.101135°E) on the right flank of the cirque, from a col to the south. The rock varied from loose to excellent granite, and the route was alpine D. Unlike Peak 5,643m, this is an independent summit with a prominence of around 330m.

We returned to Karimabad in the Hunza Valley, and on August 24–25 we climbed a 14-pitch rock route, Perfect Day, in the Ultar Nala above the village. The gully/chimney line starts 300m above the start of the top water channel (36.346558°N, 74.676101°E). Excellent granite climbing, up to British E2 5c, was marred at the top by a final corner of loose rock, where we broke out rightward across slabs and up a grass ramp that led to a shepherd's hut. An unplanned night was spent on the route.

The heights given come from the Soviet 1:100,000 military maps and are quite close to Google Earth heights. Faroling Chhish South does not have a spot height, but Faroling Chhish North, 450m to the north, is given a height of 6,178m. On Google Earth, the north peak is 5m higher than the south summit, so I imagine Faroling Chhish South is around 6,170m.

Peter Thompson, Alpine Club, U.K.