A small, multinational team left Shimshal on July 17 with the intention of ascending the Virjerab Glacier to its head, reaching Virjerab Pass, and from there making the first ascent of the large snow peak Virjerab Sar (6,601m on Russian and Japanese maps, 6,601m/6,635m and Peak 122 on the Wala map, 36°4’16.08”N, 75°43’31.12”E).

In 2022, Phil de-Beger (U.K.) and Murilo Lessa (Brazil) had tried this peak from the south, coming up the Braldu and Sim Gang glaciers. Unfortunately, their porters turned around 30km from the peak. When the climbers eventually reached the base of the mountain, they were thwarted by large crevasses (see AAJ 2023).

This time, de-Beger, Lorenzo Heis (Switzerland), and Aleksi Mujirishvili (Georgia) planned to approach by the Hispar Glacier and Snow Lake to reach the Sim Gang Glacier, crossing Virjerab Pass and descending the Virjerab Glacier to Shimshal after the climb. However, on arrival, they were told this would require high-altitude porters, and their budget wouldn’t cover that expense. On the advice of their Shimshal agent, they opted to approach and descend via the Virjerab Glacier.

The team made seven camps on the approach, the last being their base camp at 5,353m on the upper east branch of the Virjerab Glacier. On July 26, they climbed to Virjerab Pass (around 6,000m) to look at route options, then dropped back down to a camp at 5,894m (36°6’7.09”N, 75°43’10.53”E). The next day, they decided to head across the northwest side of the mountain to reach the north-northwest ridge, which they climbed to around 6,400m, avoiding a difficult section via the east flank. Close to the summit, strong sunlight made the snow conditions poor, and the trio decided to descend.

After a rest at base camp and some bad weather, they started up the mountain again on August 7, camping that night at the 5,894m site. They rested the next day, then, on the 9th, followed the same route to the north-northwest ridge and up to the summit. The GPS altitude was 6,616m.

Leaving the mountains, the three descended the Virjerab Glacier, carrying loads up to 45kg each, until they reached the site of their fourth approach camp at 4,333m. Here, they were met by six porters and a guide. On August 16, they all arrived back in Shimshal. The team’s Mount Everest Foundation (MEF) trip report is available here.  

            —Lindsay Griffin, from MEF report