Noshaq Ski Expedition. Dr. Roland Schulz, leader of the expedition of the Academic Alpine Club of Innsbruck, had to escort back to Kabul their doctor, Jörg Schmidl, who had contracted encephalitis. Meanwhile, on July 11, Karl Gabl, Gerd Ganter, Gerhard Markl, Hansjörg Meser and Ullrich Schwabe made the first ski descent from the summit of Kharposhte Yakchi (18,695 feet). Their ski descent from Noshaq (24,580 feet) was a particular feat. They placed three camps on the Austrian route. New snow kept bothering them. Rejoined by Schulz, they all reached the west and main summits of Noshaq on July 25. Starting from the very highest point, they descended to Base Camp that same day. They had to carry their skis some 800 feet on the rock band below Camp III during this vertical drop of 8000 feet. Gabl and Markl were away from Base Camp for only two days on this summit push, the others for three days. They marked the route with red flags which were left here by Dr. Richard Hechtel’s 1969 American-Austrian expedition. They also discovered a board with names carved into it of a Swiss group that had been in the Qadzi-Deh valley in the fall of 1969. Nothing further is yet known at the moment of this group.

adolf Diemberger, Österreichischer Alpenklub