Rishi Kot, Northwest Face, 1979. Tadeusz Karolczak and Ryszard Pawlowski on September 9, 1979 made the first ascent of the ice-covered northwest face of Rishi Kot (6236 meters, 20,460 feet). The 5000-foot- high wall is technically difficult, equally steep at 60° to 70° and without a place to take a rest. The weather was good at first but after two P.M. snowfall and cold winds made the climb hazardous. The alpine-style ascent took 16 hours, until ten P.M. The pair spent the night on the summit, descending the next day to Base Camp. Chris Bonington and Dougal Haston attempted the face during their 1974 Changabang expedition but retreated several hundred meters below the summit. In 1978 the Brown University expedition also unsuccessfully attempted this face.

Józef Nyka, Editor, Taternik, Poland