In April, Boris Langenstein and Kevin Sur visited the Sumayar Valley (in the past also written Sumaiyer), where they climbed and descended a new route on Dawson Peak (5,520m, 36°11'37.53"N, 74°42'9.96"E). Sur, who is Franco-Turkish and working in Vietnam, was being guided by Langenstein, although the two are childhood friends and attempt to ski together each year.

On the 18th, from a high camp and carrying their skis, the two climbed the 800m west-northwest face in good snow conditions (generally 40–45°, with a section of 50° through a serac barrier) to reach the summit. They skied down the same route. They also skied on the flanks of the mountain, making an ascent of a small summit low on the northwest ridge (Peak 5,023m, 36°12'58.79"N, 74°41'42.41"E) and on the upper Sumayar Glacier.

Though it was the first ascent and descent of this face, this was not the first ski descent of Dawson Peak. Over the last decade there has been some activity on the eastern flanks, mostly by French alpinists. On April 30, 2018, Sam Favret, Julien Herry, and Leo Slemett made the first known ski descent from the summit, climbing and descending the east-northeast face (1,000m, 45–50°).

Peak Dawson was first climbed in the summer of 1979 via the glaciated northwest ridge (finishing up northeast-facing slopes), starting from the Sumayar Valley, by Philip and Stephen Venables from the U.K. Their high camp was on the col southeast of Peak 5,023m. The mountain was named after the third member of their party, Jonathan Dawson, who, earlier in the expedition, while the team was exploring a valley east of Ultar, fell over a moraine, breaking his jaw and elbow.

Twenty years later, the peak was climbed again, when David Larrion and Ager Madariaga made the first ascent of the northeast ridge, above Hoppar village, via the Bualtar Glacier.

— Lindsay Griffin, AAJ, with information from Boris Langenstein, France

Editor's Note: The photo captions in this report refer frequently to a small 1984 expedition that made the first ascents of many of the peaks in this area. That expedition is documented here.