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Charakusa/K7 and Nanga Parbat debrief
Oct 6, 2004 20: 02 EST
They were among the few Americans who went to Pakistan this troubled summer.
Their target: Charakusa/K7/Nanga multi header.
They came back with stunning pictures and left behind new routes and a first ascent.
Steve House (leader, USA), Marko Prezelj (Slovenia), Steve Swenson, Doug Chabot, Bruce Miller, and Jeff Hollenbaugh (all other members were Americans) travelled to the Charakusa valley in the end of June. The Charakusa is the next major valley east of (and parallel to) the famous Baltoro glacier valley.
Here is a summary of their climbs:
Nasser Brakk, Tasty Talking (image 4 & 5)
June 28th: Chabot and Swenson climbed the British route on Nasser Brakk (18,000ft) to acclimatize and Hollenbaugh and Miller attempted new route on Nasser Brakk via SW ridge.
June 29th: House and Prezelj followed Chabot and Swenson on the British route on Nasser, and excellent outing.
June 30th: House, Prezelj, and Swenson climb new route on SE ridge of Nasser Brakk. "Tasty Talking" is 5.10+, 500 meters. A couple of days later Miller and Prezelj added more pitches to this route by doing a start on the buttress right from the glacier, which they called "No More Tasty Talk", 5.10+, 1000m. (Images 4 and 5).
Kapura first ascent (image 2)
July 1st: Hollenbaugh and Miller climb south buttress on an un-named rock spire immediately down valley from Nasser Brakk.
July 2nd-6th: Chabot, House and Swenson do first ascent of Kapura Peak (6,554m) reaching summit via the west face and west ridge on July 4th (1700m, M4). Miller and Prezelj reach the summit by the same route on July 5th.
July 14th: Miller and Prezelj do first ascent of route on an un-named rock tower below and south of K-7
K7 new route, solo, Japanese repeat in Alpine style, image 1
July 24th-25th: House climbs new route on K-7(6,934m) solo by the southwest face. His 2,700 meter route is graded 5.10, 80 degree ice, M6+, A2. He accomplished it in 41.75 hours round trip from basecamp. This was the 2nd ascent of the peak
July 24-28: Chabot and Miller repeat original Japanese route on K7 to do the 3rd ascent of the peak. The Japanese climbed this route in 1983 with 450 bolts, plus pitons and 6,500 meters of fixed rope. Chabot and Miller climbed alpine style, making the summit late on the fourth day, and descending via House's route where they found some of his rappel anchors.
K7-West and Nanga Parbat
July 24-28: Hollenbaugh, Prezelj and Swenson attempt the NW ridge of unclimbed K7-West (circa 6,600m) but turn around 300 meters from the top because of dangerous snow conditions where they triggered a small slab avalanche which swept Swenson's pack 1,000 meters back down the face..
August 1-9th: Expedition returned to Skardu and Hollenbaugh and Prezelj returned home. House, Chabot, Miller and Swenson rested in Skardu then travelled to Nanga Parbat (8,125m) basecamp below the Rupal (south) face.
August 12-18: Chabot and Swenson climb the Mezino Ridge on Nanga Parbat to where the ridge ends at the Mezino col and intersects the Schell route on Nanga Parbat at 7,300m. Chabot and Swenson then descend the Schell route without going to the summit of Nanga Parbat due to fatigue and the weather turning bad. Poor conditions on the Schell route result in a decision not to go back up that route to finish going to the summit later.
August 13-17th: House and Miller attempted a bold new route on the Rupal main face between the Messner route and the Polish route. They climbed ice to 90 degrees and mixed pitches rated up to M7. Most of the terrain they soloed, the only way to make time on the 4,000 meter high face. They belayed a total of just 9 pitches. On the morning of the forth day they reached 7,500 meters before health problems forced them to descend and traverse down to the Messner route which they followed back to the base of the huge face on their fifth day.
August 22nd : Chabot, Miller and Swenson leave basecamp for home. House remains to attempt the Rupal face again solo.
August 27th: House leave base camp with a lung infection after initiating a solo attempt on the Rupal Face that does not reach the previous high point.
1: Second bivouac on K7, Chogolisha in far distance
2: Jeff Hollenbaugh and Bruce Miller on Kapura
3: BC
4. Tasty Talking
5. Steve House on "No Tasty Talking"
Debreif report courtesy of the expedition, images courtesy of Marko Prezelj.
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