2015 Temasa Nala Expedition

Transcription

1 Temasa Nala Expedition A report on the exploration and unclimbed peaks of the upper Korlomshe Tokpo region of Zanskar in the Indian Himalaya 20 th August 20 th September 2015 Derek R Buckle (18 Hillfield Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4AP; derek@bucklefamily.com) Drew Cook & Gus Morton descending Kusyabla (5,916m) during the first ascent, with T10 in the background Sponsored by the Mount Everest Foundation, the Alpine Club Climbing Fund and the Austrian Alpine Club with clothing/equipment support from Bergans (Norway) and Duffler/Primus/Snigel Design (Sweden) Members: Derek Buckle, Drew Cook, Gus Morton, Knut Tønsberg, Stuart Worsfold With thanks to Chewang Motup & Yangdu Gombu of Rimo Expeditions, Leh, Ladakh, India

2 2 Contents: Summary page 3 Introduction page 3 The Climbing Team page 4 Support Staff & Administration page 5 Itinerary page 6 The journey between Leh and Padam page 6 The trek to and from base camp page 8 Exploration and climbing in the Korlomshe Tokpo page 9 Future opportunities in the region page 12 Conclusion page 13 Income & Expenditure page 14 Bibliography & Notes page 14 Maps page 15 Sponsors page 15 Appendix 1; Daily Itinerary page 15 Appendix 2. Coordinates & Heights of Key Locations page 18 Appendix 3. Weather page 18 Appendix 4. Flora and Fauna page 19 Copyright: The compilers of this report and the expedition members agree that any or all of this report may be copied for the purposes of private research. All photographs were taken by, and are the property of, members of the team as indicated.

3 3 Summary: Over a period of one month between the 20 th August and 20 th September 2015 the team travelled to the Korlomshe Tokpo region of Zanskar in the Indian Himalaya. In near perfect weather they established a base camp near the confluence of the Korlomshe Tokpo with the Temasa Nala at 4,061m before proceeding to establish two higher camps in the Korlomshe Tokpo proper. These two camps permitted easy exploration of, and access to, the mountains forming the cirque at the head of the glacial valley. From an advance base camp at 5,130m team members made successful first and second ascents of PK5916 (Kusyabla) via its southeast ridge (AD) before establishing a high camp on the glacier at 5,500m. From this high camp two team members successfully made the first ascent of PK5947 (Temple) via its ENE face and southeast ridge (AD). An attempt was also made on the 45-50º east face (D) of the Matterhorn-like peak at the head of the valley which was aborted at ~5,900m when it was evident that it would be unlikely to summit and return before nightfall. Introduction: While several of the major valleys south of Padam in the Zanskar region of the Indian Himalaya have been visited by foreigners, large swathes of this relatively remote area have received little attention. The Raru (Reru) Valley in particular has become popular following an exploratory visit in 2009 by a senior Japanese team led by Kimikazu Sakamoto. 1 More recently Sakamoto has made other trips to Zanskar, but we were especially interested to read the account of his 2012 expedition to the Temasa nala and subsequent exploration of the lower Korlomshe Tokpo. 2 His was the first party to enter this tributary valley where he identified and assigned major peaks in the vicinity of the Temasa nala based on a numbered T (for Temasa) notation. Twenty-one hitherto unclimbed peaks were identified and photographed. Following extensive correspondence with Kimikazu Sakamoto we selected three potential objectives in the Korlomshe Tokpo cirque (T9-T11) together with one outlier (T12) for which he generously provided information and photographs. Using this information we planned to establish camps high on the Korlomshe Glacier with the intention of exploring its upper reaches and attempting one or more of the unclimbed peaks comprising the high cirque. The absence of readily available high quality maps was a distinct disadvantage to our early planning, but once again Kimikazu Sakamoto was of immense help through his detailed sketch map of the topography surrounding the Temasa nala (see map 1). While satellite pictures indicated that most, if not all, of the major peaks had rocky summits guarded by steep walls, the presence of extended glacial fingers appeared to offer weak points allowing access to the cirque s upper bastions. Only close inspection would clarify our options. The two-day road journey to Padam from either Leh or Srinagar currently acts as a major discouragement to all but the determined traveller. All this is likely to change, however, when the road now under construction along the Zanskar River is complete since this will cut the time to travel from Leh by a significant margin. Its impact on Padam itself - which is already seeing a surge of large development projects - will be enormous, but completion may still be some way in the future.

4 4 Map 1. Temasa nala region with peaks climbed/attempted. Copyright K Sakamoto The Climbing Team: Derek Buckle, 71, British; Part-time consultant, essentially retired. AC member & past VP. Has extensive mountaineering experience throughout the world; notably Tibet, Greenland, Kyrgyzstan (Tien Shan), Tajikistan (Pamirs), Russia & Georgia (Caucasus), India (Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh, Zanskar), China, South America (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador), Antarctica (Antarctic Peninsula) and numerous trips to the Alps. He has made over 60 mountain first ascents plus many first British ascents and new routes. Leads rock to 5a/5b, ice to WI5, Mountaineering to TD and is a competent ski-tourer. Andrew (Drew) Cook, 50, British; HSE Supervisor & Mountain Safety Advisor. AC member. He has extensive climbing/mountaineering experience in the UK, Alps, Indian and Nepalese Himalaya and has spent two seasons with the British Antarctic Survey in Antarctica. He has accomplished first ascents in India and Antarctica in addition to several new routes. He is a competent ski-tourer and leads to HVS on rock.

5 5 Colin (Gus) Morton, 65, British, Retired European Civil Servant, AC Member. He has extensive climbing/mountaineering experience in the Alps & Dolomites and in numerous countries around the world having completed summits up to a height of 6,990m. Gus has accomplished two first ascents in the Karakoram and one in the Kunlun. He rock climbs to HVS/E1 and is a competent ice-climber and ski-tourer. His major claim to fame is as the author of the "funalps.com" website. Knut I. Tønsberg, 60, Norwegian, Journalist, AC & Norwegian AC member. He has extensive experience in the Alps and Dolomites developed over many seasons. Knut has many significant first winter ascents in Norway to his credit in addition to a very broad Norwegian mountaineering experience. He is a highly competent ski-tourer. Leads rock to HVS 5a and ice to WI4. Stuart Worsfold, 44, British; Tree surgeon/lecturer. AC member. He has extensive mountaineering experience in the Alps, Peru, India, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan with over 12 British first ascents. In addition, Stuart has accomplished a number of first ascents in India, in the Kazakhstan Dzungarian Alatau and the Kyrgyzstan Tien Shan. He has rock climbed widely in the UK, mainland Europe, and Australia and leads to HVS. He leads ice to WI4/5 and is a competent ski-tourer. A relaxed start for the team in Leh; DC

6 6 Support Staff & Administration: All in-country arrangements were made through the husband and wife team of Chewang Motup and Yangdu Gombu via their trekking company Rimo Expeditions (229 DLF Galleria, Phase IV, Gurgaon, Haryana , India; tel: / 28; Fax: ; We have worked with Rimo many times over the last seven years and they have consistently accommodated our requirements and have the breadth of organisation to respond rapidly to changes of circumstance and problems. Both they and their staff have always been a pleasure to work with. In addition to Malkeet (Maly) Singh, the Liaison Officer appointed by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation who was so helpful that he rapidly became one the of team, we were supported by two high altitude porters (HAPs, Pemba Sherpa & Dawung Bhutia), our excellent cook (Dinesh Rai) and his two assistants (Dewaan Singh & Dhayal Singh). Malkeet (Maly) Singh Pemba Sherpa Dawung Bhotia Dinesh Rai Dhayal Singh Dewaan Singh Itinerary: (See also Appendix 1 {for daily itinerary} & 2 {for Key GPS Locations}) The journey between Leh and Padam: The moderately sized town of Padam lies at the junction of the Doda and Zanskar rivers and currently has only the one road access from Kargil following first the Suru river to the Pensi La and then the Doda river from the pass. It comprises around 236km of unmade road that often suffers wash-out, although the need to maintain access to Padam ensures that it is kept navigable. The scenery, at least as far as the Pensi La is, however, stunning and this is a

7 7 route that I followed to the Pensilungpa valley in After leaving the predominantly Muslim community of Kargil the verdant pastures of the lower Suru river gradually give way to a more desert landscape, but not before the impressive vision of Nun and Kun appear in view. These two 7,000m giants dominate the horizon just beyond Kargil and, interestingly, are the only mountains of this height in the 700km between the Garhwal Himalaya and Nanga Parbat in the Karakoram. 4 Nun, the higher of the two at 7135m, was first climbed by a multinational team led by Bernard Pierre on 28 th August Leaving Nun and Kun behind, a plethora of high peaks continue to appear to the south of the road that offer intriguing possibilities for first ascents and new routes. On reaching the Pensi La (4,401m) the massive Durung Drung Glacier comes into view which, like that of the Shafat Glacier descending from the Nun Kun massif, reaches to the valley floor. Z8 (6,050m) guards the head of this valley, although it is Z3 (6,273m) further south that commands the eye. Z3 and the Durung Drung Glacier; DRB Collecting water in Kargil; DRB Descending steeply into the broad Doda valley the scenery beomes less impressive, but inquisitive marmots broke up the monotony of the long flat journey into Padam. Overall it took a numbing 12 hours from Kargil. The two main access points to Kargil itself are either Srinagar, the state capital of Kashmir, or Leh in Ladakh. We chose Leh since it is relatively easily accessible by plane from Delhi and because it offered greater personal security from the spasmodic unrest in Kashmir. As the 225km road from Leh is predominantly metalled it offers a fast, comfortable route to Kargil. Moreover, there are a number of sights en route such as the old Mosque near Leh centre; DC Alchi monastery and the ancient rock-carved Future Buddha at Mulbek. We visited both of these. This scenic road starts by following the Indus River past its confluence with the Zanskar River until Lamayuru (with its impressive hill-top gompa), when it continues over the Fotu La (4,094m). It then follows the Sangeluma Chu to then cross the Namika La (3,720m) after which it continues along the Wakh River. The journey takes about 8 hours if taking in the major sights on route. 1The Future Buddha at Mulbek; DRB Returning to Leh covered the same route as that taken on the outward journey with the crucial difference that we

8 8 omitted any sightseeing. While this had little impact on the Padam to Kargil leg it did reduce the time returning from Kargil to Leh. The trek to and from base camp: From Padam it is a short drive to Bardan Gompa where we had arranged to pick up horses from the village of Pibchu for the walk in to base camp. Miraculously, the horses morphed into 10 small donkeys, but we were fortunate to enlist an additional 5 horses that were coincidently returning to the Monks close to Padam centre; DC village as we left. Without these extra animals the interminable ascent to an impromptu camp at the Chokmetsik Springs, just 6km up the Temasa nala, would have been impossible. Laden donkeys are not suited to the terrain of the Temasa nala and they struggled under their 40kg loads. Being taller, and with a greater load carrying capacity (60kg), horses performed considerably better. As it was we eventually lost a day by inserting an interim camp site and were still obliged to locate the base camp at only 4,153m close to the confluence of the Temasa nala and Korlomshe Tokpo, rather than high in the latter valley as anticipated. Prayer wheel, Padam; GM Donkeys and extra helper?; DC Stuart and Gus ascending the Temasa nala; DRB On account of being lower, dismantling the base camp should have been a simple manoeuvre but we still encountered unexpected problems. After much checking and confirmation, eight horses were guaranteed to arrive late on 13 th September but when we looked out of the tents the following morning lo and behold they too had metamorphosed. This time into one donkey and four porters, one of whom was well into his prime. In no possible way would this be adequate to transport personal and camp gear back to Base Camp on the Temasa nala; DRB Bardan. By way of a solution our personal gear was carried down to leave the camp equipment and two support staff to come later when the horses did eventually arrive. Needless to say they failed to materialise, as demonstrated by the Four men and a donkey; DRB

9 9 unladen arrival of the residual support team just as we left for Padam. It required a night hike with eleven locals to retrieve what had been left behind and some serious negotiation over how much they were to be paid! Exploration and climbing in the Korlomshe Tokpo (see sketch map below): In retrospect the lower Korlomshe Tokpo is unsuitable for load-bearing animals comprising, as it does, a minefield of unstable boulders. It is bad enough simply man-hauling up this uncompromising terrain and even grazing yaks restrict their activities to the more vegetated regions just a few hundred metres above the Temasa nala. Several members of the team took falls descending from the advance base camp and it was not a journey any of us liked. Sketch map based on the Survey of India with route and peaks climbed/attempted Several trips up the Korlomshe Tokpo were necessary in order to both locate and stock an advance base. The first two forays explored a variety of options in order to limit the number of lateral moraine crossings that we had to make, and eventually we settled on following the true left river bank as much as possible once we had Derek, Drew, Maly and Stuart about to leave for ABC; DC negotiated the lower crenulations. After establishing two high Drew on the lateral moraine gear stashes we finally located the ABC (Camp 3) at 5,130m by a leading to ABC; DRB small fresh-water tarn fed from glacial meltwater. This was undoubtedly the site used by the

10 Japanese team since it fits their description with fair accuracy. The views from this camp were impressive. The north wall leading to T10 (5,957m) dominated the southern aspect and the south face of T11 (5,908m) dominated that to the north. Neither looked attractive propositions from this position but we did not have clear sight of the glacier proper or of its upper reaches. What did appeal to us was a prominent snow peak to the northwest of T10 that we felt could be approached via a glacial tongue running southeast/east towards the main glacier. Closer inspection showed that this tongue was continuous and offered a viable approach. After precariously crossing the icy Korlomshe Tokpo early on the 1 st September three of us (DB, DC & GM) soloed up the easy but penitente-covered, 6 spur until the point where it turned left and steepened. At this point we roped up before climbing the consistently angled 35-40º slope to the ridge. From here T10 (5,957m) loomed impressively on our left while we continued rightwards (northwest) to climb a steep Derek and Gus on the summit slopes of Kusyabla; DC ABC at 5,130m; DRB (40º) corniced ridge to a small rocky summit to complete the first ascent of PK5916 by a route that we graded as Alpine AD. 7 In addition to the obvious feature of T10, the view west revealed the awesome face of T9 (6,107m), the peak that we had designated as our preferred target. It was immediately clear that we would not be attempting this peak, separated as it was from us by a long and difficult knife-edged ridge. To the northwest, however, was another attractive option that we considered might be approachable from a camp higher up the main glacier. It was logged for another day. For several reasons we decided to call PK5916 Kusyabla, the Ladakhi name for monk. 8 But now our immediate priority was to descend safely. It had been easier to climb the ultimate ridge un-roped and since we had seen few crevasses on the way up we retraced our path back to ABC solo. Three days later KT made the second ascent of Kusyabla accompanied by Maly, our Liaison Officer. Panorama from Kusyabla summit; DRB With little more that we could hopefully achieve at ABC we spent a day walking up the main glacier to the headwall forming the upper cirque, with the intention of eventually establishing a high camp within reasonable reach of some climbable objectives. What soon became

11 11 Members of the team on the Korlomshe Glacier; DC evident, however, was that there were few breeches that might provide a straightforward access to T11 and that T13 (6,436m) would be too great a challenge for our team. Nonetheless, we were attracted by the Matterhorn-like peak (6,050m on the Olizane map but probably much higher) that formed the centrepiece of the headwall cirque. But first we had to carry enough gear and provisions to establish a High Camp (Camp 4) at 5,500 directly beneath the Matterhorn. By 7 th September the remaining team (Stuart having earlier decided to return home for personal reasons) were all together again at Camp 4. Drew, unfortunately was now suffering from a disconcerting dizziness of unknown origin so had reluctantly decided to rest rather than climb higher. On the 8 th High camp at 5,500m with 'Matterhorn' E face behind; DC September, therefore, three of us (DB, GM, KT) approached the east face of the Matterhorn via a broad glacial spur running up towards the southwest before roping-up as the face steepened to 45-50º (Alpine D). As the face narrowed towards the rocky ridge it soon became apparent that we were unlikely to reach the summit and return before nightfall so, at around 5,900m, we reluctantly agreed to descend foiled by time, not technical difficulty. Four full-length abseils later led to easy ground and a relatively quick return to high camp. Derek, Gus and Knut on the 'Matterhorn' E face; DC The next day Gus returned to Base Camp to investigate rock climbing possibilities in the Temasa nala while DB, DC and KT essentially rested at high camp. A quick stroll convinced us that a viable route did indeed exist to the peak that we had earlier identified from Kusyabla and we planned to attempt this next. With Drew still concerned about his dizziness he elected to descend on 10 th September while DB and KT crossed the Korlomshe Glacier to the peak s ENE face. Solo climbing on continuous 40-45º Kusyabla and Temple from the Korlomshe Glacier; KT ice led ultimately to a narrow col to the right of an impressive cornice at around 5,800m that offered superb views of the northwest side of Kusyabla. Turning rightwards we then climbed

12 12 steeply (50º) towards the northwest keeping left of an obvious short rock tower on the summit ridge. Four and one-half hours after leaving camp we arrived on the compact summit of PK5,947 to make the first ascent (Alpine AD). As found on Kusyabla, the views were far reaching and stupendous. Kusyabla dominated the foreground to the southeast with T10 close behind, but it was the imposing bulk of T9 to the southwest that caught the eye. To the north was the Matterhorn and beyond that was T13, the giant of the valley. In a more distant panorama were the peaks to the south of the Temasa Knut on the final slopes of Temple; DRB nala, with the glaciated face of R3 (6,036m) standing out. Resisting the temptation to delay further we returned to the high camp by the route of ascent. We chose to call this peak Temple to reflect the characteristic The E Face of T9 from Temple; DRB pulpit-like structure on its summit ridge and to retain a tenuous link with the choice of Monk for our earlier peak. Dismantling BC; DRB With time now running out we evacuated Camp 4 the next day, carrying excessively heavy loads as far as Camp 3. Here we left all but essential items to be collected by Maly and the HAPs the following morning while the rest of the team took in the ambience of Base Camp and replenished body fat as best we could ready for the return to civilisation and thence home. Future opportunities in the region: As Gus demonstrated during one of his relaxing days at Base Camp, there are opportunities for cragging on the lower buttresses of the Temasa nala but any rock climbing in the upper regions of the Korlomshe Tokpo looks to be a serious proposition. Once on the higher ridges scrambling may well be possible but we never put this to the test. As far as we could discern, access to the upper cirque is only straightforward in a few places. Our team climbed, or attempted, the most obvious lines and an ascent of the Matterhorn-like peak certainly appeared viable to us but would require a faster speed of ascent or possibly an additional camp on the glacial spur beneath the east face. Dinesh Rai rock climbing near BC; GM

13 13 We did consider approaching T11 via the rubble gully leading westwards from the Korlomshe Topo which leads ultimately to a vestigial glacier. A more detailed exploration is necessary to ascertain whether this is indeed a viable option. Alternatively, approaching the mountain from the north flank should lead to the same glacier. Panorama of the Korlomshe Tokpo showing T11 in centre; DRB There are a host of unclimbed peaks surrounding the Korlomshe Tokpo and its adjacent glaciers but these all require closer inspection in order to establish their accessibility to teams of moderate ability. Conclusion: Continuing the initial exploratory work of Kimikazu Sakamoto in 2012, the team was the first group to reach the upper Korlomshe Glacier and to assess the climbing potential of the headwall cirque. In addition to photographing peaks that have hitherto remained unseen, various members of the party made successful ascents of two previously unclimbed peaks, PK5,916 (Kusyabla; 1 st and 2 nd ascents via the SE ridge) and PK5,947 (Temple; 1 st ascent via ENE face & SE ridge). They also attempted the east face of the dominant Matterhorn-like peak at the head of the valley, but retreated due to time constraints at ~5,900m.

14 14 Income & Expenditure: INCOME: MEF Grant: 1, Alpine Club Climbing Fund Grant: Austrian Alpine Club Grant: Additional personal contributions: 12, Total: 14, EXPENDITURE: Flights to and from Delhi: 2, Flights to and from Leh & Delhi: Excess Baggage charges: Visas: Insurance: IMF Peak Fees: Liaison Officer clothing allowance: In country costs (to Rimo): 9, Additional meals & refreshments: Gratuities: Total: 14, Bibliography & Notes: 1. K. Sakamoto, American Alpine Journal, , 84, K. Sakamoto, Himalayan Journal, , 68, D. Buckle, Alpine Journal, 15-23, 118, M. Kurz, Berge der Welt, V, 194, Pierre Vittoz, The Mountain World: (Marcel Kurz, ed.), George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., London, 82-92, Solid penitentes extended over large portions of the Korlomshe Glacier and its subsidiaries but they rarely attained heights above 10-20cm. Whereas on steep slopes they provided convenient ledges for security, on flatter ground they made glacial travel tiring and awkward. 7. Altitude and position recorded by GPS measurements 8. Not only did Pemba, one of our HAPs, spend 14 years training as a monk and had only left the monastery 3 months prior to joining us, but we likened the scenery to that in the Bernese Oberland where the Mönch sits between the Eiger and the Jungfrau. Glossary: Indian names vary widely in their spelling, presumably reflecting the phonetic translations used by cartographers. We have used those employed on the Leomann maps wherever possible. Gompa is a monastery La signifies a pass Nala, Tokpo & Chu all imply a river or stream, but other terms are also used

15 15 Maps: The most readily available map is the Leomann 1:200,000 Indian Himalayaa Map, Sheet 2, Jammu & Kashmir which can be obtained from Stanfords, Long Acre, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9LP, Also available from the same vendor is the 1:150,000 Editions Olizane map covering Ladakh & Zanskar South. Electronic versions of the Russian 1:200,000 map, 200k-i43-23 are held by the Alpine Club, 55 Charlotte Road, London, EC2A 3QF, Satellite pictures are freely available from Google Earth, Sponsors: The expedition was supported by the following sponsors to whom we are especially grateful: Alpine Club Climbing Fund Mount Everest Foundation Austrian Alpine Club Bergans Duffler Daily Itinerary: Thursday 20 th August Friday 21 st August (Overnight hotel in Delhi) Saturday 22 nd August (Overnight hotel in Leh) Sunday 23 rd August (Overnight hotel in Leh) Appendix 1 DB, DC & SW flew from Gatwick to Dubai to meet with GM arriving from Geneva. All four continued to Delhi. KT flew Oslo to Helsinki and then on to Delhi direct. Whole team arrived in Delhi to meet with the IMF and Liaison Officer. All flew from Delhi to Leh (3,500m) to meet Rimo representatives and confirm onward plans. Sightseeing in the Indus valley Visits to Shey & Stok Gompas.

16 16 Monday 24 th August (Overnight hotel in Kargil) Tuesday 25 th August (Overnight camp at Padam) Wednesday 26 th August (Camp 1 at Chokmetsik springs 4,061m) Thursday 27 th August (Camp 2 at 4,153m) Friday 28 th August (Camp 2 at 4,153m) Saturday 29 th August (Camp 2 at 4,153m) Sunday 30 th August (Camp 3 at 5,130m) Monday 31 st August (Camps 2 & 3) Tuesday 1 st September (Camps 2 & 3) Wednesday 2 nd September (Camp 3 at 5,130m) Thursday 3 rd September (Camps 2 & 3) Friday 4 th September (Camps 2 & 3) Saturday 5 th September (Camps 2 & 3) Sunday 6 th September (Camp 3) A 225 km (8.5h) car journey following the Indus via Alchi Gompa & Lamayuru. Then followed the Sangeluma & Wakh rivers via Mulbekh to Kargil. Continued the 236 km (12h) drive to Padam, first following the Suru river to the Pensi La. Then followed the Doda river to Padam. Virtually all on un-metalled road. Walked from road-head at Bardan Gompa assisted by donkeys & horses to camp by the Temasa Nala at the Chokmetsik Springs well short of the intended area. Continued with donkeys up the Temasa Nala to camp close to its confluence with the Korlomshe Tokpo. Destined to be the Base Camp. Made a preliminary reconnoitre of the Korlomshe Tokpo and dropped a small stash of climbing equipment at around 4,500m. Donkeys unable to go further so carried further food and equipment to a second stash at 5,000m. Consolidated all gear at this site before returning to Camp 2. Rested at Camp 2 to assist acclimatisation. All returned to the higher stash to make a carry to establish an advance base camp at 5,130m close to a collection of small clear ponds below the Korlomshe glacier. After retrieving his gear Stuart decided for personal reasons to head home. Residual stash collected and taken to Camp 3. A short exploration to assess the feasibility of approaching the peaks to the right (northwest) of T10. Knut & Maly descended back to Camp 2. DB, DC & GM ascended west-northwest up the 35-40º glacial spur beneath T10 to make the first ascent of PK5916 (AD) via its southeast ridge. View establishes that T9 is inaccessible from here. Suggested the name Kusyabla. Knut & Maly remained at Camp 2. DB, DC & GM rested at Camp 3. Knut & Maly arrived early afternoon. Whole team ascended the main Korlomshe Glacier to explore opportunities in the upper cirque. Potential site for a high camp at 5,500m. After returning to Camp 3 DB, DC & GM descended to Camp 2. KT & Maly remained at Camp 3 KT & Maly made the second ascent of Kusyabla via the southeast ridge. DB, DC & GM rested at Camp 2 DB and HAPs ascended to Camp 3 with additional supplies. DC & GM remained a further day at Camp 2. Maly returned to Camp 2 while DB, KT & HAPs carried gear to the proposed site of Camp 4 at 5,500m before returning to Camp 3. DC &

17 17 GM re-ascended to Camp 3. Monday 7 th September (Camp 4 at 5,500m) Tuesday 8 th September (Camp 4 at 5,500m) Wednesday 9 th September (Camps 2 & 4) Thursday 10 th September (Camps 2 & 4) Friday 11 th September (Camp 2) Saturday 12 th September (Camp 2) Sunday13 th September (Camp 2) Monday 14 th September (Overnight hotel in Padam) Tuesday 15 th September (Overnight hotel in Kargil) Wednesday 16 th September (Overnight hotel in Leh) Thursday 17 th September (Overnight hotel in Leh) Friday 18 th September (Overnight hotel in Delhi) Saturday 19 th September (Overnight hotel in Delhi) Sunday 20 th September Whole team relocated to Camp 4 assisted by the HAPs who then returned directly to Camp 2. DB, GM & KT ascended the southwest snow/ice ramp beneath the dominant Matterhorn-like peak due south of T13. They then climbed the icy 45-50º east face (D) until just below the rocky south ridge at 5,900m when time limitations rather than technical difficulty forced a retreat. Four abseils led back to easier ground and Camp 4. DB explored potential routes to the peak northwest of Kusyabla. DC & KT relaxed at Camp 4 while GM returned to Camp 2. DB & KT traversed WSW across the Korlomshe Glacier to solo climb steeply (40-45º) up the ENE face of the peak northwest of Kusyabla to a prominent col at 5,774m. They then continued up the southeast ridge at 45º to make the first ascent PK5947 (AD) which they subsequently named as Temple. They returned the same way. DC returned to Camp 2 to join GM and Maly. DB & KT cleared Camp 4 to return to Camp 2 via Camp 3. GM went rock climbing on slabs near Camp 2 with Mali, Pemba and Dinesh Rai. A relaxing day spent at Camp 2 while Maly and the HAPs returned to Camp 3 to clear the site ready for our departure. Another easy day as the horses were expected to arrive in anticipation of our departure tomorrow. Only one donkey and four locals materialised! Whole party descended to Bardan Gompa for transfer by car to Padam. HAPs and 11 locals returned overnight to clear Camp 2 of residual equipment. Whole party returned to Kargil while support staff continued directly to Leh Whole party continued the drive to Leh. DB & KT visit the Hall of Fame, the Pattar Sahib Gurudara Sikh Temple and Thiksay Gompa while DC & GM remained in Leh. Final parting with our support staff. Whole party flew from Leh to Delhi to meet with the IMF and say farewell to Maly. Spare day in Delhi. Visited the Ambience Mall. DB, DC & GM flew from Delhi back to Europe. KT remained in Delhi until 23 rd September.

18 18 Appendix 2 GPS Coordinates & Heights of Key Locations Location N coordinates E coordinates Height Comment Padam camp site 33º º ,610m 25/8/15, In town Bardan road-head 33º º ,663m 26/8/15, Beyond the Gompa Kong La 33º º /8/15 Camp 1, 33º º ,061m 26/8/15, By Chokmetsk Springs Camp 2, Base Camp 33º º ,153m Established 27/8/15, near the Temasa Nala & Korlomshe Tokpo confluence Stash 1 33º º ,565m 27/8/15 Stash 2 33º º ,950m 28/8/15 Camp 3, Advance 33º º m Established 30/8/15 Base Camp PK º º ,916m 1/9/15, 1 st ascent via SE ridge, AD; Kusyabla (Monk) PK º º ,916m 4/9/15, 2 nd ascent via SE ridge Camp 4, High Camp 33º º ,500m Sited 6/9/15, established 7/9/15 Temple Col 33º º ,774m 10/9/15, 1 st ascent via ENE face PK º º ,947m 10/9/15, 1 st ascent via ENE face to col then SE ridge, AD, Temple Appendix 3 Weather: We were fortunate to have almost continuous brilliantly clear skies for our stay in Zanskar. Only on one early morning were we faced with significant cloud and there was a dusting of snow overnight on one occasion. Both rapidly dispersed and had no impact on our activities. The base camp was exposed to persistent winds descending from higher up the Temasa nala but no other camp was similarly affected. Temperatures were hot during the daytime but, as expected, they dropped significantly overnight. The lowest tent temperature recorded at high camp was in the region of minus 6-10ºC.

19 19 Appendix 4 Flora & Fauna: On account of its protected position, Zanskar is shielded from the monsoon rains and is essentially a barren desert terrain. The vegetation that exists does so predominantly in the areas close to the major rivers and consists mainly of coarse grasses. Yaks, sheep and goats are the predominant livestock of the locals with some horses and donkeys kept solely for transport. We saw little evidence of indigenous wildlife other than groups of marmots close to the Suru and Doda rivers and birdlife was restricted to wagtails, redstarts, chuffs and other small birds. No raptors were evident, presumably reflecting the dearth of small rodents. Literally thousands of large crickets inhabited the area close to Bardan. Himalayan marmots Crickets Plants other than grasses were rare but clusters of unidentified vegetation did exist in some locations as illustrated in the photographs below. The Himalayan Blue Poppy was an unexpected sight. Himalayan Blue Poppy Gentians