SHAKHAUR (7,116 M.),¹1969—FIRST ASCENT OF NORTH BUTTRESS—FRENCH EXPEDITION

[Reprinted by kind permission of the Alpine Journal]

HENRY AGRESTI

[Members: Mme I. Agresti, H. Agresti, R. Dietz, J-P. Fresafond, P. Gendre, R. Gillot, C. Jager, B. Mathieu, J-P. Paris (leader), J. Soubis, R. Thomas, Dr. F. Magnin. The first ascent of Shakhaur was made in 1964 by the Austrians G. Gruber and R. Pischinger, by an easier route from Chitral (Mountain World, 1964-65, 36). In October 1963 a Polish party had made an attempt on the north buttress, but they were too late in the season and they only reached a height of about 6,000 metres (,A.J., 77, 210, O.A.Z., 1335, 75, and Taternik, 1965, 1-2, 32, 51). See map at A.J., 71, 203, for location].

OUR party of twelve reached Kabul by air at the end of July, our baggage having gone overland by lorry. We established our Base Camp at 4,300 metres near the west foot of the north buttress.

On 7 August the assault began. Gendre, Jager and Paris attacked the buttress by its west slope and installed nearly 500 metres of fixed ropes. Next day Agresti, Dietz, Fresafond and Mathieu fixed another 500 metres of rope and found a suitable site for Camp I at 5,400 metres. It was apparent, however, that the route taken on these two days was not very safe and was particularly dangerous in the afternoon when torrents of water and stones swept down along the fixed ropes. The crest of the buttress afforded a better route ; new fixed ropes were put in place and on the 9th a height of 4,950 metres had been attained. The 1,000 metres of rope previously fixed on the original route were taken down.

Camp II was established at 5,700 metres on 12 August and the work of supplying the camps went on. Above Camp II the route through the seracs had to be made safe. Dietz, Jager, Mathieu and Paris continued this work up to 6,050 metres and found a suitable route ; by the 14th the way to the summit was open. The four, with Gendre and Soubis, spent that night at Camp II and next day pitched Camp III at 6,400 metres. After an unpleasant night they set out for the summit on 16 August but, tired and short of equipment, they gave up the attempt only 50 metres above Camp III and went down to Base the same day. Two days later H. and I. Agresti fixed 300 metres of rope above Camp III and reached a height of 6,650 metres before returning to camp. Finally, after a day of bad weather, H. and I. Agresti, Jager and Mathieu left Camp III for the summit on 20 August, but I. Agresti had to give up after climbing some 50 metres beyond the camp. The other three went on and after passing over the antecime attained the summit. The altimeter registered 6,850 metres and the height of 7,116 metres seems definitely too high, as also is the case with other peaks in the same area formerly thought to be seven-thousanders, such as Kishmi-Khan and Nadir Shah.²

Two days later Gendre, Paris, Soubis and Thomas reached the summit and went down to Camp III the same evening. Dietz and Fresafond made an attempt on the 23rd, but owing to thick fog were unable to go beyond the antecime. The whole party was back at Base Camp on 24 August.

Without ever being of extreme difficulty, the buttress was quite steep and there were some difficult sections, in particular the great wall below Camp I, some steep little pitches between Camps I and II, the seracs interspersed with steep walls between Camps II and III, and the final pitches above Camp III.

The general angle of the wall was seldom less than 40°, but in places exceeded 70°. Crampons were worn throughout the ascent, even on the few rocky slopes at the base of the buttress ; above Camp III, below the antecime, there was very little snow, but many stony slopes.

About 3,000 metres of fixed ropes were left on the pillar, as it would have taken a week to recover them. It is quite possible to climb the pillar without fixed ropes, but they are very useful for the descent. If a support party climbed Shakhaur from the Chitral side, or by the western ridge from Nadir Shah, it would be possible for a very strong and well-acclimatized main party to do the north pillar Alpine-style in four to six days and use

FIXED ROPES BELOW CAMP III, 6,300 M.

Between camps II and III at about 6,100 m.- to the right, the slopes of Koh-e-nadir shah (6,800 m.)

Photo: Henry Agreti

Shakhaur from the north, showing the line of the French first ascent of the North buttress, Photo taken from an altitude of about 3,200 m.

VIEW SOUTH-WEST FROM SHAKHAUR, TOWARDS NOSHAQ. THE CROSS MARKS THE APPROXIMATE PLACE WHERE IN 1966 AN AVALANCHE FELL FROM THE NORTH FACE OF NOSHAQ, CARRYING AWAY THE POLISH CLIMBER J. POTOCKI [BLOCK KINDLY SUPPLIED BY EDITOR OF THE ALPINE JOURNAL]

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