URGUNT-E-BALA

Expedition of the Club Excursionist de Gratia, Barcelona

JOSE PAYTUBI

Members: Jose Paytubi (leader), Jorge Matas, Miguel Lusilla, Manuel Martin and Cesar Comas.

WE travelled upto Faizabad in two VW minibuses and from there to Urgunt-e-Bala in a hired truck.

We established our Base Camp (4000 m.) on 7 July. We then put further camps—Camp I (4450 m.) on 9 July, Camp II at 5050 m. on 12 July, Camp III at 6000 m. on 15 july and Camp IV at 6450 m. on 21 July. An attempt on the virgin Kohe Shah (6920 m. Wala 265) was made on 22 July—we reached a height of about 6750 m. and were turned back by bad weather and a deep gash on the ridge which forced us to turn the obstacle through a barricade of seracs until we were almost near Shayoz Zom (6890 m.). We returned to Base Camp to gather forces and food.

On 26 July, a team composed of Comas, Matas and Paytubi left Base Camp and reached Camp II the same evening—just then, on reaching Camp II, Matas fell into a crevasse and died. We tried all night to recover the body but finally gave it up and after evacuating Camp II, returned.

At the little town of Urgunt-e-Bala we found an Italian Expedition led by Bruno Tuscan from the Club Alpino XXX Ottobre of Trieste—we later learnt that they had climbed "our" summit.

We returned to Spain on 12 August.

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