THE SPANISH HIMALAYAN EXPEDITION TO SARAGHRAR, 1975

RAMON BRAMONA RAMS

OUR aim was very ambitious and no other Spanish team before, had intended to climb so very steep a rocky wall as the south west ridge of Saraghrar (7349 M.). We applied the same climbing technique as used on Annapurna South Face (British expedition led by Chris Bonington) and on Makalu West ridge (French expedition led by Robert Paragot).

It was rather difficult to make a valuation of the real difficulties of the ridge before leaving Spain. Nobody had been near the wall and we only had a few photographs of it.

Our party was composed of nine men led by Jordi Colomer and Ramon Bramona (Deputy Leader). We had decided to divide ourselves into two groups : the first one had the job to get the necessary permission from the Pakistani Government and go to the Base Camp with the Liaison Officer and the whole equipment, food and material of the party.

On 21 July, we set up the Base Camp in a really wonderful place called Totiraz Noku' (41(j0 m.) on Rosh Gol glacier. On the 23rd, we installed Camp 1 over the Isper Gol glacier and not very far from the foot of the ridge. Next day we explored the base of the wall, beginning our climbing there. Due to the steepness of the ridge, we fixed ropes. After two days of bad weather, we continued climbing, establishing Camp 2 (5315 m.) on the 29th, On 3 August, Camp 3 (5550 m.) was placed on a very small platform. From Camp 3, we must climb a really difficult part of the wall, till we arrive on the ridge proper through a long chimney, the crux of the ascent. We continued climbing the ridge finding a rock of very good quality and nearly the same difficulty as before (very severe).

On the 12 August, we reached a notch in the steep ridge and put up the fourth Camp at 5970 m. Later, we carried food and equipment to the first and second Camps, this transport being one of the hardest problems for us (we had to carry everything because the high porters were unable to negotiate the fixed ropes).

On 14 August, it began to snow very hard in the upper camps and to rain in the Base Camp. So that it obliged us to abseil off to Camp 1, where we spent seven days waiting for better weather conditions. As Pakistan Broadcasting said, it was the monsoon influence that rarely affects to Hindu Kush area.

Fine weather commenced again on the 21st, so we started jumaring through the 1700 m. of fixed rope. Some members carried, with a great effort, food and material till the fourth camp.

On the 24th we reached the height of 6020 m., but unfortunately the weather changed again and we had not more time and not- more food to wait any longer, so we took the most valuable things from the Camps and abseiled off to Base Camp, where we arrived on 25 August.

In fact, it has been a really very difficult route that we aimed but could not conquer; however, we opened 1700 m. of climbing on the wall with difficulties of V and A2-A3 (scale UIAA), and set up four high camps which we later removed. A new expedition has been arranged for 1977.

 

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