Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden, left, on the summit of Kishtwar Kailash
A pair of British climbers have made the first ascent of a Himalayan mountain.
Alpine Club president Mick Fowler and his climbing partner Paul Ramsden summited the 6,451m Indian peak Kishtwar Kailash by a route on its 1,500m south-west face.
The mountain lies in a remote valley and is the highest peak in East Kishtwar.
Fowler, known as the climbing taxman as he worked for HM Revenue and Customs, spotted the peak on a previous expedition in 1993 to Cerro Kishtwar and a photo he took from the summit showed a striking peak that, in the right circumstances, would be a clear objective for an exploratory mountaineer.
The area was re-opened to climbers in 2012 after a political troubles led to closure of the region finally giving Fowler the opportunity to put together an expedition, supported by north-east brand Berghaus.
Kishtwar Kailash was the subject of one previous expedition, in 1989, and the last time that mountaineers visited the valley was 1991.
Mick Fowler said: “There is no easy way up Kishtwar Kailash and Paul and I are extremely happy that we managed to make the first ascent via the dramatic south-west face.
Kishtwar Kailash seen from the north, with its south-west face to the right
“After acclimatising, we left base camp on 4 October and, following an open bivouac at 6,200m, got to the summit during the morning of 9 October.
“The descent was almost entirely by abseil down the line of ascent. We managed to descend a fair way on the summit day and completed the return to base camp by a very long day on 10th.
“It was a great route, with spectacular situations and varied climbing up to Scottish VI.
“The outcome was in particular doubt on day four, which involved several very hard mixed pitches up a couloir cleaving monolithic walls.”
Fowler and Ramsden were supported during the expedition by fellow climbers Mike Morrison and Rob Smith.
During the trip, the lead climbers used the latest technical clothing and equipment from Berghaus, including new water resistant Hydrodown products that Fowler helped develop with the company’s MtnHaus innovation team.
Mick Fowler is a member of the Berghaus team of sponsored outdoor athletes.
