Mick Fowler and Vic Saunders on the summit of Yawash Sar. Photo: Fowler and Saunders
Veteran mountaineers Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders have made the first ascent of a 6,000m peak in the Pakistan Karakorum, 40 years after their first trip to the country.
The pair made it to the summit of Yawash Sar in a seven-day alpine-style expedition, reaching the top of the mountain earlier this month.
The pair made their ascent of the 6,258m peak, which they say can justifiably called the Matterhorn of the Khunjerab, via the north-west face. A British team attempted a climb on Yawash Sar in 2022, but was defeated by loose rock and difficult climbing around the 6,000m altitude.
Fowler’s and Saunders’s expedition was supported by Berghaus and the two climbers used kit from the brand’s high performance Extrem range.
After securing a permit to climb on the mountain, the pair flew to the region in late August. They trekked in to Yawash Sar and established a base camp on meadows at an altitude of about 4,600m, below the First Koksil Glacier. From there, they embarked on an alpine-style attempt on the mountain, and became the first people to reach its summit on Saturday 14 September.
Once they had descended safely and had trekked back to the roadhead several days later, Fowler and Saunders were able to send a message back to the UK to confirm their success.
Mick Fowler said: “The face was complex and we were fortunate to find good climbing conditions and, after extensive binocular research, weave our way through numerous probable cul-de-sacs without reaching any impasses.
The route taken by the two climbers. Photo: Fowler and Saunders
“A notable feature of the climb was a lack of good bivouac sites and at one point, we endured an excruciatingly uncomfortable hanging bivouac in strong winds.
“The position, distinctive objective and continuously excellent climbing combined to make us feel that this was one of the best ascents that we have done together. It was absolutely brilliant!”
Mick Fowler, 68, and Victor Saunders, 74, first climbed in Pakistan together in 1984, and 37 years ago made their renowned ascent of the Golden Pillar of Spantik, which lies a few hours away from Yawash Sar. Fowler and Saunders were regular climbing partners in the 1980s when both men lived in London. After Spantik, they didn’t climb together for three decades until reuniting in 2016 to achieve a first ascent on the north face of Sersank in the Indian Himalaya.
They had planned more expeditions before Fowler’s cancer diagnosis delayed them. Following successful treatment, Fowler returned to fitness and expeditions, and now explores the greater ranges with the additional challenge of needing to use a colostomy bag.
