Virtually alone in the Karakoram, a Russian team is ready to face Baintha Brakk (7,285m), the peak known as the Ogre. However, the team will have to rely on two climbers and head up a different side than they had planned.
Earlier this week, Alexander Parfenov, Alexey Sukharev, Ratmir Mukhametzyanov, Alexander (Sasha) Ryndyk, and drone operator Farit Nalimov reached Baintha Brakk base camp in the central Karakoram.
Upon arrival, they confirmed their goal was the unclimbed north face, the most difficult and exposed side of the mountain. However, things didn’t go quite as planned.
The Latoks, the Ogres, and the Biacherahi Towers from the Choktoi glacier. Photo: Anton Karnoup
Cold and wet
Still remarkable
Despite the route change, the goal remains formidable. The Ogre is one of the most difficult peaks in the Karakoram because of its combination of altitude, verticality, technical difficulty on all sides (which combine granite rock and ice-snow sections on the upper part), and exposure.
The peak is an impressive granite tower erupting from three groups of jagged Karakoram peaks: the Latoks, the Ogres, and the Biacherahi Towers. The north face of the Ogre is accessible from the Choktoi Glacier.
The main peak of the Ogre has been summited only three times. Doug Scott and Chris Bonington of the UK made the first ascent in 1977, in an epic climb and even more epic descent: a week-long struggle in a storm with Bonington injured. In 2001, Thomas Huber, Urs Stocker, and Iwan Wolf achieved the second ascent, climbing via the south pillar. Americans Kyle Dempster and Hayden Kennedy made the third ascent, via the south face, in 2012. Many highly skilled climbers have challenged the Ogre and failed.
The Russian climbers now attempting the face are no newbies. In 2022, Parfenov, Sukharev, and Mukhametzyanov won the Russian version of the Piolet d’Or for their new route on Military Topographers Peak (6,873m) in the central Tien Shan.
