Marco Schwidergall, Tomasz Rodzynkiewicz of Poland, and Matej Prcin of Slovakia have made the first ascent of a 6,232m peak in the Ghujerab Mountains of the Karakoram, according to Polski Himalaizm Sportowy. They tentatively named it Tumladen Sar, pending local approval.
Their 1,800m M5 route featured ice up to 85 degrees.
Photo: Polski imalaizm Sportowy / Facebook
The expedition, which also included Michal Nowicki, Maksymilian Parys, and Mateusz Wieckowski, set up Base Camp near Pakistan’s Virjerab Glacier. The team split into two groups, with Schwidergall, Rodzynkiewicz, and Prcin targeting the unclimbed peak.
Photo: SHS JAMES/Facebook
Two bivouacs, ten rappels
They began on September 21, with the team spending two bivouacs on the wall. They summited on September 23 at 2:30 pm. After 10 rappels down the south side and navigating a complex glacier, they safely returned to Base Camp on September 24.
Photo: Polski Himalaizm Sportowy/Facebook
The first day involved climbing a couloir with steep, high-quality ice, reminiscent of classic Alpine routes, plus one mixed pitch graded M5. Windblown snow made conditions challenging, according to Schwidergall.
On the second day, the climbers had to face endless stretches of hard ice up to 80º. Schwidergall notes that on the third day, they climbed easier ice and firn to the summit, with two more difficult pitches.
The Polish-Slovak trio on the summit of Tumladen Sar. Photo: Polski Himalaizm Sportowy/Facebook
During acclimatization, the same trio summited a nearby 6,031m peak via a route with rocky sections and ice up to 50 degrees.
The Ghujerab Mountains, part of the Karakoram range bordering Pakistan and China, remain largely unexplored, with only a few expeditions venturing into the region due to its remoteness and logistical challenges.
During the climb. Photo: SHS JAMES / Facebook
Notably, a 2021 Polish Himalayan expedition included climbers Adam Bielecki, Michal Czech, Janusz Golab, Wadim Jablonski, and Maciej Kimel. They focused on exploratory ascents in the adjacent Shimshal Valley, which separates Ghujerab from other Karakoram subranges.
