Adam Bielecki of Poland and Louis Rousseau of Canada are making the most out of their trip to the Hunza Valley in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. While acclimatizing for their unidentified main goal, they completed two first ascents up unnamed peaks.
The two climbers set an advanced base camp at 5,000m in an isolated valley. Here, they used several peaks around them to acclimatize. Two of them had no previous ascents.
Two peaks in two days
On Sunday, they climbed a 60º ice couloir for five-and-a-half hours until a ridge. From there, they moved over complex, corniced terrain until a first summit.
The climbers then returned to the ridge and followed another technical ridge in a different direction.
“[We progressed] on mixed terrain and over huge cornices, up to a pass at about 5,700m,” Bielecki told his home team during a satellite call. They then set up a bivouac at the foot of their next destination, a summit dome.
After a fairly comfortable but cold night, at 8:15 am we started climbing along a complicated ridge. Choosing the route was difficult, with plank-type avalanches threatening us on the left and giant overhanging cornices on the right. The climb was mainly icy, and the difficulties were rather psychological. The maximum angle was up to 70˚, which does not reflect the seriousness of the challenge.
Indeed, on that section Rousseau took a 20m fall and landed “literally” on Bielecki’s head.
“Despite this, we pulled ourselves together and at 12:41pm, we stood on the summit serac,” Bielecki said.
Different heights
Interestingly, the climbers’ GPS’s registered two different heights, 5,945m and 6,152m. “We named the peak Zang Sar — Rusty Peak — due to the color of the rock,” said Bielecki.
They later named the first peak Bologan Sar — Potato Peak. “Don’t ask why,” Bielecki noted obscurely.
As a trivia item, these two peaks were Bielecki’s fourth first ascent of a 5,000’er and the third FA of a 6,000’er in Pakistan.
Adam Bielecki and Louis Rousseau. Photo: Louis Rousseau
The climbers returned to their advanced base camp on Tuesday, acclimatization complete. The next time they go up, they will likely attempt their main goal.
