On September 23, in Pakistan’s Hindu Raj, three Japanese climbers completed one of the most remarkable climbs of the year.
Yudai Suzuki, Yuu Nishida, and Kei Narita made the first ascent of the west face of 6,523m Thui II in pure alpine style. It was only the second ascent of the peak.
First ascended in 1978
Until 1978, Thui II was the highest unclimbed peak in the Hindu Raj, a mountain range between the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram in northern Pakistan. Before the first ascent, there were three unsuccessful attempts, all by British teams.
In the summer of 1978, British climbers Nick Tritton (leader), Chris Griffiths, and Chris Lloyd ascended the rocky, icy southeast ridge. After six days, they topped out on August 4.
After summiting, the three climbers bivouacked an hour below the summit without sleeping gear in deteriorating weather. The climbers recalled that the main problem was the remoteness of Thui II from base camp.
The new route and first ascent of the west face of Thui II. Photo: Yudai Suzuki
The Japanese target Thui II
Suzuki, Nishida, and Narita started exploring this wild and isolated place in 2023 when they made the first ascent of Ghamubar Zom V. During that expedition, they saw Thui II, the steepest and most seductive peak in the area. They agreed that they would return to climb it.
They returned home and started researching the peak, trying to determine a feasible approach.
“From my research on Google Earth, [I determined that] the west wall of Thui II had ice and rock formations suitable for mixed climbing all the way to the summit,” Suzuki told ExplorersWeb.
Kei Narita climbs the final crux at 6,400m. Photo: Yudai Suzuki
The start of the climb
They established a base camp at 4,300m on a grassy plain. The first few days were slow as they waited for it to stop raining. Then they acclimatized on nearby Rishit Peak.
It took them five days to reach 6,000m, and they spent two nights on a col at 5,740m, just north of Rishit Peak. While acclimatizing, they studied the west wall of Thui II.
Soon after, more bad weather arrived, and they had to wait at base camp for 12 long days. Before starting their ascent, the climbers couldn’t see the condition of the snowfields from base camp, and they worried about avalanches.
On September 21, they set out with food for four to five days.
Overcoming difficulties
From the base of the west wall, they simul-climbed two long pitches until the steep climbing began. From the very start, there was treacherous melting ice on the route.
At 5,600m, dry tooling and jamming, they climbed a crack next to the ice. It was an M7 pitch with snow and ice stuck in the crack, according to Suzuki.
On the second day, they first ran up a snow band with about three pitches of simul-climbing. They then entered a steep mixed couloir, progressing fast on hard ice in the early hours of the morning.
After seven 60m pitches, they climbed another steep couloir, this time with hanging belays. Next, they scrambled up a narrow, vertical chimney section using their bare hands.
They arrived at a small, ridge-like slanted area, where they made a bivy at 6,250m. They had already climbed about 25 pitches on the wall.
On the west face of Thui II. Photo: Yudai Suzuki
The final section was quite difficult. At 6,300m, every vertical movement left Suzuki out of breath and his head hurt. Exhausted and battling high winds, the three climbers finally reached the top on September 23.
After a hard bivy on the summit, they started their descent on the fourth day.
A long descent
In strong wind and cold, it took them a whole day to descend. However, Suzuki explained that the strong wind helped in one way: It blew the heavy snow off the mountain.
The three climbers rappelled down the route and reached the base on September 24.
In total, they made three camps: Camp 1 at 5,810m, Camp 2 at 6,250m, and Camp 3 at 6,523m.
Suzuki, Nishida, and Narita named their 1,450m route on this strikingly isolated granite peak Spider’s Thread (ED+, M7, A2). The name references the ice formations that spread like a spider’s thread on the huge rock wall and the many giant spiders they found at base camp.
Back home, Suzuki told ExplorersWeb that the climb was a combination of high altitude, high difficulty, and high-quality mixed climbing.
“This climb made me realize once again how free and wonderful alpine climbing is. Above all, I am happy that I was able to climb this beautiful and wild unclimbed wall on the remote border of Pakistan, directly to the summit in a simple, beautiful, and satisfying style,” Suzuki said.
You can find a detailed report of their ascent here.
Yudai Suzuki follows the hard rock flakes and connects his line to the final ice wall on Thui II. Photo: Kei Narita
