Rufus Duits, who this year received a BMC Expeditions Award, made the first ascent of Emily Peak (5,684m) during a completely solo expedition to Pakistan's Hispar Glacier.
Duits chose to make his visit during late September-early October, after the end of the normal climbing and trekking season, and take no supporting staff. His objective was the first ascent of Hispar Sar, a 6,400m peak north of the Hispar Glacier previously attempted in 2004 by Andy Parkin and Simon Yates via a steep ED ice couloir splitting the South West Face. After four days this pair exited onto the South Ridge and bivouacked about 300m below the summit but were unable to continue due to lack of food and gaz, much of which they'd inconveniently dropped on the first day.
Duits acclimatized for his attempt by making the first known ascent of the previously unnamed Emily Peak (5,684m) situated north of his base camp at Jutmal. He reached the summit via a relatively straightforward route (AD-, 60°) up the South West Face.
Duits then made two attempts on Hispar Sar via the Parkin-Yates couloir, passing their high point, only to be stopped 50m from the exit, when good ice gave way to precarious snow-covered granite slabs. He estimated the altitude to be around 6,000m and retreated using a series of Abalakovs, making the ascent and descent in a rapid 18 hours.
In the accompanying photograph Duits climbed the obvious couloir right of the summit fall-line, retreating just below the summit ridge.
A month previously the Utah climber, Kyle Dempster, had made an even more impressive solo attempt, this one on the nearby unclimbed granite wall forming the West Face of Tahu Rutum (6,651m). The only known serious attempt on this striking pyramid, which lies north of the headwaters of the Hispar Glacier, was made in 1977 and resulted in the first ascent; a strong Japanese team reaching the summit via the difficult South West Ridge.
Dempster spent seven days climbing and hauling 20 days food, a portaledge and plenty of sundry equipment up the initial 640m of ice to reach the base of the rock wall. He then enjoyed superb weather and high quality granite as he forced a left-slanting crack system above.
Much of the climbing was vertical or impending, with difficult aid and a number of A3 cruxes. He sat through storms before eventually setting his last portaledge camp at 6,200m, where the angle of the wall began to ease. On his 21st (!) day on the mountain he set out on a summit attempt, climbing poor rock to reach the steep snow/ice summit ridge - the North West Arête - at 6,500m.
By now the snow had returned, the wind was gusting wildly and Dempster was hungry, dehydrated and completely drained. The decision to bail was easy. He returned to his top camp and took a further two days to reach the base of the wall. Here, after 24 days climbing on Tahu Rutum, Dempster realized he would barely be able to get himself back to base camp and was forced to abandon both haul bags. Two more days of ploughing through deep snow, his fourth and fifth without food, saw him safe.
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