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Batura
Peak |
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The
highest peak in the Batura range is Batura I. It Is also called peak
No.32 and has a height of 7,785m/24,541ft. In 1947, RCF Schomberg had
explored the southern approaches to Batura from Baltar and Kukuay
glaciers and found them blocked by a sheer mountain wall of a height
of nearly 6,000ft. Earlier, in September 1925, a strong
survey-exploratory team of Dr. Philips Christiaan Visser, his wife
Jenny Visser-Hooft and others, after returning to Passu via
Karun Pir, is stated to have explored the whole of Batura glacier.
In
1954, a German-Austrian expedition, after failing in its attempts on
Rakaposhi, concentrated on Batura I peak. One of its members was
killed and A. Heckmair, another member, had to be evacuated due to
temporary snow-blindness. Heckmair was the first person who in 1938
had climbed Eigerwand (3,970m) in the Bernese Alps. The party,
however, failed in its attempt on Batura I but two members, M.
Schliessler and Adolph Mayer, reached the subsidiary Batura III peak
which has a height of 7,468m/24,500ft. Captain Shah Khan and Daud Beg
of Karakoram Club played a vital role in this expedition, climbing to
more than 7,010m/23,000ft and discovering new routes in Baltar-Kukuay
glaciers.
In
1959, an Anglo-German expedition went to the area to climb Batura I.
It set up a camp at a height of 5,639m/18,600ft when it was struck by
an avalanche. As a result three Englishmen and two Germans
disappeared. Subsequent attempts to locate their bodies failed because
of bad weather and snow storms. Batura I was termed a "Killer
Mountain" in the press.
In
1975, an Italian Sucal-Roma expedition, under the leadership of
Professor Carlo Alberto Pinelli, and consisting of eleven persons,
tried its luck on the peak. It, however, could not succeed. In 1976,
German Goppinger Himalayan expedition of Dr. Allexander Schlee,
consisting of six persons, went to the area to climb the peak. After
setting up base camp and five other camps, two of its members climbed
the peak braving a very bad and cloudy day.
The other nearby peak is called Batura II or peak No.31. Some European maps show its height as 7,730m
while Japanese maps show it as 7,760m and 7,710m.
In 1978, a 10-member Japanese HAJ
(Himalayan Association of Japan) expedition, led by Mitsuaki Nishikori,
came to Pakistan to climb this peak. It abandoned attempts on the
south spur, but climbed it through the south-west face after making
four camps. Three of its members were on the top of Batura No.11 on
the 6th July, 1978.
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T I N E R A R Y
(North Face) |
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| Day
1 |
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Arrive
Islamabad. Overnight in hotel. |
| Day
2 |
Briefing at the
Ministry of Tourism. Meeting
with LO (Liaison Officer). |
| Day
3 |
12 hours drive to
Chilas. Overnight in hotel. |
| Day
4 |
8 hours drive to
Passu. Overnight in hotel. |
| Day
5 |
6 hours trek to
Yanz. Overnight in camps. |
| Day
6 |
6 hour trek to
Kirgas Washk. Overnight in camps. |
| Day
7 |
6 hour trek to Maidan.
Overnight in camps. |
| Day
8 |
6 hour trek to Batura
I basecamp.
Overnight in camps. |
| Day
9-37 |
Climb Batura I.
No. of days depends on weather, fitness, and experience of the
climbers. |
| Day
38 |
Trek to Maidan.
Overnight in camps. |
| Day
39 |
Trek to Kirgas
Washk.
Overnight in camps. |
| Day
40 |
Trek to Yanz.
Overnight in camps. |
| Day
41 |
Trek to Passu.
Overnight in hotel. |
| Day
42 |
Drive to Chilas.
Overnight in hotel. |
| Day
43 |
Drive to
Islamabad. Overnight in hotel. |
| Day
44 |
De-briefing in
the Ministry of Tourism. |
| Day
45 |
Fly home. |
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