2008 DISTAGHIL SAR NORTH RIDGE EXPEDITION
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THE GEOGRAPHY: The fabled Hunza Valley, cutting through the Karakoram, can be considered as the crossroads of Central Asia. Hidden behind the formidable Hispar Range, the Shimshal Valley is one of its remotest outposts, and was described by no less than Eric Shipton as among the most challenging and rewarding journeys he ever made. While Shimshal village is now accessible by a truly vertiginous jeep track, the surrounding passes and mountains have lost none of their wildness, and the Shimshalis retain a reputation as the strongest, toughest people in the Karakoram.  THE HISTORY: Distaghil Sar has been climbed only two times, in 1960 and 1982, by its easier southern slopes. The north side of the mountain remains unclimbed. In 1988 a German expedition was deterred by the approach up the badly crevassed Malangutti Glacier and the threat of avalanches. In 1996 three members of a New Zealand/UK expedition were killed in an avalanche and the attempt was abandoned. |
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 Peter Thompson, Bruce Normand, Don Bowie, and Ben Cheek |
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