DISPATCHES

Otto

	click

Meanwhile, Dan and I were getting pretty cold, so we broke out the second line (static line) and Dan belayed me as I climbed some AI 2-3 (alpine ice) further around and met up with Walter. We then continued around some serious dropoffs to a 35-40 degree snow slope that followed the edge of the rocks. The day was getting late, 10 hours of climbing, so we made camp on a precarious spot where tent didn't quit fit (Arrowhead Camp).

The next day, July 10th, the exposure was incredible as we finished off climbing the Arrowhead. Parts of the climb went along a knife-edge ridge with a 1300 meter (3,000 foot) dropoff on one side and long, steep snow slopes and mini cliffs on the other. You really had to keep your head straight with exposure like that. Finally, we topped off on a flat part of the ridge about 50 feet across and made camp. This was the Dragon Ridge camp (Camp III) at 6150 meters.

Last night, the night of July 10th, it snowed about two feet. This morning, July 11th, we were planning on getting up early but slept in till 6:30. Dan got motivated and shoveled the snow off the tent.

Today was another long, hard day. We only made 250 vertical meters in nine-and-a-half hours. This part of the ridge is fairly flat and long with extremely deep snow. Both Dan and Walter had to swim through sections, literally digging themselves up slopes. Some sections took and hour to go only a few hundred yards, and we were climbing through a cloud. At times it was such a white out that I could not see the ridge line only 10 feet away. We are calling this part of the ridge the Dragon because it winds left, right, up, and a little down and has large dropoffs on both sides. The exposure just keeps getting better and better. This part of the ridge is like the spine of a dragon.

Now we are camped on what we call the "Avalanche Camp," or Camp IV, at 6400 meters. We gave it this name because the part of the ridge above has several, but what appears not dangerous, fracture lines. Tonight the weather cleared and the moon is shining bright. We hope we get clear skis tomorrow, the first in a week. Maybe it will hold till we get to the summit.

Dan Mazur
Today was an especially pleasing day from an aesthetic point of view for me. It amazes me—the features we actually climb over and around en route to the summit. Hanging glaciers, seracs, hanging cornices all are commonplace yet amazing features in any climb. Then you stop on a knife edge ridge, and looking down, the clouds briefly part and you are looking at a glacier 4000 feet below and are awed by the ruggedness of the ice flow you see, and a little snow lake high in a snow basin on a far away peak. On this evening, as we are planning on an early departure tomorrow. I just count myself lucky to have visited this amazing place high on Mustagh Ata.

All the Best from 21,000 feet on Mustagh Ata.

— Jon Otto and Dan Mazur, MountainZone.com Correspondents

Email this story to a friend