Tirich Mir (7,708m) Expedition

This is a chain of peaks. Tirich Mir (Main) at 7,708m/25,288ft, is the highest peak in whole of the Hindukush range. The nearby glacier also has the same name (Tirich). The other nearby glaciers are North Barum, upper and lower Tirichs.

The traditional route to the peak passes through Chitral – Reshun and Khosht-Drassan- Zani pass- Shagram and Shaikh Naik. There is also a shorter route to the peak. After a two-hour jeep drive on Chitral-Mastuj road one has to take a direct route from Perpish to Barum village and then through the glacier of the same name (Barum) to the peak. This route is, however, recommended for those who have already acclimatized themselves with high-altitude-climbing; otherwise there is a great danger of high altitude sickness.

Tirich Mir Main Peak was climbed for the first time in 1950 by a Norwegian expedition led by Arne Naess. The other members of the expedition included P. Kvern Berg and H. Berg.
The expedition was also accompanied by Professor Hameed Beg of the Karakoram Club (Pakistan) who reached an altitude of over 6,096m/20,000ft quite a feat in those times. Captain Tony Streather of Chitral Scouts tagged along with the expedition from Drosh and eventually climbed Tirich Mir. Kvernberg was also on the top of the peak.

The first major attempt by Pakistanis was the Karakoram Club’s expedition to Tirich Mir in 1951. The expedition was led by Mian Abdul Rauf and consisted of Daud Beg, Arshad Munir and Captain Shaukat Malik. It set up three advance camps and reached 6,553m/21,500ft before abandoning the attempt due to shortage of supplies.

HINDU KUSH RANGE: