Kongur Reconnaissance, Sinkiang (Xinjiang), Western China. Mike

K ongur Reconnaissance, Sinkiang (Xinjiang), W estern China. M ike W ard, A1 Rouse and I flew to U rum chi, accom panied by our liaison offi­ cer, Liu D a Yi. A fter a visit to the H eavenly Lake in the Tien Shan M ountains, we left U rum chi on June 7 and flew to K ashgar. On June 10 we left K ashgar by road and travelled south through several oases on the western rim of the great T akla M akan D esert that occupies the T arim Basin to the K arakul Lakes. Im m ediately to the south lay M ustagh A ta and to the north K ongur (7719 meters, 25,325 feet) and its satellite K ongur Tiubie (7595 meters, 24,920 feet). W e rested here for two days before hiring yaks to transport our baggage to Base Cam p below the southwest slopes of K ongur. We established cam p at 14,500 feet on the west side of the extensive Koksel G lacier. We determ ined to investigate the m ountains to the southeast to obtain views of the upper p art of the complex massif. Taking a w eek’s food, we crossed the Koksel and in three days reached an 18,000-foot col. Two days later Rouse and I made the first ascent of “Sarakyaguqi P eak” (20,400 feet; nam ed by us after the nom adic settlem ent at the bottom of the valley) by its north ridge. R eturning to Base Camp, Rouse tripped and broke his ankle while cross­ ing easy slopes. U nable to move, he and M ike spent three hungry days while I returned to Base Cam p to arrange anim al transport. In attem pt­ ing to cross the Konsiver River with Liu D a Yi, we were swept away and nearly drowned. By a strange m ixture of camel, yak and donkey, the whole party was able to return to Base Cam p on June 24. On June 27 W ard and I decided to explore the head of the Koksel G lacier. A fter passing through a heavily crevassed region, we emerged into an extensive snow basin and established camp at 18,150 feet on the 28th. The follow ­ ing day we reached the Koksel Col at 19,000 feet. W e concluded th at there was a feasible route to the sum m it of K ongur from the Koksel Glacier. The spur, descending from the m ain K ongur-K ongur Tiubie ridge and some three miles west of K ongur, appeared to offer a relatively safe approach to the ridge at 23,000 feet. F rom the K arakol Lakes we drove to Gez on the north side of K ongur to continue our reconnaissance. W ard and I climbed several thousand feet up a hillside north of G ez to get a good overall view of the north side of K ongur as well as the K ongur-

K ongur Tiubie ridge. We left G ez on July 7 using camels for transport and the following day established a Base Cam p by the K irghiz summ er village of T ugnuk K unush at 12,500 feet. W ard and I made the first ascent of K aratash Peak (17,850 feet), north of K ongur, on July 11. The north side has a possible but difficult route, clearly m ore problem atic than that on the south. We left Gez for K ashgar on July 20, having decided to attem pt K ongur next year from the southwest via the Koksel G lacier. C h r is t ia n B o n in g t o n