Fowler And Saunders Make First Ascent of 6000m Peak In The Karakoram

Forty years after their first trip to Pakistan, British climbing veterans Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders have made the first ascent of Yawash Sar in the Karakoram. They climbed the north west face of the 6258m peak, reaching the summit during a seven-day outing from base camp. The expedition was supported by BERGHAUS with the climbers using kit from the brand’s Extrem range.

Yawash Sar is the highest and most spectacular peak in the Khunjerab sub-range of the Karakoram range. Fowler and Saunders agree that it could justifiably be called ‘the Matterhorn of the Khunjerab’. In 2022, it was attempted from the south by a British team, defeated by difficult climbing on loose rock at around 6000m.

After securing a permit to climb on the mountain, Fowler and Saunders flew to the region in late August. They trekked in to Yawash Sar and established a base camp on meadows at an altitude of around 4600m, below the First Koksil Glacier. From there, they embarked on an alpine style attempt on the mountain via the north west face.

They became the first people to reach its summit on Saturday, 14 September. Once they had descended safely and had trekked back to the roadhead several days later, Fowler and Saunders were able to send a message back to the UK to confirm their success. 

Mick Fowler takes up the story, “The face was complex and we were fortunate to find good climbing conditions and, after extensive binocular research, weave our way through numerous probable cul-de-sacs without reaching any impasses.

“A notable feature of the climb was a lack of good bivouac sites and at one point, we endured an excruciatingly uncomfortable hanging bivouac in strong winds. The position, distinctive objective and continuously excellent climbing combined to make us feel that this was one of the best ascents that we have done together. It was absolutely brilliant!”

Fowler (68) and Saunders (74) first climbed in Pakistan together in 1984 and it was 37 years ago that they made their renowned ascent of The Golden Pillar of Spantik, which lies a few hours away from Yawash Sar.

After Spantik, they didn’t climb together for three decades until reuniting in 2016 to achieve a first ascent on the north face of Sersank in the Indian Himalaya. They had planned more expeditions before Fowler’s cancer diagnosis delayed them. Following successful treatment, Fowler returned to fitness and expeditions, exploring the greater ranges with the additional challenge of needing to use a colostomy bag.

Main pic – Mick Fowler climbs in heavy snow at 6,250m near the summit of Yawash Sar