New climb on Baintha Kabata (Karakorum) by Matteo Della Bordella, Silvan Schüpbach, Symon Welfringer

Thanks to a tiny weather window, Matteo Della Bordella, Silvan Schüpbach and Symon Welfringer reached the summit of Baintha Kabata (6250m) in Pakistan's Karakorum via a new route up the South Pillar. The climb is almost 1000 meters high and follows a logical line which offers beautiful views onto nearby Ogre.

The original aim of the expedition, supported in part by the Italian Alpine Club, was to climb a "direttissima" up the virgin East Pillar of Ogre, but after waiting for a month, the high temperatures and poor conditions prevented the group reaching its goal. François Cazzanelli, the fourth member of the expedition, returned to Italy a few days ago.

Della Bordella, Schüpbach and Welfringer needed two days for their ascent. On day 1 the climbed the first 700 meters before bivying on a snowfield. On day 2, the trio reached the summit and then descended. The route is called The Alien Face and breaches difficulties up to 7a/M5.

"What luck and to get this short weather window right at the end of the expedition. When we reached the summit it had already started snowing. We're on our way home now, disappointed for having failed to try our main objective, but nevertheless satisfied for this respectable new route on a beautiful mountain" stated Della Bordella.

Baintha Kabata, which means Ogre's son in Urdu, is located at the head of the Choktoi Glacier. The mountain is connected to the Ogre via a long ridge and was first climbed in 2008 by Colin Haley and Maxime Turgeon.