CORRESPONDENCE

The Editor,

The Himalayan Journal.

Climbing in the Miyar nala in the 1980s

In HJ 2005 (Vol. 61, p.139) Jim Lowther says that the first recorded climbing in the Miyar nala area was in 1992, by an Italian team. This is incorrect. Unfortunately the mistake was repeated in an article in the Alpine Journal 2005, page 134.

In HJ Vol., 41, pages 184-186 there is a note of a visit made to this area in 1983 by Sue Brener, Barry Owen and myself. That note also mentions evidence of earlier Japanese visits. Our 1983 visit was inspired by the Pinnacle Club expedition of 1980 (HJ Vol. 39, p. 69). An earlier visit was made by a British school expedition (King’s School Ely) in 1978 (mentioned in HJ Vol.  58, p.87).  In 1985 there was an expedition to the upper part of the Miyar nala by an Edinburgh University team (Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal 1986,  p.380).

A comparison of the sketch map of our visit (Vol. 41, p.185) and Lowther’s visit (Vol.  61, p.143) shows close similarities. Peaks A and B which we climbed, and estimated to be 6020 m and 5990 m respectively, are given by Lowther as 6120 m and 6150 m respectively. [I am doubtful about the latter height as peak B appeared to be lower than peak A.]  Peaks 1, 3 and 4 on our map agree to within 100 m with the altitudes given by Lowther.  The exact altitudes on our sketch map were taken from the trekking map available at that time; the approximate altitudes were estimated by altimeter on the peaks we climbed and by eye otherwise.

Geoff Cohen