Tajikistan & Afghanistan First Ascents

Strictly speaking, this was two expeditions running back to back. The first part was in Tajikistan, where the team hoped to make the first ascent of the last unclimbed 6000m peak in the little visited Muzkol Range of the SE Pamirs. Unfortunately high winds delayed their summit attempt, and then snow conditions prevented them getting above a col at 5500m. Although some bad weather was experienced in Afghanistan, conditions soon improved, and they were able to achieve their aim of exploring the Raig Jurm valley in the Wakhan Corridor, including reaching a 5730m summit right on the border with Pakistan. They assumed that this was a first ascent, and named it ‘Raven Peak’, but subsequent investigations suggest that the peak had previously been climbed by an Italian team in 1972, who had named it Koh-e-Sauze.