This page describes the first ascent of the Bularung Sar (7,200 m) by a Swiss expedition in the Karakoram, in July 1990. The expedition was organized by the Swiss Alpine Club, Neuchâtel Section, with sponsorship from the Fondation Louis and Marcel Kurz.
Team: Alain Vaucher, Heinz Hügli, Lothar Matter, Carole Milz, Thierry Bionda, Christian Meillard, Gerard Vouga, Vincent von Kaenel, Jean-Jacques Sauvain and Jacques Aymon.
The original account was written in French by Carole Milz, Thierry Bionda, Heinz Hügli, Jean-Jacques Sauvain and Alain Vaucher; this approximate translation is by Vincent. Questions or comments are welcome — get in touch.
The approach
After five days in Rawalpindi, we set off on the Karakoram Highway toward the northern part of Pakistan. The road links Pakistan to China, following the Indus River at the foot of impressive mountains, where landslides and fallen rocks are frequent.
Before leaving the highway we crossed the Hunza valley, a fertile land of centenarians. The apricot may not grant immortality, but it's a staple food for the Hunzakuts — the pit is burned as fuel, the almond ground, eaten, or pressed for oil, and the flesh eaten as well.
Hispar, the village of our carriers, was the last stop before base camp. During our two rest days there we were the center of attention for the village's kids and adults, who watched our camp from their homes, all clustered close together and separated by small paddocks for the livestock.
Hispar sits on an irrigated plateau — the last green island before the ice and rock ahead. When we returned two months later the wheat would be ripe. Life there goes on simple and quiet, concerned only with the harvest. When our three paragliders took flight, the whole village came out to watch; after Thierry landed in a wheat field, the unamused landowner said, “Good flight, bad chapatis!” and asked for cookies as compensation.
Once hired, after endless discussions, our carriers loaded up the gear — 25 kg each, carried without complaint over steep slopes and glacier, in plastic boots, sandals, or old mountain shoes handed down from past expeditions. Where there was no bridge, river crossings were made in a fragile wooden basket hooked to a cable, and… Inch Allah. After a few days of walking, the majestic Bularung Sar finally showed us its south face — no longer a dot on a map, but real, and waiting.
Base camp
After unloading at base camp, the carriers received their pay from our cashier, one after another. Our cook, Safar Beg, built his own kitchen from rocks, with his aide Shadjii; tea was always ready when we came down from a high camp, and oatmeal and fresh chapatis waited even on our earliest starts. In the evenings, everyone retreated to the intimacy of a tent lit by candle — to read, write, meditate, or sleep. For three months that tent was our home.
The climb
Avalanches raged down the surrounding summits daily — a mass of snow moving at over 200 km/h, filling the valley with a cloud of snow and a roll of thunder. The Trivor (7,650 m), part of the same chain and first climbed in 1960, has a south face that is constantly swept clean this way.
We chose a well-protected ridge, with avalanches frequent on either side — visible from Camp 2, pitched on the only flat ground along the entire route, where we set three tents and a food cache.
The rocky section climbs granite diedres — technical, but solid enough for secure belays and a wonderful climb. In all, 2,400 m of fixed rope were installed between Camps 1 and 4, an enormous effort by the lead climbers; for the rest of us, jumaring those ropes with a full pack was an ungrateful but necessary task. One key difficulty was a vertical ice wall guarding the way to the summit — hard to judge from base camp, and the section that made us hesitate about this route at the start. Everyone found their own technique on the ice: some with rope alone, most with rope and axe.
From base camp, telescope in hand, we studied every rock and meter of the ridge — climbers reduced to ants slowly working their way up the mountain. The steep section below the top ridge went quickly for the lead team, rewarded with a bird's-eye view down onto Camps 1 through 3, and base camp far below.
On the top ridge there was no room for a tent, so we dug a hole in the cornice and called it Camp 4 — at 6,600 m, feet dangling over the slope, looking south across known and unclimbed summits. By day the sun was warm enough to melt the roof; by night we slept roped together in our sleeping bags, insulated by down and empty packs, melting snow for water on gas stoves that never failed — an hour per liter, and vital to drink often at altitude. The final push to the summit stayed off the cornices, sometimes in snow up to the chest.
The summit
Bularung Sar summit, 7,200 m. The joy was immense — everybody reached the top, triggering a little “summit dance” before we took in the surrounding peaks. An emotional moment of intense communion: radio calls, photos, strong wind and cold that couldn't dampen the enthusiasm. No headaches, no trouble breathing — proof that we were well acclimatized.
The team
Almost the complete team, delighted by success. From left to right: Jacques Aymon, Heinz Hügli, Carole Milz, Jean-Jacques Sauvain, Christian Meillard, Gerard Vouga, Thierry Bionda, Vincent von Kaenel, and Lothar Matter. Expedition leader Alain Vaucher is missing from the picture. No accidents, a lasting friendship, an extraordinary adventure — what else could we ask for?
Interactive route
Click (or tap) any orange marker on the route below to see the photo taken at that spot.
Base camp to Camp 2
Camp 2 to the summit
Maps
Interactive map of the area and itinerary →
