Climbs and Expeditions, 1993
The American Alpine Journal vol. 36, 1994
Mamostong Kangri II. Our joint Indo-Austrian expedition of twelve made the first ascent of Mamostong Kangri II (7023 meters, 23,042 feet). The Austrian members were Reinhard Streif, Wolfgang Mörtl, Wolfgang Köblinger, Hans Kloimstein, Raimund Vielkind and I as co-leader. The Indians were Ravi Kumar, co-leader, A.S. Nagendra, K.V. Mohan, Rukmangaduraju, G.B. Ravindra and C.S. Yogananda. On arrival in New Delhi, we were informed that our permission for the climb had been withdrawn. It took ten days of anxious negotiation, particularly by our Indian members, to have it reinstated. After leaving the roadhead at Sasoma in the Nubra valley, we moved in early August with 20 mules up the Tulum Puti to Base Camp at Skyangpoche at 4720 meters at the tongue of the Mamostong Glacier. Camp I was established above a moraine at 5100 meters and Camp II on the glacier at 5600 meters at the foot of a 55° ice slope. We fixed 300 meters of rope there and pitched Camp III at its top at 6100 meters. The weather was good throughout. Two gullies were reconnoitered and given up. On August 14 at six A.M. Köblinger, Mörtl, Streif and I left Camp III, descended 100 meters to a glacial basin and crossed to the base of a ridge leading toward the peak. Behind the ridge, we started up a moderate snow slope can the west face. The terrain got steeper and some of the snow waist-deep. After bypassing some huge crevasses we reached a ridge, which we followed for a half hour to get to the summit at 3:30 P.M. The descent took us back to a glacial basin end finally up the 100-meter rise to Camp III, where a arrived at nine P.M. Kloimstein and Vielkind and two of the Indian climbers made a second summit attempt but were driven back by bad weather. Most of the Indian members were not properly prepared for such a climb and had little chance for the summit.
Günther Steinmair, Österreichischer Alpenverein