Record Ascents in the Himalayas 



42 1 



by severe snowstorms. During a short 

 break in the prolonged storms the only 

 upper branch left unexplored last season 

 was ascended. As the glacier enters 

 the Chogo Loongma at over 16,000 feet 

 and ends at its source, between 18,000 

 and 19,000 feet, the ascent over new 

 surface snow to the depth of more than 

 2 feet was most laborious. At a gla- 

 cier camp at 17,000 feet, one of the 

 highest sun temperatures of the season 

 was taken by a solar radiating ther- 

 mometer — sun temperature at noon 204 

 Fahr. , shade 56 Fahr. 



In August the weather conditions im- 

 proved and on the 9th, taking advan- 

 tage of clear, settled weather, Doctor 

 and Mrs Workman and guides, with 

 only high climbing tents and eighteen 

 coolies, left the main camp and ascend- 

 ing Basin glacier, an upper branch of 

 the Chogo Loongma, camped at the base 

 of a high snow peak in the range sepa- 

 rating this glacier from the Chogo 

 Loongma. The next day the ascent of 

 its snow slopes was begun and camp 

 brought to 18,400 feet on a small pla- 

 teau. The third day, in spite of much 

 opposition from coolies, a last camp was 

 pushed to another snow slope at base of 

 the final high cone at 19,355 feet. More 

 than half the coolies were here pros- 

 trated by mountain sickness. Late in 

 the afternoon steps were cut by the 

 guides for upward of a thousand feet 

 on the ice slopes, and on the fourth day, 

 leaving camp at 3 a. m. by moonlight, 

 the ascent was begun. The whole of 

 this part of the climb was made in zig- 

 zags over slants rising at angles of be- 

 tween 60 and 70 degrees, measured by 

 clinometer, and the summit, 21,770 

 feet, was reached at 7 a. m. 



A narrow ridge connects this peak a 

 few hundred feet below its summit to 

 the north with an elevated snow plateau, 

 from which rise two higher peaks. 

 The party crossed the ridge and as- 

 cended the second peak, the summit of,, 

 which was reached in three hours. The 

 weather was cloudless and the view of 



the northwest Himalayas unsurpassed. 

 There being little wind, it was possible 

 to take careful boiling point readings 

 which, compared since with a mercurial 

 standard at the lower station of Skardn, 

 fixes the height of this mountain at 

 22,568 feet. 



Mrs Workman has thus broken her 

 former world record for women on 

 Koser Gunge, 21,000 feet, twice on the 

 same day, by 770 and 1,568 feet re- 

 spectively. While she and one of the 

 guides remained on this summit, Dr 

 Workman and the two others crossed 

 the pleateau and ascended to 23,394 feet 

 on fixed peak 24,486 feet, which gives 

 him the world record for men, the 

 greatest height hitherto attained being 

 the summit of Aconcagua, 22,860 feet, 

 the highest of the Andes. The high 

 camp was again reached at 7 p. m. , after 

 an absence of over fifteen hours. 



After the 16th of August the whole 

 camp was carried up the Balucho gla- 

 cier, running east from the Chogo 

 Loongma, where, after two high camps, 

 a new and difficult snow pass of 17,200 

 feet was ascended by the entire caravan. 

 The difficult descent over a 1,000-foot 

 snow wall was also accomplished after 

 much argument with the coolies, and 

 the expedition found itself on the third 

 day at the junction of a side glacier with 

 the Kero Loongma. This is the first 

 time that a passage over the range sepa- 

 rating the Kero and Chogo Loongmas 

 has been effected. 



The party next marched to the en- 

 trance of the Hucho Alchori glacier, 

 where they were joined by the surveyor. 

 This glacier was explored for the first 

 time, and a snow col 18,200 feet at its 

 source ascended by Mrs Workman and 

 guides. 



This season of climbing on new ground 

 adds much valuable material to last year's 

 work. The combined work of the two 

 seasons makes the Workman expedition 

 one of the most important exploring and 

 high-climbing expeditions yet carried 

 out in the northwest Himalayas. 



