Massive congratulations to Berghaus athlete, Mick fowler and climbing partner Paul Ramsden making the first ascent of Kishtwar Kailash in the Indian Himalaya. At 6,451m, the mountain lies in a remote valley and is the highest peak in East Kishtwar. Fowler and Ramsden reached the summit by a route on its 1,500m south west face.

Mick Fowler first spotted Kishtwar Kailash during his expedition to Cerro Kishtwar in 1993 and a photo he took from the summit showcased a striking peak that, in the right circumstances, would be a clear plum objective for an exploratory mountaineer. The area has been closed due to political troubles since 1994 but was re-opened to climbers in 2012, finally giving Mick the opportunity to put together an expedition.

Mick Fowler comments: “There is no easy way up Kishtwar Kailash and Paul and I are extremely happy that we managed to make the first ascent via the dramatic south west face. After acclimatising, we left base camp on 4th October and, following an open bivouac at 6,200m, got to the summit during the morning of 9th. The descent was almost entirely by abseil down the line of ascent. We managed to descend a fair way on the summit day and completed the return to base camp by a very long day on 10th.

“It was a great route, with spectacular situations and varied climbing up to Scottish VI. The outcome was in particular doubt on day four, which involved several very hard mixed pitches up a couloir cleaving monolithic walls.”

During the trip, Mick used the latest technical clothing and equipment from Berghaus, including new water resistant Hydrodown™ products that he helped develop with the Berghaus MtnHaus® innovation team.