Czech mountaineers Zdeněk Hák, Radoslav Groh, and Jaroslav Bánský made the first ascent of the previously unclimbed Biarchedi I (6,810 m) in the Karakoram range in Pakistan. They reached the summit on July 6 as part of the Ski And Climb Virgin Summit expedition, which aims to combine mountaineering with ski mountaineering.

According to the expedition’s first report, they set out from the camp below Laila Peak on the Gondogoro Glacier (4,150 m) and alternated between skiing and climbing techniques over the course of four days. They completed the final section of the ascent without skis in difficult mixed terrain rated up to M5. They reached the summit on July 6 at 9:32 a.m. local time, becoming the first people to do so. After descending to the last high-altitude camp, they skied across the Yeremandu Glacier almost all the way to base camp below Masherbrum.

During the expedition, they climbed 3,100 meters in elevation, covered approximately 40 kilometers, and the steepest section of the descent had a gradient of up to 50 degrees.

According to earlier reports, the ascent of Biarchedi I was an acclimatization phase of a roughly six-week expedition. The trio’s main goal apparently remains an attempt at a new ascent of the 7,000-meter Masherbrum (7,821 m), one of the least-visited mountains in the Karakoram.

Source: Hudy’s Facebook page:



Previous report on the expedition on Lezec:

Czechs are planning the 1st ascent of a 7,000-m peak in Pakistan