You know how it goes: most of the time, we alpinists don’t think with our heads. Such was my initial reaction on seeing pictures of the Jangpar Glacier.  Every alpinist knows that fate will only deal him a few special summits in his career. And Peak 5960, with its clean lines and elegant symmetry, a classic alpine pyramid complete with a stylish fault of white quartzite streaking across its north face, was damn near perfect. And unclimbed. I felt an immediate connection, an almost erotic draw that throbbed through me and overtook my feeble brain. I had to go.  

Several months later, I chastised myself for not having the good sense and self-discipline to curb such urges. Dave Sharratt, Pat Goodman, and I had arrived at our basecamp in the Miyar Valley in mid-August, after a few epic jeep rides and shepard encounters. We immediately sorted our climbing kit, bivy gear, a week’s food, and trudged off to the Jangpar Glacier (six miles farther up the Miyar Valley).  

Not everyone who’s explored the Jangpar echo the Brit’s glowing reviews. A Canadian team had trekked into the valley and recently warned in the 2007 AAJ: “the challenges of approaching these climbs should not be understated. We found the camping situation in the rubble filled valley and its arid swales to be abysmal, and noticed that icefalls, extending from wall to wall, barred reasonable access to the majority of the peaks.” Thankfully, Dave and I had spent the last two seasons in the Patagonia’s Torre Valley — which paid off big time. We found a small dune of glacial sand and dug a comfortable, flat platform. Then we broke out the binoculars and scoped a fine looking warm-up objective, a feature the British dubbed the Orange Tower. Based on our savvy Patagonian-honed skills, we guesstimated the climb to be eight to twelve pitches. The next morning, we were surprised to discover the Tower went as a pleasant six pitch alpine romp — the first time I’ve ever overestimated the length of a climb. Feeling confident — perhaps even a shade cocky — we set our sights on Peak 5960’s West Ridge.