Old friends claim first ascent of remote mountain

Mick Fowler (pictured) and Vic Saunders became the first to ascend Yawash Sar

Two mountaineers have become the first to ascend a remote mountain in Pakistan - 40 years after their first expedition to the country.

Mick Fowler, 68, and Vic Saunders, 74, say they reached the 20,531ft (6,258m) summit of Yawash Sar in the Karakoram range on 14 September.

An added challenge was that Mr Fowler now climbs with a colostomy bag following treatment for cancer.

The pair were able to send a message confirming their success after safely descending and trekking back to the roadhead.

Mr Fowler and Mr Saunders reached the summit of Yawash Sar on 14 September

Mr Fowler, who lives in Matlock in Derbyshire, said it was one of the best ascents they had done together.

"It was absolutely brilliant," he said.

“The face was complex and we were fortunate to find good climbing conditions and, after extensive binocular research, weave our way through numerous probable cul-de-sacs without reaching any impasses.

"A notable feature of the climb was a lack of good bivouac sites and at one point, we endured an excruciatingly uncomfortable hanging bivouac in strong winds."

The pair took this selfie on the summit of Spantik in 1987

He and Mr Saunders, who now lives in Chamonix in France, were regular climbing partners in the 1980s when they lived in London.

They did not climb together for three decades, until reuniting in 2016 to achieve a first ascent on the north face of Sersank in the Indian Himalaya.

They planned more expeditions before Mr Fowler's cancer diagnosis delayed them.

However, he was able to return to expeditions after successful treatment.