The 1978 Attempt on the Big North Ridge of Latok-I

In 1978, an elite team of American alpinists set off for an unclimbed peak in the remote mountains of Pakistan. The infamous attempt is now considered one of the greatest failures in the history of Amerian alpinism.

Jeff and George Lowe, Michael Kennedy and Jim Donini had seen a black and white photo of the North Ridge of Latok 1 (7,145 m) and decided to make an attempt. They opted out of establishing camps and fixed ropes for an alpine attempt.

“All of us shared that sense of vision of what could possibly be done with a small group of climbers, as light as we could, and as fast as we could.”

Latok 1 in 1978