First ascent of mountain in Tien Shan

In April 2021, Charlie travelled to Kyrgyzstan with the goal of summiting an unclimbed mountain in Sarychat Ertash State Nature Reserve. Both had undertaken expeditions in the Tien Shan Range previously but neither had visited Sarychat Ertash; a rarely-visited high-alpine area known for its abundant wildlife.

During the two-week project, Charlie (and expedition-partner alpinist Marc Lambert) travelled up the Sarychat valley using snowshoes and pulling a sled. They encountered wolf and snow leopard tracks along the way and spotted numerous ibex. At the head of the Kolpokovskiy Glacier they located and summited an as-yet-unnamed a 4,733m peak. After summiting, they began a fast and frantic journey back the way they had come as the potential through routes all terminated in impassable cliffs.