2. NABMA

Muztagh Ata 2014

Muztagh Ata (7.546 m or 24,757 ft) is highest skiable mountain in the world.
In July 2014. I attempted to reach the summit.
My plan was to summit Muztagh Ata on skis without porters, cooks, or a guide.
Muztagh Ata is quite impressive.
Standing all alone and not being part of a chain of peaks and being much farther north than the Himalayas give it the reputation of being a cold mountain.
The problems lie in coping with the high altitude, the cold and the weather.
Mt Muztagh Ata has an exceptional neighborhood : the Karakoram range, at the south, Tajikistan and the Pamir range, at the west, Takla Makan desert ("if you go in you don't come out" in the Uyghur language) at the east and at the north Tien Shan mountains and the fabled city of Kashgar.
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    Muztagh Ata can be approached by Karakoram Highway. The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China's Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4.693 m / 15,397 ft. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the "Ninth Wonder of the World." In recent years, the highway has become an adventure tourism destination. The road has given mountaineers and cyclists easier access to the many high mountains, glaciers and lakes in the area.
    The highway, connecting Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir to the ancient Silk Road, runs approximately 1,300 km (800 miles) from Kashgar, a city in the Xinjiang region of China. The highway cuts through the collision zone between the Eurasian and Indian plates, where China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan come within 250 km of each other. Owing largely to the extremely sensitive state of the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, the Karakoram highway has strategic and military importance.
    The road reconstruction is underway to accommodate new dam and hydro-plant. The KKH is best travelled in the spring or early autumn. Heavy snow during harsh winters can shut the highway down for extended periods. Heavy monsoon rains, around July and August, cause occasional landslides that can block the road for hours or more. The border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass is open only between May 1 and October 31 of every year.