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.
Read MoreIn 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.
The Karakoram Highway from Kashgar goes southwest about 80 km and then turns west to enter the Gez (Ghez) River canyon between Chakragil mountain on the north and Kongur mountain on the south.
From the Gez canyon the population becomes Kirgiz.
Having climbed up to the valley, the road turns south past Kongur, Karakul Lake and Muztagh Ata on the east.
The road continues over a low pass (where the population becomes Tajik) and descends to Tashkurgan.
Further south the road turns west the Khunjerab Pass, beyond which are Pakistan, the Khunjerab River and Hunza.
