Saltoro Kangri
Encyclopedia
Saltoro Kangri is the highest peak of the Saltoro Mountains
, better known as the Saltoro Range, which is a minor range of the Karakoram
. It is one of the highest mountains on Earth, but it is in a very remote location deep in the Karakoram.
Saltoro Kangri lies in a region controlled by India
on the southwestern side of the Siachen Glacier
.
in the world. In addition, it rises dramatically above the Pakistani-controlled valleys of the Kondus and Saltoro Rivers to the west of the peak
(draining eventually into the Indus River.) Due to danger from military operations, Saltoro Kangri is little visited.
Areas just to the west are controlled by Pakistan, to the east by India.
The first attempt on the peak was in 1935 by a British expedition led by J. Waller, which reached c.24500' on the SE ridge.
A British university expedition led by Eric Shipton
approached this peak through the Bilafond La
via Pakistan with a Pakistani climbing permit. They recced the peak but did not attempt it. This expedition was inadvertently the first move in the deadly game of Siachen oropolitics
that would lead to the Siachen conflict
of 1984.
The first ascent of Saltoro Kangri was in 1962, by a joint Japanese-Pakistani expedition led by T. Shidei. This piggyback expedition put A. Saito, Y. Takamura and Pakistani climber R.A. Bashir on top on July 24, following the S.E. ridge route.
US maps of the area in the 1960s showed the Line of Control
between Pakistani and Indian territory running from the last defined point in the 1949 Agreement, NJ9842
, to the Karakoram Pass
(held by India), thus putting the whole of Saltoro Kangri and the entire Siachen Glacier
in Pakistan, even though the boundary was undemarcated from NJ9842 northwards. This appears to have been an error.
The Himalayan Index lists only one more ascent of the mountain, in 1981, and no other attempts.
Saltoro Mountains
The Saltoro Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram Range. They are located in the heart of the Karakoram, on the southwest side of the Siachen Glacier, one of the longest glaciers outside of the polar regions.They are claimed as part of Jammu and Kashmir by India and as part of Gilgit-Baltistan...
, better known as the Saltoro Range, which is a minor range of the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
. It is one of the highest mountains on Earth, but it is in a very remote location deep in the Karakoram.
Saltoro Kangri lies in a region controlled by India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on the southwestern side of the Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains at about , just east of the Line of Control between India-Pakistan. India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and...
.
Notable features
Saltoro Kangri is the 31st highest independent mountainin the world. In addition, it rises dramatically above the Pakistani-controlled valleys of the Kondus and Saltoro Rivers to the west of the peak
(draining eventually into the Indus River.) Due to danger from military operations, Saltoro Kangri is little visited.
Areas just to the west are controlled by Pakistan, to the east by India.
Climbing history
The mountain was reconnoitered by the intrepid Workman couple in 1911-12.The first attempt on the peak was in 1935 by a British expedition led by J. Waller, which reached c.24500' on the SE ridge.
A British university expedition led by Eric Shipton
Eric Shipton
Eric Earle Shipton CBE was a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer.-Early years:Born in Ceylon in 1907 where his father, a tea planter, died before he was three years old. His mother buried her grief by taking Eric and his sister Marge and travelling constantly for the next five years...
approached this peak through the Bilafond La
Bilafond La
Bilafond La , also known as the Saltoro Pass, is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, sitting immediately west of the vast Siachen Glacier, some directly north of map point NJ 980420 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between Pakistan and India as part of the Simla...
via Pakistan with a Pakistani climbing permit. They recced the peak but did not attempt it. This expedition was inadvertently the first move in the deadly game of Siachen oropolitics
Oropolitics
Oropolitics comes from the Greek oros meaning mountain and politikos meaning citizen. In modern usage it denotes the use and abuse of mountaineering for political purposes....
that would lead to the Siachen conflict
Siachen conflict
The Siachen Conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen War, is a military conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conflict began in 1984 with India's successful Operation Meghdoot during which it wrested control of the Siachen Glacier from...
of 1984.
The first ascent of Saltoro Kangri was in 1962, by a joint Japanese-Pakistani expedition led by T. Shidei. This piggyback expedition put A. Saito, Y. Takamura and Pakistani climber R.A. Bashir on top on July 24, following the S.E. ridge route.
US maps of the area in the 1960s showed the Line of Control
Line of Control
The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...
between Pakistani and Indian territory running from the last defined point in the 1949 Agreement, NJ9842
NJ9842
NJ9842, is the northernmost demarcated point of the Indo-Pak cease fire line known as the Line of Control.The line was formally accepted as a cease fire line by the prime ministers of India, Indira Gandhi and prime minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as per the Shimla Agreement signed on July...
, to the Karakoram Pass
Karakoram Pass
The Karakoram Pass is a mountain pass between India and China in the Karakoram Range. It is the highest pass on the ancient caravan route between Leh in Ladakh and Yarkand in the Tarim Basin...
(held by India), thus putting the whole of Saltoro Kangri and the entire Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains at about , just east of the Line of Control between India-Pakistan. India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and...
in Pakistan, even though the boundary was undemarcated from NJ9842 northwards. This appears to have been an error.
The Himalayan Index lists only one more ascent of the mountain, in 1981, and no other attempts.
Sources
- Jill Neate, High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks, ISBN 0-89886-238-8
- Himalayan Index
- DEM files for the Himalaya (Corrected versions of SRTM data)