The Saltoro Mountains are a subrange 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,...

 Range

Mountain range

A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...

. They are located in the heart of the Karakoram, on the southwest 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...

, one of the longest glacier

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

s outside of the polar regions.

They are claimed as part of Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...

 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...

 and as part of Gilgit-Baltistan by Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. In 1984, India assumed military control of the main peaks and passes of the range, with Pakistani forces pushed into the glacial valleys just to the west. Hence, despite high peaks and dramatic climbing opportunities, they are little visited except by military forces due to the ongoing 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...

.

On the southwest side, the Saltoro Mountains drop steeply to the valleys of the Kondus and Dansam Rivers, which join to form the Saltoro River, a tributary of the Shyok River

Shyok River

The Shyok River flows through northern Ladakh in India and the Northern Areas of Pakistan , spanning some .The Shyok River, a tributary of the Indus River, originates from the Rimo Glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen Glacier. The river widens at the confluence with the Nubra River...

. This in turn flows into the Indus River

Indus River

The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...

. To the northwest, the Kondus Glacier separates the range from the neighboring Masherbrum Mountains

Masherbrum Mountains

The Masherbrum Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range, in Baltistan region of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in northern Pakistan.-Geography:The Masherbrum Mountains are located on the south side of the Baltoro Glacier...

, while on the southeast, the Gyong River, Glacier, and Pass (Gyong La

Gyong La

Gyong La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, sitting southwest of the vast Siachen Glacier, some directly north of map point NJ 980420 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan...

) separate the range from the Kailas Mountains (not to be confused with the sacred Mount Kailash

Mount Kailash

Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...

, which is not in this region).

Selected peaks of the Saltoro Mountains

The following is a table of the peaks in the Saltoro Mountains which are over 7200 metres (23,622 ft) in elevation and have over 500 metres (1,640 ft) of topographic prominence

Topographic prominence

In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...

.
(This is a common criterion for peaks of this stature to be independent.)

Mountain	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Coordinates	Prominence (m)	Parent mountain	First ascent	Ascents (attempts)
Saltoro Kangri Saltoro Kangri 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....	7,742	25,400	35°23′57"N 76°50′51"E	2,160	Gasherbrum I Gasherbrum I Gasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...	1962	2 (1)
K12 K12 K12 is the second highest peak in the Saltoro Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram range in the Siachen region of Pakistan, near the indian-occupied part of kashmir. It lies near the Line of Control...	7,428	24,370	35°17′42"N 77°01′18"E	1,978	Saltoro Kangri	1974	4 (2)
Ghent Kangri Ghent Kangri Ghent Kangri is a high peak at the north end of the Saltoro Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is located west of the Siachen Glacier in an area under Indian control since 1984....  (Mount Ghent)	7,401	24,281	35°31′03"N 76°48′01"E	1,493	Saltoro Kangri Saltoro Kangri 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....	1961	4 (0)
Sherpi Kangri Sherpi Kangri Sherpi Kangri is a mountain peak in the Karakoram Range. It lies five km south of Ghent Kangri and ten km northwest of Saltoro Kangri .Sherpi Kangri lies in the Sherpi Kangri glacier region...	7,380	24,213	35°27′58"N 76°46′53"E	900	Ghent Kangri Ghent Kangri Ghent Kangri is a high peak at the north end of the Saltoro Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is located west of the Siachen Glacier in an area under Indian control since 1984....	1976	1 (1)

Source

• Jerzy Wala, Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, Zurich, 1990.