The Ogre (mountain)
Encyclopedia
Baintha Brakk or The Ogre is a steep, craggy mountain, 7285 metres (23,901 ft) high, in the Panmah Muztagh
, a subrange of the Karakoram
mountain range. It is located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
. It is famous for being one of the hardest peaks in the world to climb: twenty-four years elapsed between the first ascent in 1977 and the second in 2001.
, one of the major glaciers of the central Karakoram. It lies about 75 kilometres (47 mi) north of Skardu
, the major town of the region, and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the roadhead at Askole
.
tower, steeper and rockier than most other Karakoram peaks. (The Latok
peaks next to Baintha Brakk are similar, however.) For example, its South Face rises over 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) above the Uzun Brakk Glacier in only 2 kilometres (1 mi) of horizontal distance.
It is because of this steep, rocky nature that Baintha Brakk has been both so difficult to climb and so attractive a target for extremely high-level mountaineers
.
, Doug Scott
and Chris Bonington
, in 1977. (The other members of the party were Mo Anthoine
, Clive Rowland, Nick Estcourt
, and Tut Braithwaite. Estcourt, Anthoine, and Rowland all reached the lower West Summit, while Braithwaite was injured early on by rockfall
.) They climbed via the Southwest Spur to the West Ridge, and over the West Summit to the Main Summit. The ascent of the summit block required difficult rock climbing
that extended the boundaries of what had been done at over 7000 metres (22,965.9 ft).
The descent was an epic: On the first rappel from the summit, Scott broke both legs.
Later, Bonington broke two ribs and contracted pneumonia
. Also, much of the week-long descent to base camp was in a major storm. However, they were all able to reach base camp, where they had a long wait for assistance.
The second ascent of Baintha Brakk was made by Urs Stöcker, Iwan Wolf, and Thomas Huber
, on 21 July 2001, via the South Pillar route, following their first ascent of the subsidiary peak Ogre III (circa 6800 metres (22,309.7 ft)). They note that there were more than 20 unsuccessful expeditions in the interim. Mountain INFO magazine characterized their ascent as "arguably the most notable mountaineering achievement during the entire 2001 season."
Panmah Muztagh
The Panmah Muztagh is a subrange of the Karakoram range, in Baltistan, a district of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Its highest peaks are not particularly high by Karakoram standards, but they are exceedingly steep rock spires, unlike many of the peaks in the surrounding subranges...
, 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,...
mountain range. It is located in Gilgit-Baltistan, 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...
. It is famous for being one of the hardest peaks in the world to climb: twenty-four years elapsed between the first ascent in 1977 and the second in 2001.
Location
Baintha Brakk rises above the north side of the Biafo GlacierBiafo Glacier
The Biafo Glacier is a long glacier in the Karakoram Mountains of the Northern Areas, Pakistan which meets the long Hispar Glacier at an altitude of at Hispar La to create the world's longest glacial system outside the polar regions. This highway of ice connects two ancient mountain kingdoms,...
, one of the major glaciers of the central Karakoram. It lies about 75 kilometres (47 mi) north of Skardu
Skardu
Skardu , is the main town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Gilgit Baltistan....
, the major town of the region, and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the roadhead at Askole
Askole
Askole or Askoly is a small town located in the Braldu Valley in the most remote region of Karakoram mountains in Northern Areas, Pakistan. It is the last settlement before the wilderness of the Karakoram. Askole is the gateway to four of the world's fourteen highest peaks known as Eight-thousanders...
.
Notable features
Baintha Brakk is exceptional in its combination of altitude, height above local terrain, and steepness. It is a complex graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
tower, steeper and rockier than most other Karakoram peaks. (The Latok
Latok
Latok I was first climbed in 1979 by a Japanese expedition led by Naoki Takada; the first summit party comprised Sin'e Matsumi, Tsuneo Shigehiro, Yu Watanabe, and they were followed three days later by Hideo Muto, Jun'ichi Oku, and Kota Endo...
peaks next to Baintha Brakk are similar, however.) For example, its South Face rises over 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) above the Uzun Brakk Glacier in only 2 kilometres (1 mi) of horizontal distance.
It is because of this steep, rocky nature that Baintha Brakk has been both so difficult to climb and so attractive a target for extremely high-level mountaineers
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
.
Climbing history
Following two unsuccessful attempts in 1971 and 1976, the peak was first climbed by two BritonsUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Doug Scott
Doug Scott
Douglas Keith Scott CBE, known as Doug Scott , is an English mountaineer noted for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to climb Everest during this expedition...
and Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
, in 1977. (The other members of the party were Mo Anthoine
Mo Anthoine
Julian Vincent "Mo" Anthoine was a British mountaineer who climbed extensively in the Himalayas in the 1970s and 80s....
, Clive Rowland, Nick Estcourt
Nick Estcourt
Nick Estcourt , educated at Eastbourne College, was an outstanding British climber killed on K2 by an avalanche on the West Ridge route...
, and Tut Braithwaite. Estcourt, Anthoine, and Rowland all reached the lower West Summit, while Braithwaite was injured early on by rockfall
Rockfall
Rockfall or rock-fall refers to quantities of rock falling freely from a cliff face. A rockfall is a fragment of rock detached by sliding, toppling, or falling, that falls along a vertical or sub-vertical cliff, proceeds down slope by bouncing and flying along ballistic trajectories or by rolling...
.) They climbed via the Southwest Spur to the West Ridge, and over the West Summit to the Main Summit. The ascent of the summit block required difficult rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
that extended the boundaries of what had been done at over 7000 metres (22,965.9 ft).
The descent was an epic: On the first rappel from the summit, Scott broke both legs.
Later, Bonington broke two ribs and contracted pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. Also, much of the week-long descent to base camp was in a major storm. However, they were all able to reach base camp, where they had a long wait for assistance.
The second ascent of Baintha Brakk was made by Urs Stöcker, Iwan Wolf, and Thomas Huber
Thomas Huber
Thomas Huber , is a German climber and mountaineer. He lives in Berchtesgaden with his family. His brother and climbing partner is the German climber Alexander Huber....
, on 21 July 2001, via the South Pillar route, following their first ascent of the subsidiary peak Ogre III (circa 6800 metres (22,309.7 ft)). They note that there were more than 20 unsuccessful expeditions in the interim. Mountain INFO magazine characterized their ascent as "arguably the most notable mountaineering achievement during the entire 2001 season."