Saser Kangri
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Saser Kangri (or Sasir Kangri) is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh, the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range in India. It is the 35th highest independent peak in the world.
The Saser Kangri massif consists of four main peaks:
- Saser Kangri I at 7,672 m (25,171 ft)
- Saser Kangri II East at 7,518 m (24,665 ft); West at 7,500 metres
- Saser Kangri III at 7,495 m (24,590 ft)
- Saser Kangri IV at 7,416 m (24,331 ft)
This massif lies toward the northwestern end of the Saser Muztagh, at the head of the North Shukpa Kunchang Glacier, a major glacier which drains the eastern slopes of the group. The Sakang and Pukpoche Glaciers head on the western side of the group, and drain into the Nubra River.
Early exploration and climbing attempts of Saser Kangri occurred on the western side, from the Nubra Valley; this is lower, more populated, and hence more easily accessible than the eastern side, which faces the Tibetan Plateau. Early European exploration included a visit in 1909 by famed explorer T. G. Longstaff, along with Arthur Neve and A. M. Slingsby. However, visits and failed climbing attempts by multiple groups on the western side over the period 1922-1970 showed that the western side was surprisingly difficult.
In 1973, an expedition of members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police finally succeeded in making the first ascent of the peak, by a very different route. They approached the peak from the southeast, via the upper Shyok Valley and the North Shukpa Kunchang Glacier, a long and difficult journey. Only in 1987 did climbers succeed in ascending this peak from the western side: an Indian-British team successfully climbed the peak in conjunction with the first ascent of Saser Kangri IV.
Saser Kangri II West was first climbed in 1984 by an Indo-Japanese team. Saser Kangri II East remains unclimbed; it is now believed that this is slightly higher than Saser Kangri II West and the world's second highest unclimbed mountain after Gangkhar Puensum. Saser Kangri III was climbed by an Indian team using an eastern approach.
Sources
- Jerzy Wala, Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, 1990.
- Jill Neate, High Asia: an illustrated history of the 7,000 metre peaks, The Mountaineers, 1989.