Adventure Alternative

Mustagh Ata, China - 7547m

This climb is fairly straightforward and an excellent stepping stone for those who aspire to climb an 8,000m peak. It has few technical problems , with easy gentle slopes, and in its own right gives a high altitude expedition in a remote and fascinating part of the world.

Mustagh Ata is part of the Pamir Mountain range, and its highest peak. It is an isolated massif rising from the western end of the remote Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang province of China, where ice meets with the desert.

In Uygar language “mustagh ata“ means the Father of icy mountains. The barren landscape rises more than two miles above sea level, and it is in the centre of the great mountain ranges of Asia. The Karakoram mountains lie to the South, the Pamir to the West; the Kun Lan and Tien Shan to the North.

As it rises from a remote corner of the central Asian Plateau the easiest approach is by the famous Karakoram highway. Small settlements lie scattered along the highway , otherwise nomadic Kyrgyz people roam the vast plains with their camels and horses.
The lack of any industrial development and sparse population means the entire area is ecologically untouched.

History

Mustagh Ata first gained the attention of climbers in 1894, when the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin attempted it on a yak! Unfortunately they were denied the summit and retreated from 19,500feet. All early attempts were thwarted including one by the British explorers Tillman and Shipton, who in 1947 got to within 200 feet of the summit. It was finally conquered in 1956 by a large Russian-Chinese expedition.

Weather

The best season for climbing is June until mid September, with low winds and long days of warm sunshine. On the summit you can expect temperatures to vary between -20 and -30c.

Qualifications

Although Mustagh Ata is one of the easier 7,500m peaks, climbers are required to have previous high altitude and mountaineering experience to at least 6,000 metres. Mountains such as Denali, Aconcagua, Ojos Del Salado would be ideal stepping stones to this expedition.

Getting There

Our journey in will start in Bishkek, capital of Krgystan, and then go overland through the Taklamakan Desert to Kashgar in China and then onto Base Camp (2 days).

Equipment

A variety of clothing will be requires for the expedition. You will need clothing for around town , traveling and eating out, trekking in the heat and humidity , and clothing for the extreme temperatures on the mountain. Down gear, crampons, ice axe, poles, good sleeping bags and  a variety of layered thermal and fleece clothing is necessary. A full kit list will be supplied later.

It needs to be lightweight , functional and adaptable to a wide variety of conditions, and the quality of the equipment and clothing you bring will have a lot to do with how warm, dry and comfortable you feel. When making the final choice of what to bring, remember it’s about taking enough to do the job and not carrying items you will probably not use.

Land costs include
Scheduled hotel nights
Meals as the itinerary
Transport as the itinerary
Camels and porters to and from Mustagh Ata base camp
All meals on trek and on mountain
Group tents and cooking gear and fuel
Western guides

Land cost do not include
International air fare
Chinese visa
Unscheduled hotels and meals
Personal equipment
Personal items such as alcohol, phone calls, laundry, souveneirs
Rescue and cancellation insurance
Airport departure tax