Muztagh Ata

Camping approx. 10 km from the foot of Muztagh Ata, 2000.The mountain is situated in the province of Xinjiang in the west of China The area borders to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikiastan, but the mountain itself in solely on Chinese territory. Most experts consider Muztagh Ata being a part of the mighty mountain range Kunlun, opposing a few who says it belongs to an extention of the Pamirs. The main peaks of Kongur and Muztagh Ata is over 7500 m and have many side peaks over 7000 m.
On the local language Muztahg Ata means "father of ice mountains" and according to the local tales it is the home of snow demons and other evil creatures. This was one of the reasons that set the mind on climbing the mountain for famous explorer Sven Hedin. In 1894 and at three other occasions he tried and failed to reach the summit and considered the expeditions as major failures. Even so, he was probably the person who reached he highest altitude of any human being at that time. Hedin, as so many others on later expeditins, was defeated by the mountain's long exposed areas, cold and bad weather.
The mountain was finally climbed in 1956 by a Chinese/Soviet expedition. Thereafter, Muztagh Ata has been climbed hundreds of times and it is now considered one of the eaisest 7000'rs. This fact has made the mountain a very popular target for climbers who wanna try out a really high peak or as a part in a long term preparation for an 8000'r. Muztagh Ata is only a day's walk from the Famous KKH, which further has contributed to it's popularity amongst alpinists from all over the world.

 

The standard route.
© S.Verheijke & M. Adserballe

Technically it's not a difficult mountain. Most climbers leave the crampons, ice axes and even the ropes back home, but frequent use of snowshoes and skis is common, which makes it easier to handle the often deep snow. The weather is, even during the most favorable months, unstable and fierce winds and and snow occurs in all seasons. The long, gentle slopes leading towards the summit is very exposed to the cold and the winds and have forced many good climbers to turn back. The great hight is generally the biggest obstacle and high altitude related symptomes can be a problem even for well acclimatized climbers.