Saltoro Kangri | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 7,742 m (25,400 ft) Ranked 31st |
Prominence | 2,160 m (7,090 ft) |
Listing | Ultra |
Coordinates | 35°23′57.6″N76°50′55.2″E / 35.399333°N 76.848667°E |
Dimensions | |
Length | 80 km (50 mi) |
Geography | |
Saltoro Ridge, Siachen, Actual Ground Position Line, Saltoro Kangri on the border between Indian and Pakistani controlled territories | |
Parent range | Saltoro Mountains, Karakoram |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 24 July 1962 by Y. Takamura, A. Saito, Capt. Bashir [1] |
Easiest route | rock/snow/ice climb |
Saltoro Kangri | |||
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Traditional Chinese | 薩爾托洛崗日峰 | ||
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Saltoro Kangri,previously known as Peak 36,stands as the highest peak within the Saltoro Mountains subrange,which is part of the larger Karakoram range. This subrange is also referred to as the Saltoro Range and is situated within the Karakoram region. The term "Saltoro Kangri" typically encompasses both of its twin peaks,Saltoro Kangri I (located to the south) and Saltoro Kangri II,which are connected by a saddle. When comparing heights,the generic term "Saltoro Kangri" is used for the taller of the two peaks,Saltoro Kangri I. This peak ranks as the 31st highest mountain globally and is located in the remote reaches of the Karakoram. It lies on the Actual Ground Position Line,dividing Indian-controlled territory in the Siachen region from Pakistani-controlled territory to the west of the Saltoro Range.
The mountain underwent reconnaissance by Fanny Bullock Workman and her husband in the year 1911-12. The initial endeavor to conquer the peak,which was then denoted as "Peak 36," took place in 1935,led by a British expedition headed by James Waller and John Hunt. [2] [3] Hunt's involvement in the expedition had been suggested by the Himalayan Club in Calcutta. Among the expedition's members were Rowland Brotherhood and Dr. Steward Carslaw,accompanied by two Sherpas named Palden and Dawa Thondup. [4] Their approach to the mountain commenced from the Likah Glacier,with the objective of ascending the South East ridge. They successfully established a final camp on June 19th,yet their altitude estimation proved to be inaccurate. An attempt to reach the summit the following day,amidst worsening weather conditions,was thwarted as they were required to ascend an additional 3500 feet. Hunt and Brotherhood managed to reach an elevation of 24,500 feet but were compelled to turn around. [5]
In 1957,under the leadership of Eric Shipton,a British university expedition approached the mountain via the Bilafond La route,entering from Pakistan and operating under a Pakistani climbing permit. However,they chose not to make a summit attempt. Unintentionally,this expedition marked the initial maneuver in the consequential oropolitics dispute over the Siachen conflict,ultimately culminating in the Siachen conflict of 1984. [6]
The first ascent of Saltoro Kangri was in July 1962,by a joint Japanese-Pakistani expedition led by T. Shidei. This piggyback expedition put A. Saito,Y. Takamura and Pakistani climber R.A. Bashir on the top on July 24,following the S.E. ridge route. [1] [7] The peak was again climbed by an Indian Army expedition led by Colonel Narendra Kumar in 1981. [8] US maps of the area and many world atlases starting in the 1960s showed the Line of Control between Pakistani and Indian territory running from the last defined point in the 1949 Karachi Agreement,NJ9842,east-northeast to the Karakoram Pass,thus putting the whole of Saltoro Kangri and the entire Siachen Glacier in Pakistan. However,the Simla Agreement defined the Line of Control no further than point NJ9842 other than with the phrase "thence north to the glaciers." The Himalayan Index lists only one more ascent of the mountain,in 1981,and no other attempts.
Saser Kangri is a mountain in India. It is the highest peak in the Saser Muztagh,the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range. Sasir Kangri is located within Ladakh.
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about 35.421226°N 77.109540°E,just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At 76 km (47 mi) long,it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world's non-polar areas. It falls from an altitude of 5,753 m (18,875 ft) above sea level at its head at Indira Col on the India–China border down to 3,620 m (11,875 ft) at its terminus. The entire Siachen Glacier,with all major passes,has been under the administration of India as part of the union territory of Ladakh,located in the Kashmir region since 1984. Pakistan maintains a territorial claim over the Siachen Glacier and controls the region west of Saltoro Ridge,lying west of the glacier,with Pakistani posts located 1 km below more than 100 Indian posts on the ridge.
K12 is the second highest peak in the Saltoro Mountains,a subrange of the Karakoram range in the Siachen region and is administered as a part of Ladakh territory. Its name comes from its designation given during the original survey of the Karakoram range. In 1984,an Indian army expedition under Colonel Prem Chand took hold of this peak,from the side of Siachen glacier by traversing from the west.
Oropolitics comes from the Greek oros meaning mountain and politikos meaning citizen. In modern usage it denotes the use of mountaineering for political purposes.
Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces operation to take full control of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh. Executed on the morning of 13 April 1984 in the highest battlefield in the world,Meghdoot was the first military offensive of its kind. This operation preempted Pakistan's Operation Ababeel and was a success,resulting in Indian forces gaining control of the Siachen Glacier in its entirety.
The Saltoro Mountains form a subrange within the Karakoram Range and are situated in the southeastern part of the Karakoram. They lie on the southwest side of the Siachen Glacier,which is one of the two longest glaciers in the world outside the polar regions. The name "Saltoro" is also associated with the Saltoro Valley,located west of this range and descending on the Pakistani side of the Saltoro Range,which generally follows the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL).
The Rimo Muztagh is one of the most remote subranges of the Karakoram range. The southern part of Rimo Muztagh is in the Ladakh portion of far northwestern India,also claimed by Pakistan. The northern half,including the Rimo massif,is in the Siachen area. It is far from major towns,and close to the militarily sensitive Siachen Glacier,so it has seen little exploration or climbing activity compared to,for example,the nearby Baltoro Muztagh. The highest peak is Mamostong Kangri,7,516 metres.
The Rimo massif lies in the northern part of the remote Rimo Muztagh,a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is located about 20 km northeast of the snout of the Siachen Glacier and its main summit,Rimo I is the world's 71st highest mountain with an elevation of 7,385 metres (24,229 ft). The massif heads the large Central Rimo Glacier and South Rimo Glacier,as well as the smaller North Terong Glacier.
Mamostong Kangri or Mamostang Kangri,surveyed as K35,is the highest peak in the remote Rimo Muztagh,a subrange of the Karakoram range in Ladakh union territory of India. It is located about 30 km east-southeast of the snout of the Siachen Glacier. It is the 48th-highest independent peak in the world.
The Teram Kangri group is a mountain massif in the remote Siachen Muztagh,a subrange of the Karakoram range. The high point of the group,and of the Siachen Muztagh,is Teram Kangri I. The peak lies on the boundary between disputed China controlled Trans-Karakoram Tract and the disputed Siachen Glacier section controlled by India. The northeast side of the peak is in Chinese-controlled territory,the southwest side is controlled by India.
Ghent Kangri is a high peak near the north end of the Saltoro Mountains,a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is located west of the Siachen Glacier near the Actual Ground Position Line between India and Pakistan.
Bilafond La (meaning "Pass of the Butterflies" in Balti language,also known as the Saltoro Pass,is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge,sitting immediately west of the vast Siachen Glacier,some 40 km directly north of map point NJ 980420 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between Pakistan and India as part of the Simla Agreement. Bilafond La is on the ancient Silk Route linking the Indian Subcontinent and China.
Sia La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge,in Gilgit Baltistan,Pakistan some 60 km (37 mi) north-northwest of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan as part of the Simla Agreement. Sia La sits near the Chinese border and immediately northwest of the upper part of the vast Siachen Glacier,connecting that glacier to the Pakistani-controlled Kondus Glacier and valley to the west.
The Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) divides current positions of Indian and Pakistani military posts and troops along the entire 110 kilometres (68 mi) long frontline in the disputed region of Siachen Glacier. AGPL generally runs along the Saltoro Mountains range,beginning from the northernmost point of the (LOC) at Point NJ 9842 and ending in the north on the Indira Ridge at the India-China-Pakistan LAC tripoint near Sia Kangri about 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Indira Col West,with peaks in excess of 7,000 m (23,000 ft) and temperatures ranging to around −55 °C (−67 °F). India gained control of 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) of disputed territory in 1984 because of its military operations in Siachen. A cease-fire was announced in 2003.
NJ9842,also called NJ 980420,is the northernmost demarcated point of the India-Pakistan cease fire line in Kashmir known as the Line of Control (LoC). The India–Pakistan AGPL,begins from the NJ9842 on LoC and ends near the Indira Ridge at the trijunction of areas controlled by China,India,and Pakistan.
Indira Col West is a mountain pass at 5,988 metres (19,646 ft)) altitude on the Indira Ridge of Siachen Muztagh in Karakoram Range. It is on the border between Indian-controlled Siachen Glacier and the Chinese-controlled Trans-Karakoram Tract,close to the tripoint of India,Pakistan,and China. The India-Pakistan Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in the Siachen area ends near the pass. It is possible to ascend the pass from both the north and south sides controlled by China and India respectively.
Chumik Glacier is located in the Siachen region,in Pakistan. Located on the west of Saltoro ridge,it is a 4-mile-long offshoot of the Bilafond Glacier.
Colonel Narendra Kumar,PVSM,KC,AVSM,FRGS was an Indian soldier and mountaineer. He is known for his expeditions across various mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and Karakorams,and respective subranges such as the Pir Panjals and Saltoro Mountains. His reconnaissance efforts on the Siachen glacier were key to the Indian Army's reclamation of the forward posts of the glacier in Operation Meghdoot in 1984. He was the deputy leader of the first successful Indian Mount Everest expedition in 1965.
Apsarasas Kangri is a mountain in the Siachen subrange of the Karakoram mountain range. With an elevation of 7,245 m (23,770 ft) it is the 96th highest mountain in the world. Apsarasas Kangri is located within the broader Kashmir region disputed between India,Pakistan and China. It is situated on the border between the areas controlled by China as part of the Xinjiang autonomous region,and the Siachen Glacier controlled by India as part of Ladakh.
Saltoro valley is the highest valley in Pakistan and is located within the region of Baltistan. This valley is under the administration of Pakistan and is situated near the Saltoro Mountain Range which includes the prominent Saltoro Kangri peak and the Saltoro River. Saltoro Valley is in proximity to the Siachen Glacier,which is the world's highest battleground and a disputed territory between India and Pakistan.