Muztagh Ata, or Muztagata , is the second highest (7546 metres) of the mountains which form the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau (not the second highest of the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau). It is sometimes regarded as being part of the Kunlun Shan, although physically it is more closely connected to the Pamirs. It is also reputedly one of the easiest 7,000 m peaks in the world to climb, due to its gentle western slope and the comparatively drier weather of Xinjiang.
Muztagh Ata is one of the most popular 7000m peaks, probably only second to Pik Lenin in the neighbouring country Kyrgyzstan. There are many reasons for its popularity:
The access is very easy. In a few hours you can reach the BC from the asphalted Karakoram Highway.
It’s a reasonably priced peak. A permit costs 1080$ and you can officially share that cost with up to 12 people. It’s usually not a problem to add more climbers to the permit without an extra cost.
The mountain is located in an interesting part of the world, close to the old Silk Road and the beauty of nature is stunning.
The main reason is probably Muztagh Ata’s reputation being the easiest 7000m peak. The normal route is easy, technically speaking and there are few objective dangers. The high altitude, the deep snow on the enormous wind swept slopes and the biting winds over 7000 meters still make it a hard target. The bottom line is; there’s no easy peak of that altitude. In the year of 2002, which had quite normal weather and snow conditions, a mere 18% of the attempts resulted in successful climbs.
Muztagh Ata lies just south of Kongur Tagh, the highest peak of the Kunlun Shan. Together they form a somewhat isolated group, separated from the main chain of the Kunlun, and also separate from the Pamir Mountains to the west. (Both peaks are sometimes regarded as being in the “Chinese Pamir”, and are more closely connected to the main Pamir group than the main Kunlun group.) Not far to the north and east of this group are the lowlands of the Tarim Basin and the Taklamakan Desert. The Karakoram Highway passes very close to both peaks as well as Karakul Lake, from which the mountain is conveniently viewed. The closest city is to the mountain is Tashkurgan, the westernmost town in China and very close to the border with Pakistan.
The first recorded attempt to climb the peak dates back to 1894. It was famous explorer and cartographer Sven Hedin who first tried to ascend on the back of a yak(!). The yak died and Hedin continued on foot towards the summit. He failed and so did other expeditions in 1900, 1904 and 1947. The last was lead by famous and experienced climbers Bill Tilman and Eric Shipton. They got close to the summit but had to turn back due to deep snow and extreme cold. Muztagh Ata was finally climbed by a huge Soviet-China team in 1956. Beletskiy was the formal leader and they used the west ridge.
