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Muztagh
Ata Expedition
The Muztag Ata Expedition is a rare opportunity for both
experienced mountaineers and ski-tourers to meet a high altitude Himalayan
challenge. Standing at 7,546 meters (24,750 ft), Muztag Ata lies 160 km
(102 mi) south of the fabled city of Kashgar and off the Karakoram Highway
in the heart of the great mountain ranges of Asia. A round-topped mountain
wrapped in snow all year round, it has more than ten glaciers lying in its
canyons.
| D.1 |
ARRIVE
AT BEIJING. |
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Arrive
at Beijing and transfer to hotel. |
| D.2 |
BEIJING
SIGHTSEEING TOUR. |
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Full
day sightseeing tour in Beijing to see the world heritages including
Forbidden city, Temple of Heaven, Tian`anmen Square. |
| D.3 |
BEIJING-URUMQI-KASHGAR. |
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Fly
to Urumqi in the afternoon flight then fly to Kashgar with a night
flight. |
| D.4 |
KASHGAR. |
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Free
day at Kashgar for getting things prepared and optional city sightseeing
tour. |
| D.5 |
KASHGAR
TO LAKE KARAKOL |
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The
drive to Lake Karakol takes 5-6 hours goes through a breathtaking
scenery of high mountain pastures and snow-capped peaks. On the way,
we will stop at a village for lunch. The sight and sounds of local
vendors selling juicy fruits by the road side and small donkey carts
driven by singing cart masters add vibrancy to this village. At the
foot of Muztagh Ata (7,545 m/24,754 ft), sits Karakol (3,770 m/12,369
ft), a majestic blue glacial lake that is fed by the mammoth, century-old
glaciers above it. We will spend the night in yurts by the lake. |
| D.6 |
TREK
TO THE BASE CAMP. |
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A
short drive takes us to Subash Village where we meet our camels and
start walking to the base camp with the camels carrying the team's
equipment, we trek over a level plane and then climb steadily through
barren hills to base camp, which is approximately a 4-hour walk. Drifts
of alpine flowers clothe the slopes as base camp is approached and
screeching marmots call a welcome! |
| D.7-9 |
PREPARATION AT BASE CAMP |
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Base
camp is at an altitude of approximately 4,350m (14,500ft) so time
is needed for adaptation to the altitude. This grassy site is tucked
in between a moraine and the foot of the steeper slopes of the mountain
- a great place to relax now, and recover later. This is the time
to enjoy some excellent fresh food from the flaming woks of the base
camp staff. The team splits up into two groups; skiers and those on
foot. All equipment and food receives final checks and each group
prepares loads for carrying up the mountain. |
| DAY
10-23 |
ASCENT
OF MUZTAGH ATA. |
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We
use three camps above base camp. The first camp is likely to be close
to the snow line. In this case we will use pack animals to transport
all expedition supplies to Camp 1. Above this point all team members
will need to participate in load carrying between camps. In addition
to putting the necessary supplies in place, this also provides essential
acclimatization and fitness for the summit attempt. Camp 1 is at about
5,350m: a steep, stony ascent from BC and right on the edge of the
glaciers that blanket the upper 2,000m of the mountain.
From camp 1, the route is a steady ascent up a snowy and sometimes
icy slope, through an area of crevasses and then negotiating a small
'valley' in the glacier; this is the steepest part of the whole route.
. Above the 'valley', a long and unrelenting ascent leads up to the
site of camp 2, a small shelf in the glacier at about 6,100m. There
will probably be 2 or 3 ascents to camp 2, carrying loads for this
camp and the one above. This is great for acclimatization and great
for the skiers as there is an 800m run back to camp 1 with an empty
sac.
It is possible to fix a camp virtually anywhere on the upper part
of the mountain. The choice of where to site camps will be made by
the leaders taking into account prevailing conditions and the activities
of other parties on the mountain. In recent years, the next camp has
been placed at 6,450m, Camp 2 and a half. Alternatively, teams may
use a camp 3 at 6,800m. Issues such as; acclimatization, load carrying,
snow conditions, sleeping comfort and average group speed will be
taken into consideration when deciding what approach to use.
The route to the summit is straightforward; from 6,800m-7,400m a long,
gradual slope slowly eases becoming gentler and gentler. Finally,
with the ground appearing almost level, the small rise to the summit
rocks appears. |
| D.24 |
BASE
CAMP. |
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Return
to Base camp and back to Karakul Lake. |
| D.25 |
KARAKUL
LAKE -KASHGAR - URUMQI. |
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Return
to Kashgar, take half da for rest evening fly to Urumqi. |
| D.26 |
URUMQI
-BEIJING. |
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Fly
to beijing by morning flight , on arrival transfer to hotel. rest
o fthe day at free at laisure. |
| D.27 |
DEPARTURE |
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Departure
from Beijing. |
Background
information of Muztagh ata (Muztaghata)
Muztagh
ata (Muztaghata) Submit Log |
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