SALTORO KANGRI

It is a beautiful massif situated beyong Bilafond glacier. The massif contains two famous peaks, Saltoro Kangri I .7742m and Saltoro Kangri II.7, 706m. in 1820-25, William Moorcroft, a British veterinary surgeon turned traveler explored Ladakh from his base in Leh. He located the Saltoro pass and determined that Yarkand River rose from the north-eastern side of Karakoram. He and George Trebeck a British geologist explored middle Shyok valley and lower Nubra valley. Moorcroft collected a lot of information on the area which was of invaluable help to succeeding travelers. In 1838, G. T. Vigne visited Khaplu and travelled up to Saltoro valley in an attempt to reach Saltoro pass 5,547m. In 1860, Captain H.H. Godwin-Austen of the Survey of India surveyed the Saltoro and Shigar valleys. He was followed, in 1861, by E.G. RyaIl, a surveyor, who extended the survey to more areas in Saltoro valley, supplementing the survey work of Captain Godwin-Austen. In 1909, T.G. Longstaff and his party reached Saltoro pass via Khaplu and Bilafond glacier. The mountain was reconnoitered by the intrepid Workman couple in 1911-12. The first attempt on the peak in 1935, James WaIler and his party attempted to climb Saltoro Kangri 1 from south-west and east faces via the Shyok, Saltoro and Kondus valleys. The party reached 7,529m before exhaustion and bad weather forced it to come back.
     

 Lord Hunt was one of members of the party. The other peak in the range is called Saltoro Kangri II with a height of 7,706m. A British university expedition led by Eric Shipton approached this peak through the Bila fond La via Pakistan with a Pakistani climbing permit. They raced the peak but did not attempt it. The very fact that this peak with such appreciable height hat not been conquered till that time was enough to attract the mountaineer to scale it. In May1957 Dr. P. J. Stephenson of the British Karakoram expedition to Saltoro carried from out some scientific investigation in the Saltoro Basin and traversed from Siachen glacier to saltoro glacier in the Kondus region. According to this expedition the ascent of the saltoro kangri was difficult. In May 1962, the Japinese brought a sixteen member joint Pak-Japan Karakoram Expedition. The Japanese side led by Dr. Tsunahiko Shidei, and Pakistani led Abdul Hamid beg, Vice – President of the Karakoram club of Pakistan. After having set up higher camps, Thy party rich on top July 29 three members, Dr. Saito, Takamaura of Japan and Raj Bashir Ahmad of Pakistan were at the top of peak at 10.45 in the morning follow the North East Ridge route, Saltoro Kangri was the first major success of a joint Pakistan-cum-Japan expedition. In 1909, T.G. Longstaff and his party reached Saltoro pass via Khaplu and Bilafond glacier. It is the same Bilafond glacier which was visited in 1957 by a British Imperial College expedition, which was led by Eric Shipton. Daud Beg of the Karakoram Club, a student at the Imperial College at that time, acted as adviser to the expedition. In 1935, James WaIler and his party attempted to climb Saltoro Kangri 1 from south-west and east faces via the Shyok, Saltoro and Kondus valleys. The party reached 7,529m before exhaustion and bad weather forced it to come back. Lord Hunt was one of members of the party. The other peak in the range is called Saltoro Kangri II with a height of 7,706m.