K12 (mountain)
K12 is the second highest peak in the Saltoro Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram range in the Siachen region, in Ladakh. It lies near the Line of Control between the areas controlled by India and Pakistan. Its name comes from its designation given during the original survey of the Karakoram range.
| K12 | |
|---|---|
  K12 Saltoro Ridge, Siachen, Actual Ground Position Line, K12 near the border between Indian and Pakistani controlled territories [1]
[2]  K12 K12 (Ladakh) K12 K12 (Ladakh) | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,428 m (24,370 ft) [3] Ranked 61st |
| Prominence | 1,978 m (6,490 ft) [3] |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Coordinates | 35°17′42″N 77°01′18″E [3] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Saltoro Ridge, Siachen, Actual Ground Position Line, K12 near the border between Indian and Pakistani controlled territories [4] [5] |
| Parent range | Saltoro Mountains, Karakoram |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1974 by Shinichi Takagi, Tsutomu Ito (Japanese) |
| Easiest route | snow/ice climb |
K12 lies to the southwest of the Siachen Glacier; the K12 glacier heads on its northeast slopes and feeds the Siachen. The western slopes of K12 drain to the Bilafond Glacier system, and thence to the Dansam River, and eventually the Indus River.
K12 had been used as the objective for training Indian Army Mount Everest expedition in 1985.[6] Apart from this, K12 has seen little climbing activity, partly because of the unsettled political situation and the continued military presence in the area. It was first attempted in 1960, after a reconnaissance visit by famed explorer Eric Shipton in 1957. After a further unsuccessful attempt by a Japanese party in 1971, another Japanese expedition put two climbers, Shinichi Takagi and Tsutomu Ito, on the summit. They fell and died on the descent, and their bodies were not recovered. Another Japanese expedition returned in 1975 and made the second ascent. No subsequent climbs or attempts are recorded in the Himalayan Index.[7]
See also
- List of Ultras of the Western Himalayas
- Siachen conflict
- Actual Ground Position Line
- Indira Col
- Sia La
- Ghent Kangri
- Saltoro Kangri
- Bilafond La
- Chumik Glacier
- Gyong La
- NJ9842
References
- https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/K12
- https://peakery.com/k12-pakistan/
- "High Asia I: The Karakoram, Pakistan Himalaya and India Himalaya (north of Nepal)". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
- https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/K12
- https://peakery.com/k12-pakistan/
- "ASCENT OF K12 (7428 m) IN SALTORO HILLS (RANGE) : Himalayan Journal vol.41/15". www.himalayanclub.org. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- Himalayan Index
Sources
- Jerzy Wala, Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, 1990.
- Jill Neate, High Asia: an illustrated history of the 7,000 metre peaks, The Mountaineers, 1989.