__NOTOC__
The Latok ( ur, ) group is a small cluster of dramatic rock peaks in the
Panmah Muztagh
The Panmah Muztagh is a subrange of the Karakoram range, in Shigar, a district of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Geography
Panmah Muztagh highest peaks are not particularly high by Karakoram standards, but they are exceedingly steep rock spires ...
, part of the central
Karakoram
The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir region spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the ...
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. They lie just to the east of the Ogre group, dominated by
Baintha Brakk
__NOTOC__
Baintha Brakk ( ur, بائنتھا براک) or The Ogre is a steep, craggy mountain, high, in the Panmah Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range. It is located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.This region is disputed, and is ...
. To the immediate south of the Latok group lies the Baintha Lukpar Glacier, a small tributary of the
Biafo Glacier
The Biafo Glacier ( ur, ) is a -long glacier situated in the Karakoram mountain range in Shigar district, Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. Geography
Biafo Glacier meets the -long Hispar Glacier at an altitude of at Hispar La to create the worl ...
, one of the main glaciers of the Karakoram. On the north side of the group lies the Choktoi Glacier.
The group comprises four main summits, each listed here with its relative position in the group, elevation, and first ascent date:
* Latok I, north-central, 7,145 m, climbed 1979
* Latok II, west, 7,108 m, climbed 1977
* Latok III, east, 6,949 m, climbed 1979
* Latok IV, southeast, 6,456 m, climbed 1980
Climbing history
All of the summits are notable for their extreme technical difficulty, and they have been the scene of some of the hardest climbing done at high altitude anywhere in the world.
*First attempt on the North Ridge of Latok I: The North Ridge was first attempted in 1978 by an American expedition consisting of
Jim Donini
Jim Donini (born July 23, 1943) is an American rock climber and alpinist, noted for a long history of cutting-edge climbs in Alaska and Patagonia. He was president of the American Alpine Club from 2006 to 2009, and a 1999 recipient of the AAC's Ro ...
,
Jeff Lowe
Jeff Lowe (September 13, 1950 - August 24, 2018) was a famed American alpinist from Ogden, Utah who was known for his visionary climbs and first ascents established in the US and Canadian Rockies, Alps and Himalayas. He was a proponent of the " ...
George Lowe
George Edward Lowe (born November 10, 1957) is an American voice actor and comedian whose voice roles include Space Ghost on the animated series ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' and its spin-off, ''Cartoon Planet''.Arturo Bergamaschi. (This was the first successful ascent in the group.) They climbed the southeast face of the peak, and Ezio Alimonta, Toni Masé and Renato Valentini made the summit.
*First Ascent of Latok III: The first ascent of Latok III came in 1979, by a Japanese team under the leadership of Yoji Teranishi. They climbed the Southwest Ridge, and the summit party were Teranishi, Kazushige Takami, and Sakae Mori. The second ascent, via the same route, came in 1988, by an Italian party. This was the first repeat ascent of any peak in the group.Andy Fanshawe and Stephen Venables, ''Himalaya Alpine-Style'', Hodder and Stoughton, 1995,
*1997 Expedition on Latok II: A notable next ascent of Latok II came in 1997, when a very strong team composed of
Alexander Huber
Alexander Huber (born 30 December 1968), is a German rock climber and mountaineer. He became a professional climber in 1997, and was widely regarded as the world's strongest climber in the late-1990s, and is an important figure in rock climbin ...
,
Thomas Huber
Thomas Huber (born 18 November 1966 in Palling, Bavaria) is a German climber and mountaineer. He lives in Berchtesgaden with his family. His brother and climbing partner is Alexander Huber and the two are called "Huberbuam" (Huberboys) in the B ...
Conrad Anker
Conrad Anker (born November 27, 1962) is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author. He was the team leader of The North Face climbing team for 26 years until 2018. In 1999, he located George Mallory's body on Everest as a member of a sear ...
climbed the sheer West Face of the peak. They described as putting "
El Capitan
El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granit ...
on top of
Denali
Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the thir ...
": a 1,000 m (3,280 ft) vertical rock wall with a base at 6,100 m (20,000 ft) elevation. The total vertical for the climb was 2,200 m (7,200 ft).''
American Alpine Journal
The ''American Alpine Journal'' is an annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club. Its mission is "to document and communicate mountain exploration." The headquarters is in Golden, Colorado.
Subtitled as a compilation of "The World's M ...
'', 1998, 34-43
*2018 Accident on Latok I : On 31 July 2018, the
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
rescued Russian climber Alexander Gukov from the Latok I peak in the
Biafo Glacier
The Biafo Glacier ( ur, ) is a -long glacier situated in the Karakoram mountain range in Shigar district, Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. Geography
Biafo Glacier meets the -long Hispar Glacier at an altitude of at Hispar La to create the worl ...
for medical attention. His partner, Sergey Glazunov, was found dead. The rescued climber thanked armed forces of Pakistan for saving his life and praised the hospitality and bravery of the nation.
*First Ascent of Latok I through the North Face: Slovenian climbers Aleš Česen (36), Luka Stražar (29) and British climber Tom Livingstone (27) climbed three-quarters via North Ridge of Latok I (7145m) before traversing the West side and summiting through the original route on 9 August 2018. They made the second ever ascent on the mountain after 1979.
*First Ascent of North Ridge: Russian climbers Alexander Gukov (42) and Sergey Glazunov (26) left on July 15 to climb Latok I via the unclimbed North Ridge. They managed to climb to the top of North Ridge, but failed to reach the summit of Latok I. During the descent, Glazunov fell to his death and Gukov was stranded for 7 days in bivouac on the ridge. He was eventually rescued by helicopter.