Kun (mountain)
| Kun | ||
|---|---|---|
 The summit structure of the Kun above the snow plateau, (from the south), on the right behind the Pinnaclescharte in the northeast ridge |
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| height | 7077 m (according to other information 7086 m ) | |
| location | Ladakh , India | |
| Mountains | Nun-Kun Massif , Himalayas | |
| Dominance | 4.9 km → Well | |
| Notch height | 997 m ↓ snow plateau | |
| Coordinates | 34 ° 0 '47 " N , 76 ° 3' 25" E | |
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| First ascent | 1919 by Mario Piacenza | |
| Normal way | Shafattal - Snowplateau - Northeast Ridge | |
 The Nun-Kun massif (from the south), Kun (left) and Nun (right) |
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The Kun (also Mt. Kun or Kun Peak ) is a 7077 m high mountain in the Himalayas .
It is located in the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh and, together with the Nun, forms the Nun-Kun massif . It is the last seven thousand meter peaks at the north-western end of the main Himalayan range.
The Kun falls to the west in a steep, partly vertical, 2000 m high rock face. The northwest spur is a steep, rugged rock ridge that descends to the Ganri Glacier. The northern flank leads steeply into the Suru valley, which is 3500 m lower, and is interspersed with several hanging glaciers . The west ridge, over which the normal route leads to the summit, is ice-covered and connects the Kun with the Pinnacle Peak. Like the rocky south face, the icy south-east flank slopes down to the Snow Plateau. The steep rocky southwest spur closes the circle to the west wall.
history
Ascent history
The first documented exploration of the area took place as part of a British surveying expedition in 1898 by Major FG Lukas, CG Bruce and a group of Gurkhas. They reached Suru from the west and climbed from Tongul on the west side of the Kun to an altitude of 5,000 m on the Sentik-La .
In 1906, the researcher couple William Hunter Workman and Fanny Bullock Workman , together with Matthias Zurbriggen, circumnavigated the Nun-Kun massif in close proximity and climbed the 6930 m high Pinnacle Peak , the secondary summit of the Kun, in the opinion of climbing the highest point.
The first ascent was made on August 3, 1913 by the Italian Mario Piacenza over the northeast ridge.
It was not until 1971 , 58 years later, that the Indian army made the second ascent , with 17 people reaching the summit.
In 1977 the French Sylvain Saudan stood on the summit after the first ski ascent, and the Austrian Robert Schauer .
1979 the first ascent of the Kun in the western alpine style (without a porter) by Gabi Binder and Wolfgang Ott, as well as the failed attempt of a Japanese expedition to climb the west face.
In 1981 , Kunihiko Nagoshi and Minoro Kondo managed to climb the west face of the Kun in 12 days at the second attempt.
The flare-up border conflict between India and Pakistan required a temporary closure of the then only access to the area, the road from Srinagar over the Zoji La (pass) to Kargil. The bombardment of the street by Pakistani irregulars prevented access to the Nun-Kun massif for years. Only when the originally purely military airport in Leh was opened for civil aviation, as well as the expansion of the Manali-Leh Highway as a second road connection between India and Ladakh, did tourism in the region become possible again. The Kun was now the target of commercial trekking operators, which led to the underestimation of the danger of the mountain and
1991 claimed the first death. Michela Cisotti died in an Italian group at an altitude of 6,800 m and two local porters lost their lives under an avalanche.
Different heights
The oldest altitude information can be found in Sheet No. 45 SW of the Indian Atlas from 1881 , which is sometimes very imprecise and imaginatively designed . There, the Mer Peak (Koon) is ft with 23,264, which would be 7091 m , listed .
William Hunter Workman adopted this altitude information in his maps drawn up in 1906 and 1908, but incorrectly entered 23,300 ft ( 7102 m ) for Pinnacle Peak . This error may be due to the fact that from the perspective of Rangdum Gompa, Pinnacle Peak actually appears to be the highest peak.
In British maps from the first half of the 20th century, the height of the Kun is given as 23250 ft, 7086 m .
Current maps and newer literature assume an altitude of 7077 m .
Routes
Normal way
The normal route leads from the east to the snow plateau and from there over the northeast ridge to the summit:
The starting point is the bridge over the Suru River above Galmatunga . The Shafat Valley is ascended southwest over mats, at the beginning of the glacier there is a change to the left side moraine , the Pinnacle Glacier is crossed, and you reach the apex of the left side moraine of Shafat Glacier (base camp, 4465 m ). Further south over moraine hills, old snow fields and finally the Fariabad Glacier at the foot of the White Needle east flank (high camp 1, 5400 m ). Continue through the east flank with a 45 ° incline to the White Needle Pass and the Snow Plateau (high camp 2, 6180 m ).
As a variant, you can also climb directly (50 ° slope) from the base camp to the Snow Plateau . This route, which requires one less high camp, was chosen by Binder and Ott in 1979.
The Snow Plateau to northeast traverse, to below the Pinnaclescharte in line between Kun and Pinnacle peak (high bearing 3, 6360 m ). Through the flank on the Pinnaclescharte and over the northeast ridge to the summit.
West wall
The route through the west wall (Japanese route) was first committed:
The starting point is Parkatchik . The base camp was on the Parktchik Glacier (also Ganri Glacier ). The exact route is unknown.
Individual evidence
- ^ Workman on jstor.org
- ↑ Fanny Bullock Workman on etrc.lib.umn.edu ( Memento of the original dated August 31, 2000 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Portrait of Zurbriggen on emmet.de ( memento of the original from January 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Map of the Nun-Kun-Massif Sheet No.45 SW of the Indian Atlas from 1881
- In the Ice world of Himálaya, Among the Peaks and Passes of Ladakh, Nubra, Suru, and Baltistan. Fisher Unwin, London 1900.
- The Call of the Snowy Hispar: A Narrative of Exploration and Mountaineering on the Northern Frontier of India. Constable and Co. London 1911 Google Online Books .
- Peaks and Glaciers of Nun Kun: A Record of Pioneer-Exploration and Mountaineering in the Punjab Himalaya. Constable and Co., London 1909.