Latok, Pakistan

Latok I لیٹوک
Latok Peaks and the Ogres thumb
Highest point
Elevation	7,145 m (23,442 ft)[1]
Prominence	1,475 m (4,839 ft)[1]
Coordinates	35°55′41″N 75°49′21″E / 35.9280°N 75.8225°E / 35.9280; 75.8225
Geography
Latok Location of the Latok within the greater Karakoram region Show map of Karakoram Latok Latok (Gilgit Baltistan) Show map of Gilgit Baltistan
Location	Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Parent range	Panmah Muztagh, Karakoram
Climbing
First ascent	July 19, 1979 by Sin'e Matsumi, Tsuneo Shigehiro, Yu Watanabe[2]
Easiest route	East Ridge from south side

The Latok (

The Latok group comprises four main summits, each listed here with its relative position in the group, elevation,[1] 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
  George Lowe came within a few pitches of the summit. This climb and successful retreat has fueled continued interest in the mountain.^[3]
• First Ascent of Latok I: Latok I was first climbed in 1979 by a Japanese expedition led by Naoki Takada; the first summit party comprised Sin'e Matsumi, Tsuneo Shigehiro, Yu Watanabe, and they were followed three days later by Hideo Muto, Jun'ichi Oku, and Kota Endo. They started from the Baintha Lukpar Glacier and climbed a buttress to reach the East Ridge. The steep North Ridge of Latok I, 2,500 m (8,200 ft) high, has not yet been climbed in its entirety.[4]

• First Ascent of Latok II: Latok II saw its first ascent in 1977, by an Italian group led by 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.^[5]

• 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.^[2] 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.^[6]
• 1997 Expedition on Latok II: A notable next ascent of Latok II came in 1997, when a very strong team composed of
  Denali": a 1,000 m (3,300 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).^[7]
• 2018 Accident on Latok I : On 31 July 2018, the
  Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Skardu 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.^[8][9][10]
• 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.[11]
• 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.^{[citation needed]}

References