GUNUNG · Pakistan

Latok I

Gugus Latok dan The Ogre (Baintha Brakk) dilihat dari Gletser Biafo — foto kawasan, memperlihatkan kelompok puncak tempat Latok I berdiri.. Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 7.145 m
Country: Pakistan (PK)
Location / Range: Panmah Muztagh, Pegunungan Karakoram, Gilgit-Baltistan
Mountain type: Puncak granit-dan-es tajam (non-vulkanik) — objek alpinisme teknis kelas dunia
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 35.9286, 75.8233
Difficulty: Sangat ekstrem — objek alpine teknis kelas dunia (bukan gunung trekking); hanya untuk ekspedisi alpinis elite
Best Season: Musim panas Karakoram, Juni–Agustus (jendela cuaca stabil paling mungkin)
Permits & Rules: Wajib izin ekspedisi/royalti puncak dari Pakistan (via Gilgit-Baltistan), plus liaison officer. Pendekatan lewat trailhead Askole, menyusuri Gletser Biafo menuju kawasan Baintha/Baintha Lukpar untuk base camp.
Hazards: Longsoran salju dan es; batuan lepas; cuaca Karakoram yang cepat berubah; medan campuran es-batu curam berkepanjangan di atas 6.000 m; ketinggian; serta keterpencilan ekstrem yang membuat penyelamatan sangat sulit (terbukti pada tragedi Glazunov–Gukov 2018).

Description

Latok I (7,145 m) is a sharp granite-and-ice peak in the Panmah Muztagh of the Karakoram, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is renowned not as a general climbing destination but as one of the hardest alpine objectives on Earth — especially its North Ridge, alpinism's 'last great problem' for four decades since the famous 1978 American attempt (Jeff and George Lowe, Jim Donini, Michael Kennedy). The summit was first reached by a Japanese expedition from the south in 1979, and only a second ascent came in 2018 via the north by Tom Livingstone, Aleš Česen and Luka Stražar — the same year as the death of Sergey Glazunov and the dramatic helicopter rescue of Alexander Gukov, who was stranded for six days at altitude. Access begins at Askole village via the Biafo Glacier, and climbing it demands a Pakistani expedition permit and extreme alpine skill. For most people Latok I is not a mountain to climb but a landmark of adventure history admired from afar.

Routes

North Ridge (punggungan utara — 'the last great problem'; jalur pendakian kedua 2018 via col)

Ekstrem / ED+ (mixed alpine berat: es curam, batu, dan medan campuran hingga >7.000 m)

±7 hari base camp ke base camp (alpine-style, 2018)

Latok I's North Ridge is dubbed alpinism's 'last great problem' — a roughly 2,500 m blade of ice and rock that repelled dozens of the world's best teams for 40 years since the famous 1978 American attempt (Jeff and George Lowe, Jim Donini, Michael Kennedy). On 9 August 2018 Tom Livingstone, Aleš Česen and Luka Stražar climbed about three-quarters of the ridge, then traversed to a col and summited from the south side — the first ascent of Latok I from the north and only the second ascent of the peak, honored with a 2019 Piolet d'Or. The line demands extreme mixed climbing, acclimatization and a stable weather window.

Source

South Face / South Buttress (jalur pendakian pertama 1979 — ekspedisi Jepang)

Sangat berat (dinding tinggi Karakoram, rawan longsoran; gaya ekspedisi berkemah)

Ekspedisi bergaya berkemah, beberapa minggu (base camp 10 Juni; puncak 19 & 22 Juli 1979)

Latok I's first ascent was made by a Japanese expedition led by Naoki Takada in 1979 via the south side, climbing the buttress left of the couloir dividing Latok I and Latok III. Base camp was set on the Baintha Lukpar Glacier (~4,600 m) on 10 June; Camp I was destroyed by an avalanche before being relocated. Two summit teams succeeded — 19 July and 22 July. This south-side line was the only route to the true summit until 2018.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Latok I is almost never climbed — its north side was alpinism's 'last great problem' for 40 years. So the 'experiences' here are not casual vlogs but expedition reports, documentaries, and news coverage of historic attempts: the 1978 American attempt, the 1979 Japanese first ascent from the south, the 2018 success from the north by Livingstone–Česen–Stražar, and the same year's tragedy when Sergey Glazunov died and Alexander Gukov was rescued after six days stranded. The sources below — from the American Alpine Journal, Alpinist, PlanetMountain, Explorersweb, and a BMC film — recount first-hand just how extreme this objective is.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.