Climbers summit world’s second highest unclimbed peak

Way back in July we told you about an expedition to climb Saser Kangri II, which at the time had the distinction of being the worlds second tallest unclimbed peak. Two months later, we can now remove that qualifier from the mountain’s description, as a three man team successfully reached the summit in late August.

Located in a remote region of northern India, Saser Kangri II stands 24,665 feet in height and offers a significant technical climbing challenge to go along with the difficulties that are typically associated with high altitude. It was because of these challenges that the mountain remained unclimbed even into the 21st century, when most of the big Himalayan peaks have been conquered.

In July, climbers Steve Swenson, Mark Richey, and Freddie Wilkinson began their expedition by first traveling to northern India, then trekking three days to Base Camp. After spending a couple of weeks scouting the mountain, acclimatizing to the altitude, and establishing two camps, the team started their climb on August 21st. Over the next three days they made an alpine style ascent, overcoming a tough 5577-foot rock face in the process, to stand on top on the 24th.

Their adventure was far from over at that point however, as Swenson, who had developed a sinus infection on the climb, had his health take a turn for a worse. The infection grew into a serious respiratory issue, which could have been life threatening at high altitude, and he had to be evacuated from the mountain via helicopter on August 26th. He spent the next few days recovering in a local hospital, where he was later joined by his climbing partners, before the entire team made its way home.

With Saser Kangri II officially climbed, Labuche Kang III, a 23,786-foot tall mountain located in Tibet now has the distinction of being the second tallest unclimbed peak. It is likely to be a popular destination for future climbers looking to get their names in the history books by making a first ascent. As we noted in the original story, the tallest unclimbed mountain in the world is the 24,836 foot Gangkhar Puensum in Bhutan. That peak is considered sacred ground however, so climbing is strictly forbidden there.

Expedition to climb the second highest unclimbed mountain

An group of three American climbers have traveled to the Kashmir mountain range this summer, where they will attempt to become the first team to successfully summit Saser Kangri II, the second highest unclimbed peak in the world. The mountain, which stands 24,665 feet in height, is located in a very remote region of northern India that is only accessible during the summer months.

The team consists of climbers Freddie Wilkinson, Mark Richey and Steve Swenson, all of whom are very experienced high altitude mountaineers. Richey and Swenson made an attempt on Saser Kangri II back in 2009, reaching as high as 22,500 feet before turning back due to bad weather. They’ve decided to return to the mountain to finish off what they started, and asked Wilkinson to tag along for the climb.

Saser Kangri II is the second of four summits on the Saser Kangri massif, and as mentioned above, is the second highest unclimbed peak in the world. The highest unclimbed peak is a mountain named Gangkhar Puensum, which is located inside Bhutan, and is 24,836 feet in height. Many of the inhabitants of Bhutan believe that the tallest mountains in their country are sacred ground, and as a result, the government has banned mountaineering on any peak above 6000 meters or roughly 19,685 feet. In other words, no one can climb Gangkhar Puensum, so mountaineers looking for the next big challenge give Saser Kangri a try instead.

The team set out for India earlier in the week, and it will take them a number of days just to trek into Base Camp, located at about 17,000 feet on the mountain. Over the next few weeks, they’ll be scouting the route they hope to take to the summit, while slowly acclimatizing to the altitude. If everything goes as scheduled, they’ll be making their attempt at the summit in early August, and with a little luck, become the first men to stand on the top of the mountain.

[Photo courtesy of Steve Swenson]