Region: Central Asia and The Far East

John Allen with David Barker, Joe Howard, Isobel Mulligan, Kevin Mulligan, Richard Taylor & Neil Willatt (July-August 2007)

Although close to the ever popular Mustagh Ata, the Kuksay Glacier of West Kunlun still had several significant unclimbed peaks, and this team (all making their first visit to the Greater Ranges) hoped to make some first ascents. From a base camp at 4500m, they climbed several peaks with grades varying from PD to TD, giving each a local (ie Kyrgyz) name, viz: Pt 4976m = Kichinekey Tagh (Small Mountain), Pt 5582m = Chiatuk, Pt 5315m = Yilpiz (Snow Leopard), and Pt 5485m = Tiltagh (Tongue Mountain). They also put up a couple of traditional rock routes – no doubt the first in this area!

For more details and photographs see: http://www.alienmountain.com