Khunyang Chhish

Infobox Mountain
Name=Khunyang Chhish
Elevation=convert|7852|m|ft|0|lk=on
Ranked 21st (8th in Pakistan)
Location=Pakistan
Range=Hispar Muztagh, Karakoram
Coordinates = coord|36|12|19|N|75|12|28|E|type:mountain [http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/420123/an/0/page/0#420123]
Prominence = convert|1765|m|ft|0|abbr=on
First ascent=August 26, 1971 by Andrzej Heinrich, Jan Stryczynski, Ryszard Szafirski, Andrzej Zawada
Easiest route=glacier/rock/ice climb
Listing = Ultra

Khunyang Chhish or Kunyang Chhish is the second-highest mountain in the Hispar Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan. Alternate variations of the name include Kunyang Kish and Khiangyang Kish, among others. Its height is also sometimes given as 7823m. It is ranked 21st in the world and 8th in Pakistan.

Location

Khunyang Chhish lies in the heart of the Hispar Muztagh, north of the Hispar Glacier, one of the major glaciers of the Karakoram, and east of the Hunza River valley. It rises on the southwest side of the Khunyang Glacier while Distaghil Sar (the highest peak of the Hispar Muztagh) dominates the glacier on its northern end.

Notable features

Khunyang Chhish is the 21st highest independent mountain in the world. It is also notable for its rise above local terrain: for example, it rises almost 4000m above its southern base camp on the Khunyang Glacier, and it rises 5500m above the Hunza valley in about 33km. It is a steep, pointed, and complex peak; it easily rivals the slightly higher Distaghil Sar, which has a more rounded profile.

Climbing history

The first climbing attempt on Khunyang Chhish was made in 1962 but the climb was aborted after an avalanche killed two climbers. The next attempt was in 1965 but another climber died after the collapse of a narrow ridge at convert|7200|m|ft|-2|abbr=on.

The first ascent was accomplished by a Polish team led by Andrzej Zawada in 1971. They climbed a long route up the South Ridge of the peak from the Pumari Chhish Glacier. However, one of their members was killed in a crevasse accident.

The second, and only other recorded ascent, climbed the Northwest Spur to the North Ridge. Two British climbers, Mark Lowe and Keith Milne, completed this route on July 11 1988. The route had first been attempted in 1980, and had been attempted again in 1981, 1982, and 1987.

The [http://www.alpine-club.org.uk/hi/ Himalayan Index] lists three recent attempts on this peak, in 2000 and 2003.

ee also

* List of mountains in Pakistan
* Northern Areas, Pakistan
* Highest mountains of the World

References

* Jill Neate, "High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks", ISBN 0-89886-238-8
* "Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram" by Jerzy Wala, 1990. Published by the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research.
* Andy Fanshawe and Stephen Venables, "Himalaya Alpine-Style", Hodder and Stoughton, 1995.
* [http://www.americanalpineclub.org/knowledge/aaj.asp American Alpine Journal]
* [http://www.alpine-club.org.uk/hi/ Himalayan Index]
* [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/dem3.html#himalayas DEM files for the Himalaya] (Corrected versions of SRTM data)
* [http://www.peakware.com/peaks.html?pk=138 Khunyang Chhish on Peakware]
* [http://www.peaklist.org/spire/lists/world-25.html A list of world peaks ranked by local relief and steepness] which includes Khunyang Chhish

External links

* [http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/420123/an/0/page/0#420123 Northern Pakistan - highly detailed placemarks of towns, villages, peaks, glaciers, rivers and minor tributaries in Google Earth]