THE MOUNTAIN
Mustagh Ata "The Father of the Ice Mountains" lies in China in the Khunlun-Shan mountain massive near the Pakistan border. It was first summitted in 1956 by a Sino-Russian team.
THE TEAM
Clara Kulich
Anita Maruna
Heinz Rockenbauer
Andi Lechner
Alexander Gröbl
THE ROUTE
We climbed Mustagh Ata via the normal route up to Camp 3 where an unfortunate change of weather ended this expedition.
First we spent a night at Karakol Lake on the foot of Mustagh Ata.
Yirt in front of Mustagh Ata. Hans and Anita trading with some Chinese.
 
ABC 4500m:
The basecamp (BC) was at 5400m and was reached by foot. Our equipments was carried by Yaks and camels. The weather was quite unstable. We had snow down to the base-camp and there was snow or rain every afternoon.
 
C1 5400m:
Camp 1 was located just below the impressive seracs which have to be passed to go up C2. Ali got the flue during the first night in C1. Totured by sleepless nights and high temperature he decided to leave us and travel back to Europe.
 
C2 6200m:
In order to reach Camp 2 we needed to pass through an area of crevasses. Due to the huge amount of snow this year, the passage was easily passed. Cutting the path up to C2 was hard work since the snow was rather wet and heavy. Hans and Anita decided to walk back down after two dasy in C2, the rest of us headed towards C3
 
C3 6800m:
The walk up to Camp 3 is pretty much straight forward. Only the altitude was making life a bit slow. When we reached camp 3 a serious low pressure front caught up with us and we spent three days in the tent. Our neighbours measures temperature of minus 38°C during the night.
Finally, we realised that this weather will not change any soon and so we made our way back down - in a complete white-out and low temperatures. Heinz was taking care of Andi who had become a bit lethargic from the altitude and I tried to make out the way back down desperately watching out for bambus sticks in the fog and storm, that showed us the way down. It was a rather cold descent with temperatures below minus 20/25°C but we made it down in the end and everyone was healthy, happy and tired.
 
WHOLE JOURNEY - Pakistan - China - Kigistan
PAKISTAN
Flight to Islamabad.
10 days in Pakistan for acclimatisation. Trekking around Nanga Parbat and the Fairy Meadows. Trekking around Hunza Valley with beautiful views of Rakaposhi, Golden Peak, Lady Finger and Utthar Peak.
Nanga Parbat (8125m) viewed from Fairy Meadows.
CHINA
Kunjarab Pass (4700m) - border between Pakistan and China. The trekking and expedition group united: Ali, Heinz, Frieda, Hans, Andi, Anita, I and Luis
One night in Tashkogan
One night at Karakol lake
Chinese boy riding his horse at the Karakol lake next to Mustagh Ata.
Walk from Subashi up to the base-camp.
14 days at the mountain.
One night in Kashgar and three days in the Taklamakhan desert.
KIRGISTAN
Anita and I added one more week in Kirgistan where we did one trek near Karakol and one south of Bishkek.
Beautiful glaciers, mountains and trekking passes near Karakol and the Isykul lake.
Kirgisian woman
Beautiful country-side. Anita relaxing in front of the tent. This could actually be in Switzerland...
Unnamed peak in a national park south of Bishkek at about 4000m. Two Russians, Anita and I.
PUBLIC TALK
SPONSORS
Our equipment was sponsored by
 and Winkler
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