Last month, the Polestar Sichuan-Tibet Mountain Guide & Support Team received approval from the General Administration of Sport of China and officially commenced the 2012 Mt. Muztagh Ata climbing expedition on July 3.
Mt. Muztagh Ata is the third highest peak of the famous Kunlun Mountain Range on the Pamir Plateau, with an elevation of 7,509 (7,546) meters. It is located at 75.1°E longitude and 38.5°N latitude, on the border between Aketao County and Taxkorgan in Xinjiang, belonging to the West Kunlun Mountain Range. It stands facing the first highest peak, Kongur (7,649 / 7,719 meters), and the second highest peak, Kongur Tagh (7,530 / 7,595 meters), across a lake.
All members of the 2012 Polestar Muztagh Ata climbing team gathered in Kashgar on July 3, arrived at the Mt. Muztagh Ata climbing base camp (BC) on July 5, and are scheduled to climb from July 6 to July 23, with a summit push around the 20th. On July 7, the team had already set up camp at Camp 1 (C1), stayed overnight at C1 on July 9, and if conditions remain favorable, the team plans to advance from C1 to Camp 2 (C2) tomorrow for a brief acclimatization period.
