The secrets of the highest virgin mountain in the world: "It's very dangerous"

• Himalayas: The two realities of empty Everest: the misery of the Sherpas, the opulence of Chinese scientists

• Study: What if the peaks of the eight thousand are not the true peaks?

Around there are no crowds, no Sherpas to carry your backpack, no infinity of fixed ropes, no garbage piled up in the fields.

The Himalayas are close, but at the same time, very far.

Between Pakistan, India and China, the Karakorum range shelters the largest unspoiled mountains in the world.

No one ascended the Apsarasas Kangri, the Summa Ri or the Kunyang Chhish west, all above 7,000 meters, but above all no one ascended the Pakistani Muchu Chhish, the roof of the world.

or explorable with its 7,453 meters.

Above is the Gangkhar Puensum, but the Government of Bhutan prohibits climbing for political and religious reasons. In recent years, veteran mountaineers, including several Spaniards, have approached the Muchu Chhish to discover what is hidden at the top, but none has trodden it.

Why?

There is no single answer: “The Muchu Chhish is still a virgin for several reasons.

The first because reaching its feet is more difficult than reaching the foot of Everest.

From Islamabad it is about 20 hours by car to the Hunza Valley and then you have to cross huge glaciers.

It is not a great exploration, but reaching base camp already requires two or three uncomfortable days, "he analyzes

who returned from Pakistan in early October.

On his expedition to Everest, Tosas tried to ascend alongside the Austrian

, but soon he was alone and with 500 meters to go, fatigue forced him to turn around.

He was able to treat himself, yes, to do it skiing.

«Then the great difficulty of the ascent is that it is very exposed.

The final ridge is very long, very steep, and the mountain forces you to ascend it from the nearby Batura IV, sideways.

There is usually a lot of ice and snow and the danger of avalanches is constant.

To get to the top you need very good weather conditions, to be there on the ideal days ”, adds Tosas, 52, with several eight thousand behind him.

"The key is that it is very delicate"

«The problem is that, which is a dangerous mountain.

It is not easy to get there, but it is not excessively remote;

It is not easy to advance, but it is not excessively technical: the key is that it is very delicate.

At any moment there could be an avalanche, although in a few years someone will succeed, I'm sure.

Until very recently no one knew about the Muchu Chhish, going there was crazy.

Now something is becoming fashionable and some group will reach the top, "he says.

Luis Miguel Soriano

, who in 1999 traveled to the Pakistani peak with

Javier Selva, Manuel Martínez, Cristóbal Real, Iñaki Ruiz

Y

David cejudo

Height camera in expeditions

Carlos Soria

, Soriano reached the 6,650 meters with his teammates, but had to resign due to lack of time.

“We went on vacation from work and our days are over, but it was a wonderful experience.

That feeling of being in a remote place, where there are no more expeditions, where there is very little information, is very beautiful ", says the mountaineer who marked a certain milestone on the Muchu Chhish.

The Spanish group of 1999 showed that you could reach the top by the south face through a path opened by a Polish expedition in 1983 and then all the mountaineers followed their indications, although these were really few.

This year, without going any further, only the approaches of Tosas and Brugger and the attempt of a Czech team that had to descend due to adverse weather conditions are known.

Nothing else.

While in the Himalayas the borders have already been reopened and a new spring of crowds is expected - in fact, 10 cases of coronavirus were registered at the foot of Everest days ago - the Karakorum is still off the tourist routes.

At least for now. “For me, the future of mountaineering is there, in Pakistan.

They are mountains with a brutal unevenness, very vertical.

Throughout the valley where the Muchu Chhish is, there are walls that you don't even know where to take them, that don't let you draw a line.

It is a very interesting area ", Tosas concludes in a conclusion shared by Soriano:" There are many incredible mountains, very interesting, to which nobody goes and at the same time there are saturated mountains.

Pakistan already has far fewer visitors than Nepal, but also most expeditions go to the eight thousand [K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I and II and Broad Peak].

This area of ​​the Muchu Chhish has a lot of charm.

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