Nun Kun
| Nun Kun | |
|---|---|
 Pinnacle, Kun and Nun Peaks (from left to right) | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,135 m (23,409 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 2,404 m (7,887 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Ultra in the Himalayas List of Indian states and territories by highest point |
| Coordinates | 33°58′48″N76°01′18″E/ 33.98000°N 76.02167°E[1] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Jammu and Kashmir,India[2] |
| Parent range | Himalaya |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1953 by Pierre Vittoz, Claude Kogan |
| Easiest route | West Ridge: glacier/snow/ice climb |
Nun Kunis a mountainmassifof the greaterHimalayanrange, located on the border ofJammu and KashmirandLadakhin northernIndia.It consists of two main peaks:Nun(7,135 m (23,409 feet)) andKun(7,077 m (23,219 feet)),[3]separated from each other by a 4 km long snowyplateau,with a third peak of the massif, known asPinnacle Peak(6,930 m (22,740 feet)), lying at its eastern end.[4]Nun is the tallest peak ofJammu and Kashmir,while its sister peak Kun lies inLadakh.It is about 250 km (160 mi) east ofSrinagar.The Nun Kun massif is bounded to the north by theSuru valleyand theZanskar range,flanked to the east by thePensi La(4400 m), which separates the Suru andZanskar Valleys,while theKishtwar National Parkand the Krash Nai river lie to its south. The rocks predominantly are stratified sedimentary rocks composed of shale and sandstone. Metamorphic rocks and granite formations are also seen at places. The area is rich in minerals, especially garnets.[5]
Mountaineering[edit]
Early exploration of the massif included a visit in 1898 and three visits by Arthur Neve, in 1902, 1904, and 1910. In 1903, Dutch mountaineerH. Silleminvestigated the massif and discovered the high plateau between the peaks; he reached an altitude of 6,400 m (21,000 ft) on Nun. In 1906, noted explorer coupleFanny Bullock Workmanand her husband William Hunter Workman claimed an ascent of Pinnacle Peak. They also toured extensively through the massif and produced a map; however, controversy surrounded the Workmans' claims, and few trigonometrical points were given for the region, so that the map they produced was not usable.[6]
After unsuccessful attempts to climb the mountain in 1934, 1937, and 1946 thefirst ascentof Nun was in 1953 by aFrench-Swiss-Indian-Sherpateam led by Bernard Pierre andPierre Vittoz,via the west ridge. The summit pair comprised Vittoz, a Moravian missionary to the Tibetans and an experienced alpinist, andClaude Kogan,a pioneering female mountaineer.[7]Since then, other routes have been pioneered.[6][8]The north-west face was first ascended on 27 October and 28, 1976 by seven climbers from a Czech expedition, led by F. Čejka.[9]The first British ascent was made by Steve Berry and friends via the east ridge in 1981 (his father had attempted Nun in 1946).
Italian mountaineerMario Piacenzamade the first ascent of Kun in 1913, via the north-east ridge. Fifty-eight years passed before the second recorded attempt on the peak, which resulted in a successful ascent by an expedition from theIndian Army. [6]
A comprehensive geographic and topographical description along with a history of climbing Mt Nun can be found in the 2018 issue of the Himalayan Journal.[5]on 20 August 2022 IAF operation was held to rescue an Italian mountaineer. The district administration of Kargil deputed a special team to shaped to treat the mountaineer who had suffered acute mountain sickness at a high altitude.
The massif is most conveniently accessed from the road connectingKargilandLeh.The roadhead from the West is Tangol, approximately a 2 hr drive from Kargil. The route goes through the villages of Sankoo and Panikhar.
The mountain has the North ridge, the longest that splits into North West and North East ridge at around 500m below the summit. the Northwest Ridge splits the Kangriz Glacier into West and East. The South ridge drops from the mountain after 500m giving way to the formidable South wall. The West ridge, is more direct and accessible by climbing the snow wall on the West face. This is reached by traversing the snow field of the Kangriz glacier after climbing the ice wall of the Kangriz Glacier West reached from the base camp (4600m) typically established in the upper Sentik Valley.[5]
References[edit]
- ^abc"High Asia I: The Karakoram, Pakistan Himalaya and India Himalaya (north of Nepal)".Peaklist.org.Retrieved28 May2014.
- ^This region is disputed and controlled by India; the whole region is claimed byPakistan.See e.g.The Future of Kashmiron theBBCwebsite.
- ^Figures for Kun's elevation vary between 7,035 m and 7,086 m.
- ^"Summit on Kargil Zanaskar road".indiatravelogue.com.Retrieved1 April2022.
- ^abcAbbey, Brigadier Ashok (2018). "Nun- Mountain King of the Suru Valley".The Himalayan Journal.73:88–99.
- ^abcHigh Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaksby Jill Neate,ISBN0-89886-238-8
- ^Pierre Vittoz,Ascent of the Nun,inThe Mountain World: 1954(Marcel Kurz, ed.), George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., London, 1954.
- ^Andy Fanshawe and Stephen Venables,Himalaya Alpine Style,Hodder and Stoughton, 1995
- ^Petr Rybář,Čelenka Matky Země, Hradec Králové: 1980
External links[edit]
- Suru and Zanskar valley
- Topography of Nun Kunex Geographical Journal 1920