Tien Shan: Khan Tengri

0 ft

Elevation

Kyrgyzstan

Country

Days

4D

Difficulty

Early Aug

Start

Late Aug

End

About the Mountain

WHY CLIMB IT?

Few mountains in the world are as striking as Khan Tengri (22,998 ft), whose name means ‘Lord of the Skies’ in Uyghur. It’s in the ranks of Ama Dablam (22,349 ft), Alpamayo (19,512 ft), and the Matterhorn (14,697 ft) in being among the most beautiful mountains in the world. Even so, few people visit Khan Tengri, as its location near the border of Kyrgyzstan and China is so remote.

“Certainly the main attraction on Khan Tengri for high-level alpinists is the north face: 2,700m of consistently steep terrain, perennially cold and icy.”

- Colin Haley

Those who make the trip out to Khan Tengri, in the heart of the Tien Shan Mountains, will find a wonderland of snowy peaks that rival the Himalayas in their beauty and array of worthy climbing objectives. Most expeditions up Khan Tengri make Base Camp on the North Inylchek Glacier, which is the world’s third longest glacier outside of polar regions. Many teams also acclimatize with an ascent of Peak Chapayev (20,177 ft). No matter how you go, though, it’s a technically challenging mountain with harsh, fickle weather and serious objective hazards, meaning it’s only suitable for expert mountaineers.