CHAKRAGIL 6760m
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CHAKRAGIL, OR KINGATA TAGH, IS ONE OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS PEAKS IN XINJIANG. GOING BACK TO IT’S FIRST ATTEMPT BY SHIPTON & TILMAN THEMSELVES IN 1948 THIS PEAKS LOCATION, TOPOGRAPHY, NAME AND CLIMBING HISTORY HAS KEPT IT IN THE REALM OF PROPER EXPLORATORY CLIMBING. AT 6760m AND OFTEN DESCRIBED AS REMOTE, CHAKRAGIL (THE NAME THE XMA RECOGNIZES THE PEAK BY), IN FACT SITS WITHIN EASY ACCESS FROM KASHGAR IN A KNOT OF MOUNTAINS NO ONE REALLY KNOWS HOW TO DEFINE. TOO FAR NORTH TO BE THE KARAKORAM, TOO DISTINCT TO BE THE PAMIR, NOT DISTINCT ENOUGH TO BE THE KUNLUN AND A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHY TO THE TIEN SHAN, CHAKRAGIL IS SOMETIMES GIVEN IT’S OWN RANGE CALLED THE KINGATA TAGH.
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WE FIRST HEARD ABOUT THIS PEAK VIA WORD OF MOUTH WHILST HANGING AROUND XINJIANG IN THE EARLY 2000’s, FOLLOWING AN INFAMOUS TRIP IN TRUE AMATURE STYLE THAT BECAME A WARNING OF THE PIRATE OPERATERS AROUND CHINA AT THAT TIME. BEFORE THEN CHAKRAGIL WAS KNOWN ONLY FOR IT’S RANDOM ASCENTS BY SHIPTON & TILMAN, THE FIRST ASCENT BY A JAPANESE TEAM AND A SOLO ASCENT, SO AFTER GAINING PERMISSION FROM THE XINJIANG AUTHORITIES WE FELT IT WAS TIME TO PRESENT THE PEAK AS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF ‘EAST PAMIRI’ CLIMBING.
STILL CONFIRMING THE DETAILS, THE BASICS FOR PLANNING A TRIP TO CHAKRAGIL ARE;AS PART OF FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITION
– 15-35 DAY ITINERARY DEPENDING IF ARRIVING PREACCLIMATED
– MEDIUM TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY
– EASY BASECAMP STRATEGY; THIS PEAK WOULD WORK VERY WELL WITH AN ALPINE HIGH CAMP
– EXCELLENT AS A FIRST CENTRAL ASIAN PEAK AWAY FROM THE HIGHLY COMMERCIAL OPTIONS LIKE MUZTAGH ATA, KHAN TEGRI etc
– A WIDE RANGE OF SURROUNDING FIRST ASCENT OPTIONS
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AS PART OF FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITION’S REMIT OF PRESENTING EXPEDITIONS WITH EXPLORATORY AND GEOGRAPHICAL INTEREST WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE PERMISSION FOR THIS CORNER OF XINJIANG, ADDING TO OUR REPERTOIRE OF PEAKS THAT ONLY DEDICATION EXPERITION CLIMBERS HAVE EVER HEARD OF THAT INCLUDE SAUYR ZHOTASY, HUANG GUAN SHAN, THE ARKATAG & THE KARLIK SHAN.
