Skyang Kangri

Skyang Kangri, or Staircase Peak, is a high peak of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram . It lies on the Pakistan-China border, about 7km northeast of K2, the world's . The name "Staircase Peak" refers to the East Ridge, which resembles a giant staircase with five steps.

Skyang Kangri was first attempted by the party of renowned climber and explorer Luigi Amadeo di Savoia, the , in 1909, during an expedition to K2. They attempted the East Ridge, as did a subsequent failed attempt in 1975, in which one climber died and one had to be evacuated by helicopter. The first ascent was made in 1976 by a Japanese expedition, climbing the East Ridge without major incident.

In 1980, well-known American climbers Jeff Lowe and Michael Kennedy attempted the West Face of Skyang Kangri, but reached only about 7,070 metres. According to the
, there have been no subsequent attempts on the mountain.

Sources

* Jill Neate, ''High Asia: an illustrated history of the 7,000 metre peaks'', The Mountaineers, 1989.
* Jerzy Wala, ''Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram'', Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, 1990.