22/07/2025
First ascent on this day, 1979.07.19;
Latok I (7145 m) by a Japanese party.
The Latok (Urdu: لیٹوک) group is a cluster of large and dramatic rock peaks in the Panmah Muztagh, part of the central Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. They lie just to the east of the Ogre group, dominated by Baintha Brakk. To the immediate south of the Latok group lies the Baintha Lukpar Glacier, a small tributary of the Biafo Glacier, one of the main glaciers of the Karakoram. On the north side, lies the Choktoi Glacier.
The group comprises four main summits, each listed here with its relative position in the group, elevation, and first ascent date:
Latok I, north-central, 7,145 m, climbed 1979
Latok II, west, 7,108 m, climbed 1977
Latok III, east, 6,949 m, climbed 1979
Latok IV, southeast, 6,456 m, climbed 1980
All of the summits are notable for their extreme technical difficulty, and they have been the scene of some of the hardest climbing done at high altitude anywhere in the world.
Latok I was first climbed in 1979 by a Japanese expedition led by Naoki Takada; the first summit party comprised Sin'e Matsumi, Tsuneo Shigehiro, Yu Watanabe, and they were followed three days later by Hideo Muto, Jun'ichi Oku, and Kota Endo. They started from the Baintha Lukpar Glacier and climbed a buttress to reach the East Ridge.
The steep North Ridge of Latok I, 2,500 m (8,200 ft) high, is a notorious unclimbed route: it was first attempted, and almost successfully climbed, by the noted American climbers Jim Donini, Michael Kennedy, George Lowe, and Jeff Lowe. The lightweight style of this climb was widely admired, despite the lack of a summit. Many unsuccessful attempts have followed.
On 31 July 2018, Pakistan Army rescued Russian climber Alexander Gukov from the Latok I peak in the Biafo Glacier region at about 20,000 feet (6,100 m). He was shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Skardu for medical attention. His partner, Sergey Glazunov, was found dead.
Slovenian climbers Aleš Česen (36), Luka Stražar (29) and British climber Tom Livingstone (27) climbed three-quarters via North Ridge of Latok I (7145m) before traversing the West side and summiting through the original route on 9 August 2018. They made the second ever ascent on the mountain after 1979, via a new route.
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