Apsarasas Kangri, Mountain peak in Kargilik County, China
Apsarasas Kangri is a peak in the Karakoram range standing at approximately 7,245 meters (23,770 feet) and features three separate summits. The mountain has steep faces and crevassed terrain that makes it technically demanding for climbers.
Apsarasas Kangri was named by Grant Peterkin of the 1908 Workman expedition, from apsara (fairies) and sas (place). The western summit, Apsarasas I, was first climbed over the west ridge on 7 August 1976 by Yoshio Inagaki, Katsuhisa Yabuta and Takamasa Miyomoto of the Osaka University Mountaineering Club. An Indian Army expedition made the second ascent on 18 September 1980, and another Indian Army team followed in 1988.
The name was given by Grant Peterkin of the 1908 Workman expedition, combining the Sanskrit apsara (fairies) and sas (place), meaning "place of the fairies". The massif's three near-equal summits are labelled I to III from west to east over 5 km.
Apsarasas Kangri lies on the border between the Siachen Glacier area controlled by India and Chinese-controlled Xinjiang, so access depends on which side a permit is issued from. The three summits span about 5 km from west to east, and the eastern summit is cut off from the other two by a saddle just over 6,800 m high. Only the western peak has been climbed.
The massif has three summits of nearly equal height, labelled I to III from west to east across 5 km. Only Apsarasas I has been climbed, first by a Japanese team on 7 August 1976; Apsarasas II and III are listed as virgin peaks by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, and the eastern summit ranks among the highest unclimbed peaks.
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