Nun Kun, Mountain massif in the Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, India
Nun Kun is a massif of the greater Himalayan range on the border of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, consisting of Nun (7,135 m), Kun (7,077 m) and Pinnacle Peak (6,930 m). Nun and Kun are separated by a 4 km long snowy plateau, with Pinnacle Peak at its eastern end. The rocks are mainly stratified shale and sandstone, with granite and garnets also present.
The peak was first summited in 1953 by a French-Swiss-Indian team with Sherpa support via the western ridge. This early ascent established it as a recognized objective for Himalayan mountaineers.
The peaks carry the names Nun and Kun, and the 4 km snow plateau between them was first identified in 1903 by the Dutch climber H. Sillem. Fanny Bullock Workman's 1906 ascent of Pinnacle Peak set a women's altitude record at the time, though her claim was disputed. The approach passes the villages of Sankoo and Panikhar on the Kargil–Leh road.
The climb requires serious preparation with multiple camps above 6,000 meters and takes roughly 3 to 4 weeks. Only experienced mountaineers with technical skills and high-altitude acclimatization experience should attempt this objective.
The massif's rocks are mostly stratified shale and sandstone, with granite and metamorphic outcrops in places, and the area is rich in garnets. In 1906 Fanny Bullock Workman claimed the first ascent of Pinnacle Peak, a height record for a woman climber at the time, though her claim was disputed.
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