The Karakoram Range
How long is a meter? It’s one ten-millionth of the distance between the equator and the North Pole.
Eight thousand meters may seem like an arbitrary number. But that number looms large for mountain climbers.
Only 14 mountain peaks on Earth stand taller than 8,000 meters (26,247 feet). And all 14 are found in the Karakoram and Himalayan Mountain Ranges of Central Asia.
The Karakoram boasts the greatest concentration of high mountains in the entire world and the longest glaciers outside of the high latitudes. This monstrous mighty mountain system extends 300 miles along the watershed between Central and South Asia.
The borders of Tajikistan, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India all converge within the Karakoram Range. It’s pronounced “Kurra-koorrum,” a rendering of the Turkic term for “Black Rock” or “Black Mountain.”
Source: Brittanica
Ultar Sar
The Karakoram Range is a photographer’s dream. It’s the youngest, steepest, and most rugged mountain range on the planet. And there are glaciers galore.
Ultar Sar isn’t one of the highest peaks of the Karakoram. But it dramatically rises 17,388 feet above the Hunza River in only about 5.6 miles of horizontal distance.
By Brian McMorrow https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=768980
In this photograph by Brian McMorrow, Ultar Sar is in the center foreground viewed from the southeast. Shispare is in the center background.
Five glaciers drain the slopes of the massif. They are (clockwise from north): the Ghulkin Glacier, the Gulmit Glacier, the Ahmad Abad Glacier, the Ultar Glacier, and the Hasanabad Glacier.
The Shot
On November 10, 2023, I was with friend Jon Christofersen and our photo group near the town of Ahmad Abad. I launched my drone and flew north up the valley towards the glacier and mountains.
After flying about 6,000 feet north into the valley and climbing 2,600 feet, I arrived at the location marked 25 on the map. It offered a potentially glorious view of the Ahmed Abad Glacier in the foreground with Ultar Sar (about 5 miles away) and possibly Shispare in the distance (about 9 miles away).
But the roiling clouds didn’t cooperate. I held station with my drone for 30 minutes. Only one image showed the Ahmad Abad Glacier and probably Shispare in the distance. Ultar Sar never broke out of the clouds.
Disappointed, I downloaded the images after my trip and never processed them. But I enjoy looking through old “rejects” trying to find and salvage a keeper.
This reject appeared promising. While it didn’t feature both mountains, the combination of the Ahmad Abad Glacier valley with just the peak of Shispare breaking through the clouds in the distance made me happy.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus