From: gray@rz-berlin.mpg.de (Struan Gray)
Newsgroups: rec.climbing
Subject: Re: K2
Date: 5 Nov 92 18:09:31 +0100
Distribution: rec
Organization: Rechenzentrum MPG Berlin

Eugene N. Miya(>>> and >) and Garry N Ray (>) write:

>>>for the list of Karakorum peaks.  You might learn something.
>>>K2 isn't the second highest peak, it was the second peak surveyed.
>>>The trivia is in knowing how many K peaks there are (were) and why.
> 
>>Is this a secret Eugene? Are you hoping to force me on a bibliographic
>>mission throughout Boston? Answers requested: what IS the highest peak;
>>what IS K1; how many K peaks are there, and why? I want to "learn
>>something." Anything. Please enlighten me.
> 
> Yep on the first two counts.
> It was a military secret.  The English surveyed the peaks and sent
> spies ("pundits") into Pakistan and Nepal to map those countries without
> their permission starting from English territory (Indian).  So write
> Brad Washburn and ask an original source for data.  That's part of doing
> the research, kid.

  Much as I hate to contradict Eugene, and much as I hate to pontificate
without the help of the books which are currently in a loft in England, 
this thread seems to be going astray.  As I remember it...

  K1 looks higher from the point in Kashmir from which the Survey of
India first saw the Karakoram Peaks.  It was common practice to give
the peaks numbers and then dream up names later.  'K' stands for
Karakoram and various Kn's beside K2 and K1 retain their names (I'm
pretty sure that K25 still exists).  Most of the surviving K's keep
their names in this time of geographical correctness because there
is no local name, usually because the local people never went near
the mountains in question.

  This last is why most of the K's are on the Siachen Glacier.  The
pass between the Hispar and Biafo Glaciers was used as a raiding
route by hungry Hunzas looking for Balti cows to steal.  There is
evidence that the passes on the north bank of the lower Baltoro
were once less glaciated and were used to communicate with the
valleys in what is now China.  The crossing from the Baltoro to
the Siachen is at 24,000 feet (I think) and it is unlikely that
the Baltis ever made it over.  Getting to the snout of the Siachen
is a pig of a journey.  The first westerner to do it was assured
that it was impossible, and needed several goes before he discovered
that the locals, the Survey of India and everyone else had overlooked
the existence of the largest glacier in the Karakoram. (see Longstaff
below).

  Anyway, if you are interested in only the K's, get hold of a map
and have a look.  The Siachen is a no-go area for casual tourists
at present as Pakistan and India are lobbing artillery shells at
each other at its head.  But the US Army 1:250000 world-encompassing
series has the mountain names on it, and there is a japanese map
of the main Karakoram ridgelines, again with the names.  Some authors
that you should read are given below (titles where I can remember
them)

  Shipton - "Blank on the map"
  Conway
  Longstaff - "This my voyage"
  Fanny Bullock-Workman
  Himalyan Journal
  See the AAJ for Galen Rowell's winter ski traverse of
    all four Karakoram Galciers.

  By the way, the pundits never surveyed K2, being sent over the
passes at the left and right ends of the Karakoram range, from
which you can't see the mountain.  Their job was as much geopolitical
as surveying - how many people per town, major routes of communication
etc.  For more info on pundits in the Karakoram see John Keay's "Where
Men and Mountains Meet."  K2 can be seen from Kashmir or Ladakh but
is so far away that nobody realised how high it was until the
Survey of India did a proper triangulation.  (Hence the K1 thing)

  Enough rambling.  I'd like to end with a question.  In Britain
only climbing bibliophiles like myself have heard of Fanny B-W.
Is she better known in the States?  If not, why not?

Struan
Newsgroups: rec.climbing