Laila Peak (Hushe Valley)

Laila Peak () is a mountain located in the Hushe Valley, near the  Gondogoro Glacier within the Karakoram. Situated in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, Laila Peak has an elevation of 6,096 meters (20,000 ft). Its distinctive feature is its spear-like shape, and its northwest face presents a challenging slope of 45 degrees, spanning over 1500 vertical meters.

Laila Peak has been successfully climbed by mountaineers such as Simon Yates, among others. According to the local inhabitants of Hushe, this peak has been summited only twice, with a total of just seven individuals having reached its summit.

Laila Peak was climbed in winter for the first time by Spanish mountaineers Alex Txikon and José Fernandez in February 2013.

The height of Laila Peak in the Hushe Valley has been a subject of controversy and discrepancy. Various sources and maps have mentioned different elevations for the peak. Some believe it to be around 6200 meters, while others suggest it as 6614 meters. However, according to a Japanese mountaineering map by Tsuneo Miyamori published in 2003, the height of Laila Peak is listed as 6096 meters.

First skiers and snowboarders on Laila Peak
In the summer of 2005, Fredrik Ericsson and Jörgen Aamot from Scandinavian countries undertook the first-ever ski attempts on Laila Peak. While they were unable to reach the summit, they did manage to ski down the North-West face of the peak. They described Laila Peak as "one of the most amazing mountains they have ever seen, like a needle it points straight up in the sky".

Frederik and Jörgen reached the base camp of Laila Peak (4150 metres) on June 18, 2005, and they were at Camp1 (5000 metres) on June 22. They made their first attempt to summit on Friday, June 24. They started climbing from 5000 metres at 2:30 am and after seven hours of climbing when they were only 100 metres from the summit, they realized that it was too icy to continue, and started skiing down on the North-West face of Laila Peak towards Gondogoro Glacier.

The second group ever to attempt to ski the mountain was Paul Holding (UK), Brendan O'Sullivan (Ireland), Ed Blanchard Wrigglesworth (Spain) and Luca Pandolfi (Italy).  All were the first snowboarders (two on splitboards) on the mountain except for Ed Blanchard Wrigglesworth, who was on skis. They reached the col at 5,400m only to find that the whole left side of the face had avalanched down to rock while they were climbing from the south side, scuppering any attempts for that year. A full account of their story can be found here.

A further attempt to summit the Laila has been made in June 2016 by a completely Italian expedition composed by Zeno Cecon (Tarvisio - UD), Carlo Cosi (Padova), Enrico Mosetti (Gorizia) and Leonardo Comelli (Trieste). During an attempt to summit the peak the group decided to turn back due to the amount of snow 150m below the summit. During the ski descent, in a traverse Leonardo Comelli fell 400 meters to his death.

Permit
The mountain lies in a restricted zone, and non-Pakistani visitors must get a permit, hire a guide, and purchase accident insurance for the entire party.

See also 
 List of highest mountains on Earth
 List of mountains in Pakistan

References

External links 
 Fredrik Ericsson on Laila Peak
 EverestNews.com Article on Pakistan Ski Expedition, 2005
 SummitPost.org Article on Laila Peak
 Frederik Ericsson's Home Page 
 Jorgen Aamot's Home Page
 Paul Holding's Home Page
 Northern Pakistan detailed placemarks in Google Earth 

Mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan
Six-thousanders of the Karakoram