Praqpa Kangri Expedition 7,143m
Praqpa Kangri (or Praqpa Ri) is a mountain in Pakistan’s Karakoram range in the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. Praqpa Kangri has an altitude of 7,134 m (some sources put the summit at 7,156 m). The main summit is located 2.33 km south of Skil Brum. The peak’s prominence is 668 m. The Savoia glacier flows from the east flank of the mountain towards the Godwin-Austen-Glacier. The Biango Glacier lies to the west of the peak, as does eight-thousanders K2 and Broad Peak.[1]
It is considered one of the world’s highest unclimbed mountains, with no successful recorded summits on the main peak as of 2024.
In 2016, Canadian climber Nancy Hansen and German climber Ralf Dujmovits made the first recorded ascent attempt on Praqpa Ri.[2] Hansen received the Hiding in Plain Sight: Unclimbed Summits in the Karakorum award from the Shipton-Tilman Grant program to support the climb.[3] The pair spent two months attempting to climb the peak,[4] ultimately reaching 6,300 meters before turning back due to poor snow conditions.[5]
In 2021, Martin Sieberer and Simon Messner made a second attempt to climb Praqpa Ri.[6] They were prevented from the summit after reaching 6,000 twice, as the higher sections were impassable due to snow conditions.[1][7] After returning from the expedition, Messner recounted the steepness of the mountain’s slopes are prone to avalanches, requiring good weather to climb safely. He suggested that the increasing risk of climate change meant the likelihood of a successful summit on Praqpa Ri is growing increasingly rare