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Muztagh Ata (meaning 'Ice Mountain Father' in Turkic languages), formerly known as Mount Tagharma and Wi-tagh, is the second highest of the mountains which form the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, with an elevation of . It is sometimes regarded as being part of the Kunlun Mountains, although physically it is more closely connected to the Pamir Mountains. It is one of the relatively easier 7,000 m peaks in the world to climb, due to its gentle western slope and the comparatively drier weather of Xinjiang, though a thorough acclimatization period and a very strong physical condition are crucial for success.
The Sweden explorer and geographer Sven Hedin made the first recorded attempt to climb Muztagh Ata, in 1894. On his first expedition in 1900 Aurel Stein reached the summit while crossing the Karakorum Pass. Additional attempts were made in 1900, 1904 and 1947, the last by the team of Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman who came very close to the summit but were turned back due to cold and deep snow.
The first ascent of the peak was in 1956 by a large party of China and Soviet Union climbers which included Liu Lianman and Xu Jing from China and, from the Soviet Union, and the expedition leader Yevgeny Beletsky. They ascended via the west ridge, which is now the standard route.
Since the first ascent, many ascents of Muztagh Ata have been made. In 1980, a party led by Ned Gillette made a ski ascent/descent of the standard route, the first ski ascent of a mountain over . An ascent of the much harder south-east ridge was made in 2000 and repeated in 2006. A secondary route at the west side of the mountain was first climbed in the summer of 2005. In 2011, the Swedish climber Anneli Wester camped on the summit overnight after climbing the mountain solo and alpine style. In 2013, Aron Ralston, the man who famously amputated his own arm during a hiking accident in 2003, made the summit without his compatriot Michael Ash, who sustained a lung injury and was forced to return to base camp.
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