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Livingstone, Cesen and Strazar Make First Ascent Of North Ridge Of Latok I In Karakoram Range In Pakistan (UPDATED)

August 14, 2018

Latok I, Pakistan – In August 2018, Aleš Česen (Slovenia), Luka Stražar (Slovenia), and Tom Livingstone (British) made the first ascent of the North Ridge on 7145-meter Latok I in the Karakoram Range of Pakistan. Congrats!

Mountain Equipment Pro Team Athlete @tom__livingstone has made the long awaited first ascent of Latok I [7145m] from the North over 7 days with @alescesen and @lukastrazar. The British/Slovenian team reached the summit via the West Col. One of the most coveted unclimbed lines in the world it had reached near mythical status, repelling around 30 teams consisting of many of the best alpinists of their day. . 👀 : Check out our Instagram Story for more information . #aboveandbeyond #MEclimbing #breakingnews #latok #mountainequipment

A post shared by Mountain Equipment (@mountainequipment) on Aug 13, 2018 at 2:45am PDT

PlanetMountain.com calls the Latok I North Ridge route “one of the last major unclimbed lines in high-altitude mountaineering.” Gripped.com writes that the “7,145-metre peak’s massive ridge had reached a mythical status as over 30 teams composed of the best climbers hadn’t been able to reach the top.”

Over the years the Latok I North Ridge has been dubbed the “Impossible Ridge.” The first attempt on the North Ridge was made in 1978 by the Americans Jim Donini, Michael Kennedy, Jeff Lowe and George Lowe. Latok I was climbed by a Japanese Team in 1979 via the East Ridge.

UPDATE: While the team did climb Latok I from the north, Gripped.com questions whether or not they actually made the ascent of the North Ridge. Read more here…

Read more about the first ascent of Latok I’s North Ridge from the following sources: