A Korean Alpine Federation team will attempt the unclimbed Sato Peak in the Kangchenjunga region.
The expedition, led by An Chi-young, also includes Euijoon Lee, Hyungwook Choi, Jiho Choi, Jongmin Baek, Sangkug Lee, and Seoyeong Bae. The seven flew to Taplejung, Nepal, the gateway to Kangchenjunga, earlier today. They will remain on the mountain until May 10. Nepal’s Tourism Board noted that the Koreans will climb in alpine style and without Sherpa support.
The KAF says that all team members have trained rigorously, but didn’t provide details on these preparations, their climbing strategy, or the route. Even information about Sato (or Sat) Peak is highly confusing, including its altitude, which ranges from 6,164m to 6,220m depending on the source.
The Korean embassy in Nepal received the climbers in Kathmandu and hopes the expedition will help deepen bilateral ties between Nepal and Korea.
Really unclimbed?
Sato Peak is adjacent to the six Sharphu peaks, all above 6,000m, northwest of Kangchenjunga in the Janak Himal range. These peaks initially opened to climbers during the 1960s, and then closed until 2022. Since then, there have been several attempts, and on the Sharphus, several firsts. However, the altitudes and the actual location of each of the Sharphu peaks have led to several mistakes by climbing teams and some headaches for chroniclers such as The Himalayan Database and 8000ers.com.
Stefano Ragazzo and Silvia Loreggian attempted Sato Peak in 2022. They reached a foresummit, the so-called Sato Pyramide (6,100m). In 2023, a Japanese team led by Piolet d’Or winner Yasuhiro Hanatani gave the peak another try. However, The Himalayan Database has tagged it as “unclimbed?” They suspect that a previous Japanese team reached its summit in the 1960s, believing they were on Nupchu Peak.
