Yermanendu Kangri, one of the highest unclimbed peaks on Earth, is the next objective for Simon Messner and Martin Sieberer.
Also spelled Yermanendi or Yermandu, the peak rises just east of Masherbrum, in the center of the Karakoram, not far from K2. Volker Stallbohm of Germany and Pakistani Abdul Karim first attempted it in 1981 but couldn’t get past the col at 6,800m that separates the peak from Masherbrum.
The 1981 climbers noted that the peak is 7,163m high. The 8000ers.com team confirms that altitude but rather than an independent peak, they consider Yemanendu Kangri a secondary point of Masherbrum (7,821m).
Peak Visor assigns it a slightly lower altitude, 7,029m. Its prominence — the key to deeming it an independent mountain or a point in a higher massif – is 177m.
Yermanendi’s location east of Masherbrum. Map: Peakvisor.com
Messner and Sieberer had mentioned that they were leaving for Pakistan but didn’t identify their objective. However, their local outfitter, Discover Karakoram Treks and Tours, named the peak once the two were on their way to the mountain.
Simon Messner. Photo: Simon Messner/Facebook
The expedition was very close to not happening, due to an extremely long delay in securing visas to Pakistan. “After waiting more than three months, we almost dismissed our plans,” Sieberer admitted.
The paperwork finally came through in May, leaving them just enough time to plan, arrange logistics, and train for their goal.
Martin Sieberer. Photo: Simon Messner/Instagram
