Muztagh Ata is the second highest peak in the Kunlun Shan. The highest is Kongur (25,326 ft.), Muztagh Ata's immediate neighbor to the northeast. Both peaks tower by the side of the Karakoram Highway, the main road running from the city of Kashi to Pakistan. Muztagh Ata is only 15 miles from the China-Tajikistan border. Because of its proximity to the highway, the mountain is easily approached, and its gradual western slopes entice many climbers, but its elevation alone makes any ascent of Muztagh Ata a serious climb.

Now more than two decades after its first ski ascent, Muztagh Ata remains the highest peak ever ascended on skis. The mountain is a solitary and majestic landmark along the Karakoram Highway where it passes through the westernmost part of Xinjiang Province in China, just a few miles east of the border with Tajikistan. Muztagh Ata has a very interesting form which clearly reveals its geologic origin as a tilted fault block, for the western and southern slopes form a gentle ramp (divided into several sections by deep glacial troughs) while the east and north faces fall precipitously from the summit ridge for up to 7000 ft (2100 m). More than 20 glaciers drape the slopes in all directions and pour forth from the great eastern cirque, with the lowest tongues of ice extending down below 13000 ft (4000 m). Muztagh Ata has become very popular with climbers and ski mountaineers over the past decade, following the relaxation of travel restrictions in China, and several groups currently offer guided climbs and ski expeditions.