Gasherbrum II

Gasherbrum II
K4
Gasherbrum II from basecamp
Elevation	8,035 m (26,362 ft)  Ranked 13th (5th in Pakistan)
Prominence	1,523 m (4,997 ft)
Listing	Eight-thousander Ultra
Location
Gasherbrum II Location on Pakistan/China border
Location	Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan/ Xinjiang, China
Range	Karakoram
Coordinates	35°45′30″N 76°39′12″E
Climbing
First ascent	July 7, 1956 by Moravec, Larch and Willenpart, Austria
Easiest route	Snow/ice climb

Gasherbrum II (Urdu: گاشر برم -2; simplified Chinese: 加舒尔布鲁木II峰; traditional Chinese: 加舒爾布魯木II峰; pinyin: Jiāshūěrbùlǔmù II Fēng), also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China. At 8,035 metres (26,362 ft), Gasherbrum II is the third highest peak of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya.

The standard climbing route is via the southwest ridge as it is relatively free of objective hazards such as ice falls and avalanches. A typical expedition lasts 7 to 8 weeks with climbing permits costing about US$7,500 for five climbers.

Gasherbrum II was first climbed on July 7, 1956 by Fritz Moravec, Josef Larch and Hans Willenpart of an Austrian expedition.

Time Line

• 1956 First ascent
• 1975 Second ascent by a French group, 19 years after the first ascent. This expedition also saw the first death on the Gasherbrum. Three other expeditions summit including a Polish women's team headed by Wanda Rutkiewicz.
• 1979 A Chilean and a German expedition succeed in the sixth and seventh ascents. The Chilean was the first latinamerican ascent to an eight-thousander
• 1982 Reinhold Messner reaches the top with two Pakistanis, Nazir Sabir and Sher Khan.
• 1983 Jerzy Kukuczka with Wojciech Kurtyka eastern ridge ascent, new route. Alpine style ascent without the aid of oxygen.
• 1984 Messner and Hans Kammerlander traverse Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II without returning to base camp in between.
• 1984 First descent by ski by team CAF Besançon (France) led by Daniel Croisot, summit by Wim Pasquier and Patrice Bournat, ski from the summit, joined by Dr Dominique Dock from 7800m, totally skied the face down to base-camp set at 5200m. 1 month after meeting with Messner and Kammerlander, returning from their 2 summits.
• 2005 Ski descent by Jørgen Aamot (Norway) and Frederik Ericsson (Sweden)
• 2007 Three Italians, Karl Unterkircher, Daniele Bernasconi and Michele Compagnoni, reach the top opening a new way on the north face, in alpine style.
• 2011 First winter ascent by Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards in alpine style.

See also

• List of mountains in Pakistan
• Highest Mountains of the World
• Hassan sadpara

Further reading

Moravec, Fritz (1958) Weisse Berge, Schwarze Menschen.

External links

• Gasherbrum II on Peakware
• Gasherbrum II: A Journey to 26,360 Feet in the Karakoram
• Gasherbrum II-express debrief: The first German ski descent of G2; a 17 hour roundtrip