Gasherbrum II
Encyclopedia
Gasherbrum II also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain
on Earth
, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan
and Xinjiang
, China
. At 8035 metres (26,361.5 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 Austria
n expedition.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. At 8035 metres (26,361.5 ft), Gasherbrum II is the third highest peak of the Gasherbrum
Gasherbrum
Gasherbrum is a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya on the border of the Chinese Shaksgam Valley and the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan. The massif contains three of the world's 8,000 metre peaks...
massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
, located in the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
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
Fritz Moravec
Fritz Moravec was an Austrian mountaineer, author and famous alpinist.- Life :...
, Josef Larch and Hans Willenpart of an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n expedition.
Time Line
- 1956 First ascent
- 1975 Second ascent by a FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
group, 19 years after the first ascent. This expedition also saw the first death on the Gasherbrum. Three other expeditions summit including a PolishPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
women's team headed by Wanda RutkiewiczWanda RutkiewiczWanda Rutkiewicz was a Polish mountain climber. She was the first woman to successfully summit K2.-Early life:Rutkiewicz was born in Plungė, Lithuania...
. - 1979 A ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an and a GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
expedition succeed in the sixth and seventh ascents. The ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an was the first latinamerican ascent to an eight-thousanderEight-thousanderThe eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia.... - 1982 Reinhold MessnerReinhold MessnerReinhold Messner is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol "whose astonishing feats on Everest and on peaks throughout the world have earned him the status of the greatest climber in history." He is renowned for making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without...
reaches the top with two Pakistanis, Nazir Sabir and Sher Khan. - 1983 Jerzy KukuczkaJerzy KukuczkaJerzy Kukuczka , born in Katowice, Poland, was a Polish alpine and high-altitude climber. On 18 September 1987, he became the second man, after Reinhold Messner, to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world....
with Wojciech KurtykaWojciech KurtykaWojciech Kurtyka is a Polish mountaineer and rock climber, one of the pioneers of the alpine style of climbing the biggest walls in the Greater Ranges....
eastern ridge ascent, new route. Alpine style ascent without the aid of oxygen. - 1984 Messner and Hans Kammerlander traverse Gasherbrum IGasherbrum IGasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...
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 UnterkircherKarl UnterkircherKarl Unterkircher was an Italian mountaineer. He is mostly known for opening new mountain routes. In 2004, he was the first alpinist to climb the two highest peaks on Earth without oxygen in the same year...
, Daniele Bernasconi and Michele Compagnoni, reach the top opening a new way on the north face, in alpine styleAlpine styleAlpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter, equipment etc. as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked camps on the mountain which can be accessed at one's leisure...
. - 2011 First winter ascent by Simone MoroSimone MoroSimone Moro is an Italian alpinist. He has climbed several 8000m peaks without using supplementary oxygen. - Early life :...
, Denis UrubkoDenis UrubkoDenis Urubko is a mountaineer from Kazakhstan with Russian descent. In 2009, he became the 15th person to climb the 14 eight-thousanders....
and Cory Richards in alpine style.
See also
- List of mountains in Pakistan
- Highest Mountains of the World
- Hassan sadparaHassan SadparaHassan Sadpara is a Pakistani adventurer from a small village, named Sadpara, 7 kilometres from Skardu. He is the first Pakistani to have climbed six eight-thousanders: K2 , Gasherbrum I , Gasherbrum II , Nanga Parbat , Broad Peak , and Mount Everest . He climbed five peaks without supplemental...