Gasherbrum I: Hidden Peak

An international expedition explored approaches via the Baltoro Glacier, mapping routes on the mountain.

Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman (USA) summited on July 5 via the Southeast Ridge, an incredible achievement by a small team.

Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler climbed a new route on the Northwest Face in pure alpine style, revolutionizing Himalayan mountaineering.

Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander completed the first traverse of Gasherbrum I and II without returning to base camp.

Adam Bielecki and Janusz Gołąb (Poland) summited on March 9, the first winter ascent of any Karakoram 8000er.

Gasherbrum I stands 8,080 metres high, the eleventh-highest mountain on Earth and the highest peak of the Gasherbrum group. It rises in the upper Baltoro region of the central Karakoram in Gilgit-Baltistan, on the Pakistan-China border, with Gasherbrum II beside it and Broad Peak and K2 within reach. It is better known to many climbers as Hidden Peak, because it cannot be seen from any inhabited place and stays hidden behind lower peaks until you are days up the glacier. The name Gasherbrum is often translated as "shining wall", which suits the gleaming ice faces of the group. It was first climbed on 5 July 1958 by Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman of an American team, and it remains one of the less frequently climbed eight-thousanders. Base camp is reached from Askole on the same Baltoro approach as K2 and the other Gasherbrums.

You walk in along the Baltoro Glacier from Askole to Concordia, then continue up the Abruzzi and South Gasherbrum glaciers to base camp at roughly 5,000 to 5,300 metres. From Askole the trek to Concordia takes about seven days, and our expeditions run the full approach from Skardu. This is the same celebrated route used for K2, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II, passing beneath the granite spires of the Trango Towers and the ice of Masherbrum. Hidden Peak itself stays out of sight for most of the way, screened behind lower peaks, and only shows itself after several days on the glacier. The long walk is not wasted time, because it is your first stage of acclimatisation before any climbing begins. Base camp sits close to Gasherbrum II base camp, which is why many teams plan to attempt both peaks from the same camp in one season.

Because it cannot be seen from any inhabited area; it stays screened behind lower peaks and only comes into view after several days of trekking up the Baltoro Glacier.

The modern normal route on Gasherbrum I is the Japanese Couloir on the northwest side, a steep, direct line that almost every team uses today. Expeditions walk about seven days up the Baltoro Glacier from Askole to Concordia, branch up the Abruzzi and South Gasherbrum glaciers to base camp at roughly 5,000 to 5,300 metres, then cross a heavily crevassed glacier where there is avalanche and serac risk after fresh snow. The couloir itself is sustained steep ice that calls for confident front-pointing and efficient rope work, with rockfall and ice as further concerns, before snow and mixed ground lead to the 8,080-metre summit. Teams usually place three camps above base camp, and many climbers use supplemental oxygen high on the route. The 1958 first ascent took a different line via the Roch ridge on the southeast side. Because of the couloir, we expect solid 7,000-metre experience and at least one less technical eight-thousander first.

Gasherbrum I is clearly the harder of the two, steeper and more technical, and we do not recommend it as your first eight-thousander. Gasherbrum II, at 8,035 m, is the more common first 8000er. On Hidden Peak the normal route climbs the Japanese Couloir on the northwest side, where sustained steep ice calls for confident front-pointing and efficient rope work. Below that you cross a heavily crevassed glacier, and there is real avalanche and serac risk after fresh snow, plus rockfall and ice in the couloir. Most climbers who attempt it already have solid experience on 7,000-metre peaks and at least one less technical eight-thousander behind them. You also need the fitness to handle a long glacier approach before the technical climbing even starts. Many climbers use supplemental oxygen high on the route, and the death zone above 8,000 m punishes any delay, so conservative decisions matter.

Plan on 50 to 60 days, and budget from $40,000 per person. The time covers the drive and walk-in from Skardu, about seven days up the Baltoro Glacier from Askole, several acclimatisation rotations between the camps, and the wait for a summit window, which can stretch for a week or more if storms close the upper mountain. The price is indicative, because we quote every expedition individually based on team size and the level of support you want. It includes experienced high-altitude guides, permit and liaison officer handling, fixed camps, oxygen and base camp support. Gasherbrum I needs a Pakistan mountaineering permit and a Gilgit-Baltistan royalty, and both sit in the mid-range for Pakistani eight-thousanders. International flights, travel insurance, personal climbing gear and personal expenses are not included, so add those to your own budget. Custom expeditions are available for groups of 2 or more.

June to August is the season, and July and early August usually give the most stable weather. That is when the Karakoram jet stream moves north of the range and the upper mountain gets its short spells of low wind. Most teams arrive at base camp early in the summer so the long Baltoro approach does double duty as acclimatisation, and so the rope fixing in the Japanese Couloir can start before the best summit weather arrives. Summit windows on Gasherbrum I are brief and hard won, and a storm can shut the upper mountain for a week or more, so the itinerary has spare days built into it. Arriving late in the season leaves you less room to wait. A winter ascent has been done, by a Polish pair in 2012, but that was a first for the whole Karakoram and is not something we run for clients.

Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman in 1958, the only first ascent of an eight-thousander achieved by an American team.

Yes. Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II share the same Baltoro approach and base-camp area, so many expeditions are built specifically around attempting both peaks in one season, and we run combined Gasherbrum I and II programmes. The walk-in is about seven days up the Baltoro Glacier from Askole to Concordia, then up the Abruzzi and South Gasherbrum glaciers to base camp at roughly 5,000 to 5,300 metres. Climbers usually pair Hidden Peak with the easier Gasherbrum II, using the shared base camp to attempt one after the other. Bear in mind that Gasherbrum I is clearly the harder of the two, with the sustained steep ice of the Japanese Couloir, while Gasherbrum II at 8,035 m is the more common first 8000er. A Gasherbrum I expedition on its own runs 50 to 60 days and is budgeted from $40,000 per person, so ask us to quote the combined programme for your group of 2 or more.