Gasherbrum II

The thirteenth-highest mountain on Earth, 8,035 metres in the Karakoram range. Gasherbrum II is widely regarded as the most accessible 8000er in the Karakoram — comparable in technical difficulty to Cho Oyu in the Himalaya, with a standard route that does not require sustained technical climbing above the lower glacier. The mountain has become the entry point into Karakoram 8000-metre climbing for serious mountaineers seeking the experience without the commitment of K2 or Nanga Parbat.

The first ascent was made in 1956 by an Austrian expedition. Fritz Moravec, Sepp Larch, and Hans Willenpart reached the summit on July 7, two months after Manaslu and one year before Broad Peak. The expedition was small by the standards of the era, the climbing fast. The standard route via the South Spur and Banana Ridge has not changed substantially since.

The fatality rate is approximately 2 percent — among the lowest of any 8000er, and an order of magnitude lower than K2 immediately to the north. The mountain shares base camp with Gasherbrum I and the trekking infrastructure of the Baltoro Glacier. The Karakoram weather window is shorter and less reliable than the Nepalese Himalaya, but Gasherbrum II is climbable in most years by teams that arrive prepared.

What Gasherbrum II represents in the Atlas is a calibrated gateway. Climbers attempting their first 8000er in the Karakoram, or first 8000er overall, have a reasonable expectation of success here. The mountain teaches the Karakoram — the glacier, the weather, the altitude — without the additional variables that have made K2 and Broad Peak more demanding objectives. Climbers who summit Gasherbrum II often come back for the harder neighbours. Some do not need to.