Gasherbrum II (8,035 m, 26,362 ft; also given as 8,034 m) is the thirteenth-highest mountain on Earth and one of the most accessible of the fourteen eight-thousanders. It rises at the head of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram, on the border between Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan and Xinjiang in China, next to its higher neighbour Gasherbrum I. By 2012 it had seen more than 900 ascents — among eight-thousanders only Everest and Cho Oyu were climbed more often — and it has one of the lowest death rates of the big fourteen.
The Austrians Fritz Moravec, Josef Larch and Hans Willenpart made the first ascent on 7 July 1956, and almost everyone still follows their south-west ridge. On 2 February 2011 Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards made the first winter ascent of any Karakoram eight-thousander here. Climbers call it simply G2. Reaching the mountain still takes a week's trek up the Baltoro past Concordia.
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At 8,035 m (8,034 m in some sources) Gasherbrum II is the thirteenth-highest mountain in the world and the third-highest member of the Gasherbrum group, after Gasherbrum I (8,080 m) and Broad Peak (8,051 m). Its fame comes from being the eight-thousander that many climbers choose as their first: by 2012 it had been climbed more than 900 times, more often than any other eight-thousander except Everest and Cho Oyu, and the share of climbers who die on it is around 2.3 %, among the lowest of the fourteen. By mid-2010 there had been 872 ascents and twenty deaths.
"Accessible" is relative. The mountain is a week's walk from the nearest road, the summit day is long and cold, and avalanches have buried camps on it from the very first expedition. But its normal route is shorter and less technical than those of its neighbours, and it was the first of the four Karakoram eight-thousanders to be climbed in winter.
Gasherbrum II stands at the top of the Baltoro Glacier in the Baltoro Muztagh of the Karakoram, on the border between Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, and Xinjiang, China, south-east of K2. It is the central peak of the Gasherbrum group proper: an east–west ridge about 7,600 m high carries its summit pyramid in the middle, Gasherbrum III (7,946 m) to the west and the rounded Gasherbrum II East (7,758 m) to the east. Gasherbrum III has only 461 m of prominence and is sometimes treated as a subsidiary peak of Gasherbrum II. The east ridge drops to the Gasherbrum La, a pass of about 6,500 m that links the mountain with the north face of Gasherbrum I.
The British surveyor Thomas Montgomerie labelled it K4 in 1856, and climbers often call it simply G2 or GII. The name Gasherbrum comes from the Balti rgasha, "beautiful", and brum, "mountain"; it does not mean "shining wall", which is how Martin Conway described nearby Gasherbrum IV in 1892.
Expeditions fly from Islamabad to Skardu (about 2,230 m) in about an hour, weather permitting, or spend up to 36 hours on the road. From Skardu jeeps take about six hours to Askole (about 3,050 m); since a new bridge was completed in 2025 most groups continue to Jhola (3,200 m) and start walking there.
The trek follows the Braldu River and the Baltoro Glacier via the camps of Paiju (3,450 m), Urdukas (about 3,990 m) and Goro II (about 4,380 m) to Concordia (about 4,600–4,700 m), where K2, Broad Peak and the Gasherbrums come into view. From there the route turns east up the upper Baltoro and the Abruzzi Glacier to the Gasherbrum base camp, at about 5,300 m, shared with Gasherbrum I. There are no lodges: from Askole on it is camping all the way, with porters and often mules carrying the loads.
The south-west ridge of the first ascent is followed by almost everyone: by mid-2010, 857 of the 872 summiteers had used it. From base camp the route works through the South Gasherbrum Glacier to Camp 1 at about 5,900 m in the basin between the Gasherbrums, a camp shared with Gasherbrum I. Camp 2 is usually placed at about 6,550 m at the foot of the ridge, Camp 3 between 6,900 and 7,100 m, and a top camp at about 7,300 m. On summit day climbers follow the ridge towards the summit pyramid, traverse east below it and reach the top by its south-east ridge; in fog this traverse is where people need the fixed rope to find their way. Commercial teams, often led by Nepali operators, fix ropes on the steep sections, and many climbers pair the climb with Gasherbrum I, using the shared Camp 1.
How long it takes depends on acclimatisation and weather. A normal expedition needs four to seven days for the round trip from Camp 1 to the summit, after acclimatisation climbs to around 7,000 m. Fast, acclimatised climbers have been far quicker: in 1997 Anatoli Boukreev went from advanced base camp at 5,800 m to the summit in 9 hours 30 minutes, and in 2001 Denis Urubko climbed from Camp 1 to the top in 7 hours 30 minutes.
In 1983 the Poles Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojciech Kurtyka climbed the east ridge in alpine style over Gasherbrum II East and descended the normal route, the first traverse of the mountain. In 2006 the Swiss Ueli Steck, Hans Mitterer and Cedric Hählen climbed the north face to the East Summit, and in 2007 the Italians Karl Unterkircher and Daniele Bernasconi completed the north face from China to the main summit; their partner Michele Compagnoni, grandson of the K2 pioneer Achille Compagnoni, joined the normal route 150 m below the top. In 2018 Felix Berg and Adam Bielecki climbed a new line on the west face.
Foreigners need an expedition permit with a royalty per climber, issued by the Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department through a licensed Pakistani operator. The operator also provides the letter for the visa (allow about four weeks), pays the Central Karakoram National Park fee and arranges the obligatory guide for the trek. Fees were raised steeply in late 2024 and cut again in May 2025 (the summer royalty for K2, for example, fell from US$5,000 to US$3,500), so check the current Gasherbrum rate. Expeditions must insure their porters and high-altitude staff. Helicopter rescue is flown only by the Pakistani army and costs around US$13,000–15,000; make sure your insurance covers it.
Climbers reach the summit in July and early August. In 2023 there were summits on 19–21 July and 27 July; in 2026 a six-member team with Sherpa support topped out on 21 July at the second attempt, after fresh snow and a lack of rope stopped the first on 18 July. The weather in the Karakoram is colder and less predictable than in Nepal and can bring several days of snow at a time; good windows are often short. The trek along the Baltoro is possible from June to September and best in July and August.
On the trek water is everywhere, but it is meltwater from streams contaminated by animals and campsites, and diarrhoea is the most common illness. Boil all drinking water or use a filter and purification tablets, and carry rehydration salts. Jhola, Paiju and Urdukas have toilets and water for washing; higher up there is very little. On supported treks the cooks boil water for drinking; carry about two litres between camps. At base camp and on the mountain water comes from melted snow and ice, so climbers carry enough fuel and a stove for every high camp.
Skardu has mobile networks and hotel Wi-Fi, but beyond the road head there is no dependable signal. On the glacier and at base camp expeditions stay in touch by satellite phone and messenger. The authorities sometimes limit communications in this border region. Emergency numbers in Pakistan are 1122 (rescue and ambulance) and 15 (police); on the glacier your operator and army helicopters are the real lifeline.
Avalanches are the main objective danger. On the first ascent the Austrians returned to find Camp 1 and all their food and supplies buried; in 2011 the winter team survived being caught in a large avalanche. Exhaustion and cold on the long summit day are the other risks: in 2011 the Iranian climber Leila Esfandyari reached the top and died on the descent. For trekkers, the risks are the altitude (base camp is above 5,000 m; do not raise your sleeping altitude by more than about 400 m a day), rockfall on unstable sections of the trail and stomach infections. About a quarter of foreign trekkers on the Baltoro need to be evacuated by horse or helicopter because of illness or injury, so pack horses in the caravan are a sensible precaution.
The Duke of the Abruzzi and Vittorio Sella explored the Gasherbrum group in 1909, and the Abruzzi Glacier is named after the duke. In 1934 Günter Dyhrenfurth's International Himalayan Expedition, with André Roch, reached 6,250 m on Gasherbrum II.
The Austrian expedition of 1956, led by Fritz Moravec, found its Camp 1 buried by an avalanche with all its supplies. Instead of retreating, the climbers made a fast push: they left Camp 3 on 6 July, spent the night in a bivouac sack and reached the summit at 11:30 the next morning, 7 July 1956. Their south-west ridge, finished by a traverse to the south-east ridge of the pyramid, became the normal route.
In 1975 four expeditions succeeded; on 12 August Anna Okopińska and Halina Krüger-Syrokomska, members of a Polish expedition led by Wanda Rutkiewicz, became the first women on top. The Swiss Romolo Nottaris and Tiziano Zünd made the first alpine-style ascent in 1981, and Reinhold Messner climbed it in 1982 with the Pakistanis Nazir Sabir and Sher Khan. In July 1984 Messner and Hans Kammerlander climbed Gasherbrum II and then Gasherbrum I without returning to base camp; a month later a French team made the first complete ski descent. In 2006 Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag climbed it twice in a week and skied down, the second time in a 17-hour round trip.
On 2 February 2011 Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and the American photographer Cory Richards reached the summit at 11:30 without bottled oxygen or porters, the first winter ascent of a Karakoram eight-thousander; Richards turned the expedition into the film Cold. In 2023 Andrzej Bargiel skied from the summit.
How high is Gasherbrum II? 8,035 m (26,362 ft), the thirteenth-highest mountain in the world; some sources give 8,034 m.
Is Gasherbrum II the easiest eight-thousander? It is one of the most accessible: more than 900 ascents by 2012 and a death rate of about 2.3 %. But it still demands experience on snow and ice at extreme altitude, and avalanches and storms can strike.
How long does it take to climb? Expeditions spend several weeks at base camp; the summit push from Camp 1 and back normally takes four to seven days, and the trek in and out adds ten days or more.
How difficult is the normal route? Mostly snow and ice slopes on the south-west ridge, with fixed ropes on steep sections and an exposed traverse below the summit pyramid; technically easier than Gasherbrum I or K2.
Do I need a permit? Yes: an expedition permit with a royalty via a licensed Pakistani operator, plus the Central Karakoram National Park fee; trekkers must have an approved guide.
Is there water on the way? Plenty of glacier water on the trek, but it must be boiled, filtered or treated; on the mountain climbers melt snow.
Is there mobile coverage? No dependable signal beyond the road head; bring a satellite phone or messenger. Emergency numbers: 1122 and 15.
When is the best time to climb? July and early August; the trek along the Baltoro is possible from June to September.
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