Why Laila Peak is famous
Laila Peak owes its fame to its shape. From the Gondogoro Glacier it looks like a spearhead: the northwest face rises as one smooth sheet of snow and ice at an almost even angle to a pointed summit, while the north and east sides are steep granite. The face is variously reported as 1,500 to 1,700 m high, at about 45° for most of its height and up to 55° near the top. Climbing magazines and Pakistani agencies call it one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, and splitboarder Paul Holding, who tried to ride it in 2012, joked that it would compete for first place in a "Miss Mountain World" contest. Seen face on, he added, the wall is far bigger and more complex than the famous profile suggests, with rock bands, crevasses and seracs.
The mountain stands in the Masherbrum Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram south of the Baltoro Glacier, between the Gondogoro valley to the west and the Chogolisa valley to the east. The usual height is 6,096 m, taken from the 2003 Japanese map of Tsuneo Miyamori; other sources give 6,069 m, about 6,200 m or even 6,614 m, and the 1987 first ascensionists thought it was about 6,300 m. It is not a high peak by Karakoram standards. Its reputation rests on the line of the face, which has become a target for steep skiing.
There are several Laila Peaks in Pakistan. The highest, at 6,985 m, stands in the Haramosh range near the Chogurunma Glacier, and a 5,971 m Laila Peak rises in the Rupal valley below Nanga Parbat. This article is about the 6,096 m peak above the Hushe valley.
Where it is and how to get there
Laila Peak lies in Ghanche District of Gilgit-Baltistan, near the head of the Gondogoro Glacier, whose pass, the Gondogoro La, is about 25 km south of K2. The gateway is Skardu, reached from Islamabad by a flight of about an hour or by two long days on the Karakoram Highway. Flights operate only in good weather, so itineraries keep spare days for the road via Chilas.
From Skardu a jeep road follows the Indus and then the Shyok to Khaplu, the district centre 103 km east of Skardu, and turns north up the Hushe valley to Hushe village (about 3,050 m), the last village and the road head. The drive takes about six hours. Hushe men have worked as porters and cooks for expeditions since the 1960s, and the village is where most teams hire their staff. In 2012 a ski team needed seven days from Europe to base camp, including a 26-hour drive from Islamabad.
The approach from Hushe
The trail leaves Hushe through summer pastures along the Hushe river and reaches Saicho (also written Shaicho or Shaisho, about 3,450 m) in three to four hours. The camp sits on sand among trees at the junction of the Charakusa and Gondogoro valleys, with views of K6, K7 and Link Sar.
The second day climbs a wooded moraine to the goat herders' summer settlement of Golong, drops onto the edge of the Gondogoro Glacier and ends with a scramble up a gully to Dalsampa (about 4,200 m), a meadow with a couple of small lakes and a view of Masherbrum. Dalsampa or a camp nearby serves as Laila base camp; operators quote 6–7 hours for the day. Agencies sell Laila as a trip of about three weeks from Islamabad, with 10 to 16 days set aside at base camp for acclimatisation and the climb.
Climbing routes
The first ascent in 1987 went straight up the northwest face; the climbers descended by rappelling the east face. The 1996 Italian team found an easier way down: the west ridge, reached from a col above an easy-angled snow couloir on the south-west side, which they descended with ten rappels. Most parties now use this approach in reverse. From the Gondogoro side they climb to one of two cols on the west ridge, traverse onto the upper northwest face and follow it to the summit, avoiding the crevassed and serac-threatened lower half of the face.
In 2018 the French team left Dalsampa at 1:30 a.m., crossed a pass at 5,133 m, reached the west-ridge col at about 5,600 m at 7 a.m. and spent six and a half hours plodding through deep snow on the steepest part of the face, staying roped and close to the rocks. Slower parties place a camp at a col at about 5,400 m, 1,200 m above base camp and 700 m below the top. In 2021 the Polish skiers Andrzej Bargiel and Jędrzej Baranowski climbed the whole face in a day from a camp at 4,400 m, leaving at 4:30 a.m. and reaching the summit at 1 p.m., keeping close to the rock spur between the northwest and north faces.
This is a technical mountaineering objective, not a trekking peak: climbers need crampon and ice-axe skills on sustained 45–55° snow and ice, rope work and glacier experience. The summit itself, sharp from afar, turned out to be a small flat spot where the French could put on their skis.
Skiing the northwest face
In 2005 the Swedish skier Fredrik Ericsson and his Norwegian friend Jörgen Aamot turned back at about 5,950 m because of poor snow and skied the northwest face from there, the first ski descent on the mountain. Attempts in 2012 and 2014 were turned back by similar conditions. In 2016 four Italians turned around 150 m below the top and skied from there; at about 5,350 m Leonardo Comelli slipped and fell to his death.
On 11 May 2018 the French skiers Carole Chambaret, Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein made the first ski descent from the summit, about 1,800 m of skiing on soft snow in calm weather. Two weeks later, on 25 May, Cala Cimenti and Matthias Koenig repeated the line; their partner Julian Danzer fell, lost a ski and finished on foot. In May 2021 Bargiel and Baranowski left their skis 150 m below the top because of difficult snow and skied the face to their camp in two and a half hours.
Trekking: the Gondogoro La and the Hushe valley
Most people who know Laila Peak have seen it from the Gondogoro La (5,585 m), the pass that links Concordia and the Baltoro Glacier with the Hushe valley. The route, opened in 1986, lets K2 base camp trekkers return by a different valley: from Concordia (4,691 m) they go to Ali Camp at about 5,000 m on the Vigne Glacier, cross the pass, usually at night when avalanche risk is lower, and descend past Laila to Khuspang, Saicho and Hushe. From the pass you see K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, Masherbrum and Laila.
The crossing is not a walk. Snow slopes reach about 50° on both sides, there is rockfall and avalanche danger, and up to 300 m of fixed rope may be needed on the south-west side. Local high-altitude climbers fix and maintain ropes in July and August; in 2023 they charged 28,000 rupees for up to two people and 38,000 for three or four. Crampons, harness and ice axe are standard kit. The pass is easiest from the last days of June; by August crevasse, avalanche and rockfall hazards increase.
Trekkers who do not cross the pass can walk from Hushe to Saicho and up the Gondogoro valley to Dalsampa in two days for a close view of Laila and Masherbrum.
Permits, costs and rules
Climbing fees in Gilgit-Baltistan are set by the provincial government; the rates revised in May 2025 were confirmed unchanged for 2026. Many peaks below about 6,500 m need no separate climbing royalty, only a trekking permit, and Laila is normally climbed this way. The area is a restricted zone, however: foreigners need a trekking visa backed by a letter from an approved Pakistani operator, a permit arranged by that operator, a licensed guide and accident insurance for the whole party. Independent trekking is not allowed.
Porters are hired in Hushe, and their insurance is the employer's responsibility, normally included in agency packages. A large share of the budget goes on helicopter evacuation cover, since rescue flights are run by the Pakistani military and cost five figures in US dollars.
When to go and weather
Most expeditions to the Karakoram come in July and August, with some in May and June and September for lower peaks. Laila is skied in spring and early summer, when the face holds more snow: both descents from the summit in 2018 and the Polish descent of 2021 took place in May. The Polish skiers, who found very good conditions in late April and early May 2021, suggested that spring and early autumn may now be the best seasons for mid-altitude Karakoram peaks.
Heat is the main problem from June. In 2012 a ski team watched the face lose snow within days under strong sun, with sluff and serac fall all afternoon, and abandoned their attempt. The Gondogoro La is usually crossed from late June to late August; the rescue team on the pass stays until around 27 August.
Water
There are no teahouses or shops after Hushe: groups carry food and fuel and their cooks boil water. Streams flow at Saicho and through the pastures, and Dalsampa has small lakes and meltwater streams. Glacier runoff in this region is often contaminated, and stomach infections are the most common illness on the neighbouring K2 base camp trek, so boil or filter all water, including at base camp. Above base camp, water comes from melted snow. Agencies' kit lists ask for two one-litre wide-mouth bottles with insulated covers and a thermos, since bottles freeze on an alpine start.
Mobile coverage and emergencies
Do not rely on a mobile signal beyond the road head. On the glacier and at base camp, expeditions use satellite phones: in July 2025 Marina Krauss called for help by satellite phone after her partner was hit by rockfall. Arrange a phone and an evacuation plan with your agency before leaving Skardu. Rescue in Gilgit-Baltistan is on 1122, the tourist police on 1422, and from a mobile phone 112 also works. Helicopters can only fly when weather allows; in 2025 bad weather kept them from reaching the accident site.
Dangers and accidents
The main risks are objective. The lower northwest face is exposed to serac fall and has crevasses; the upper face carries avalanche risk when warm, and the gullies on the south side see rockfall. On 28 July 2025 the German biathlete Laura Dahlmeier and Marina Krauss turned back about 200 m below the summit when the air turned warm and humid; around noon, at about 5,700 m, a rockfall struck Dahlmeier and she died instantly. At her written request her body was left on the mountain, and a later search failed to find it. In 2016 Leonardo Comelli died on a ski descent of the face.
Altitude matters too. From Hushe at about 3,050 m to the summit is more than 3,000 m of gain. Some teams first trek to K2 base camp and cross the Gondogoro La to arrive acclimatised, which the agencies offer as a combined trip.
History and name
The first known ascent was made in 1987 by the British climbers Andy Cave, Tom Curtis, Sean Smith and Simon Yates, two years after Yates's ordeal on Siula Grande described in Touching the Void. They climbed the northwest face without a permit, as was common on small peaks at the time, and Yates later described the climb in his book The Flame of Adventure. A German team repeated the route in the early 1990s and a Swiss team in 1993. The first official ascent was by an Italian expedition: Paolo Cavagnetto and Fabio Lacchini reached the top on 2 July 1996, followed by three others the next day.
The Spaniards Alex Txikon and José Fernández made the first winter ascent in February 2013. The peak is also spelled Leyla or Lila Peak.
Interesting facts
- The 5,809 m peak to the south-east of Laila, prominent from the Gondogoro trek, is nicknamed Laila's Little Sister. In 2018 Cimenti and Koenig skied it from the summit.
- Fredrik Ericsson described Laila as "like a needle" pointing "straight up in the sky". He died on K2 in 2010.
- In February 2026 a park in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was named after Laura Dahlmeier.
FAQ
How high is Laila Peak? 6,096 m by the most widely used figure, from a 2003 Japanese map. Other sources give 6,069 m or about 6,200 m.
How long does a Laila Peak expedition take? About three weeks from Islamabad: two days of trekking from Hushe to base camp at Dalsampa and 10–16 days at base camp for acclimatisation and the climb. The summit push itself takes one or two days.
How difficult is Laila Peak? It is a technical climb on sustained 45–55° snow and ice with crevasse, serac, avalanche and rockfall hazards. It suits climbers with previous experience on 5,000–6,000 m snow and ice peaks.
Do I need a permit, and what does it cost? No climbing royalty is charged for peaks of this height, but the area is a restricted zone: a trekking visa and permit through an approved Pakistani agency, a licensed guide and insurance are required.
Is there water on the way? Yes, streams and small lakes up to base camp, but no shops after Hushe. Boil or filter everything; above base camp you melt snow.
Is there mobile coverage? Do not count on any beyond Hushe. Expeditions carry satellite phones. Emergency numbers are 1122 (rescue), 1422 (tourist police) and 112.
When is the best time to climb Laila Peak? Late April to June for skiers and climbers who want snow on the face; July and August are the main Karakoram season but bring more heat, rockfall and avalanches.
Can trekkers see Laila Peak without climbing? Yes. It dominates the descent from the Gondogoro La on the K2 base camp circuit, and the two-day walk from Hushe to Dalsampa leads to its foot.
Is this the same as the Laila Peak in Haramosh? No. The 6,985 m Laila Peak stands in the Haramosh range, and a 5,971 m Laila Peak rises in the Rupal valley; this one is in the Hushe valley.