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Just after leaving Concordia, the sun finally hit Broad Peak. The North Summit is on the far left, the Central Summit is slightly out of view in the middle, and on the far right is the Main Summit. The first ascent of Broad Peak North summit was made by Renato Casarotto on June 28, 1983. The first traverse of the three Broad Peak summits was completed by Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojtek Kurtyka. They climbed the west ridge to the North summit, continued along the ridge to the Central summit. The pair then descended to Broad Col from where they followed the original route over the Forepeak to the main summit on July 17, 1984.

Broad Peak just after leaving Concordia with the North Summit on the left, the Central Summit slightly out of view in the middle, and the Main Summit on the right (click to enlarge)


The K2 West Face shines in the late afternoon sun from Concordia. The K2 West Ridge is on the far left. The Southwest Pillar separates the sunny west face from the K2 South Face. The Great Serac is just in shadow to the right below the K2 Summit. The K2 Shoulder is farther down to the right, partially in the sun. The K2 West Ridge was first climbed by Japanese Eiho Otani and Pakistani Nazir Sabir, reaching the K2 summit on August 7, 1981.

K2 West Face from Concordia with K2 West Ridge on left, the Southwest Pillar, the South Face, the Great Serac, and the K2 Shoulder. (click to enlarge)


Gasherbrum II pokes out to the right of The West Face of Gasherbrum IV shining in the late afternoon sun from Concordia.

Gasherbrum II pokes out to the right of The West Face of Gasherbrum IV shining in the late afternoon sun from Concordia. (click to enlarge)


Taken from the upper Baltoro Glacier, the twin summits of Muztagh Tower (7274m) are perfectly aligned and the mountain is seen as a slender tooth, looking impregnable. A similar photo by Vittorio Sella in 1909 inspired two expeditions to race for the first ascent in 1956. In reality both teams found their routes less steep than Sella's view had suggested. Joe Brown and Ian McNaught-Davis climbed from the west side of the peak and reached the west summit of Muztagh Tower (7270m) on July 6, 1956. Tom Patey and John Hartog repeated the ascent the next day, also reaching the slightly higher east summit (7274m). A few days later a French Team of Guido Magnone, Robert Paragot, André Contamine, and Paul Keller climbed the mountain from the east.

Taken from the upper Baltoro Glacier, the twin summits of Muztagh Tower (7274m) are perfectly aligned and the mountain is seen as a slender tooth, looking impregnable. (click to enlarge)


The Trango Tower (6239 m), commonly called Nameless Tower, is a very large, pointed spire which juts 1000m out of the ridgeline. The Trango Monk (5850m) is to the left. The Trango Nameless Tower was first climbed in 1976 with Mo Anthoine, Martin Boysen reaching the summit on July 8, 1976 and Joe Brown and Malcolm Howells the next day.

The Trango Nameless Tower (6239 m) is a very large, pointed spire which juts 1000m out of the ridgeline. The Trango Monk (5850m) is to the left. (click to enlarge)


The Khardong Hill with the Kharpocho Fort is beautifully reflected in the calm Indus River in Skardu (2286m). Skardu is the district headquarters of Baltistan, situated on the banks of the mighty Indus River, just 8 km (5 miles) above its confluence with the Shigar River. The Indus barely seems to move across the immense, flat Skardu valley, 40km long, 10 km wide and carpeted with sand dunes. There are several beautiful blue lakes nearby, including Satpara, and Upper and Lower Kachura.

The Khardong Hill with the Kharpocho Fort is beautifully reflected in the calm Indus River in Skardu (2286m). (click to enlarge)


Just after leaving Concordia, the sun finally hit Broad Peak. The North Summit is on the far left, the Central Summit is slightly out of view in the middle, and on the far right is the Main Summit. The first ascent of Broad Peak North summit was made by Renato Casarotto on June 28, 1983. The first traverse of the three Broad Peak summits was completed by Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojtek Kurtyka. They climbed the west ridge to the North summit, continued along the ridge to the Central summit. The pair then descended to Broad Col from where they followed the original route over the Forepeak to the main summit on July 17, 1984.

Broad Peak just after leaving Concordia with the North Summit on the left, the Central Summit slightly out of view in the middle, and the Main Summit on the right (click to enlarge)


Just after leaving Concordia, I looked up the Godwin Austin Glacier as the sun finally hit the K2 West Face, with Angel Peak (Angelus Peak) coming into view on the left. The K2 Southwest Pillar separates the sunlit South Face from the West Face mostly in shadow to the left. The South-southeast Spur is now lit up by the sun and arrives at the K2 Shoulder on the right. On the far right is the Abruzzi Ridge / Spur, the East-southeast ridge, the normal ascent route.

Full view of K2 West Face and South Face from just beyond Concordia with Angel Peak on the left. (click to enlarge)


The next morning we started our trek from Shagring Camp to Gasherbrum Base Camp in mostly cloudy weather. After 30 minutes we reached ‘Gasherbrum Corner’ at the junction of the Upper Baltoro Glacier with the tributary Abruzzi Glacier. Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum I South lie straight ahead. Gasherbrum I (8080m) is the 11th highest mountain in the world. Gasherbrum I was first climbed by July 5, 1958 by Americans Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman. Gasherbrum I South (7069m) was first climbed by Maurice Barrard and Georges Narbaud via the Southwest Ridge in July 1980 on their ascent of Gasherbrum I

Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum I South from the junction of Upper Baltoro Glacier and the Abruzzi Glacier (click to enlarge)


The next morning dawned clear with the first rays of the sun hitting Masherbrum with its ice cream cone top glistening in the sun from Goro II. The summit of Masherbrum's sheer north face is a perfect pyramid, with steep narrow ridges rising suddenly to a sharp pinnacle. It was first climbed via the south west face on July 6, 1960 by George Bell and Willi Unsoeld on an American - Pakistani expedition. Two few days later on July 8, expedition leader Nick Clinch and Pakistani Captain Jawed Akhter Khan also reached the summit.

Masherbrum with its ice cream cone top glistens at sunrise from Goro II. The summit is a perfect pyramid with steep narrow ridges rising suddenly to a sharp pinnacle. (click to enlarge)


Chogolisa I (7665m) is on the left and Chogolisa II (7654m) is on the right, seen from Shagring camp on the Upper Baltoro Glacier. On August 4, 1958 a Japanese expedition organized by the Academic Alpine Club of Kyoto led by Takeo Kawabara made the first ascent of Chogolisa II, with Masao Fujihira and Kazumasa Hirai reaching the summit. The first ascent of Chogolisa I (7665m) was made on August 2, 1975 by Fred Pressl and Gustav Ammerer of an Austrian expedition led by Eduard Koblmuller. Koblmuller almost suffered the same fate as Hermann Buhl, as he also fell through a cornice on the ascent; fortunately, he was roped and team members were able to pull him to safety.

Chogolisa I (7665m) is on the left and Chogolisa II (7654m) is on the right, seen from Shagring camp on the Upper Baltoro Glacier. (click to enlarge)


We arrive in Thongol and quickly unload the jeep and set up the kitchen tent and my tent where I rest for a few minutes. Ahhh. Iqbal puts together the loads a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle trying to even them out to 25kg each. There are nine loads so Iqbal has to find five more porters. He tells me he's having trouble because the porters want to wait for the mountaineering expedition we met on the flight to Skardu. Here is our team at Thongol: below - Jerome Ryan, guide Iqbal, cook Ali; above - porters Syed, Muhammad Khan, and Muhammad Siddiq, and finally our sirdar Ali Naqi.

Our team: Jerome Ryan, guide Iqbal, cook Ali; above - porters Syed, Muhammad Khan, and Muhammad Siddiq, and finally our sirdar Ali Naqi. (click to enlarge)

Updated: June 2011. Click on an image to see the FULL size with a caption.

Broad Peak - 8047m - #12 In The World

To see the full list of photos, see K2 Photo Gallery.

In 1856 Captain TG Montgomerie, a British army survey officer working in what is now northern Pakistan surveyed a number of peaks in the Karakoram from a distance of about 200km. He catalogued the peaks by number, giving each the prefix K for Karakoram. The first five peaks are now called: K1 Masherbrum, K2 K2, K3 Broad Peak, K4 Gasherbrum II, K5 Gasherbrum I.

British explorer William Martin Conway renamed it Broad Peak in 1892: "There was a fine breadth of mountain splendour displaying itself on the right of our view - a huge Breithorn, as it were, filling the space between K. 2 and the hidden Gasherbrum." - Climbing and exploration in the Karakoram Himalayas By William Martin Conway.

Broad Peak has three separate summits: main summit 8047m, central summit 8016m, and north summit 7550m. There is some controversy whether Broad Peak Central is a mountain to itself or not. Many climbers stop at the fore-summit, less than 20 vertical metres but a long hour or so walk away from the main summit.



Baltoro Glacier from Paiju to Concordia with K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum IV, Masherbrum  - Nasa Image ISS001-343-26 and 343-27

Baltoro Glacier Trekking Route To Concordia And Gasherbrum Base Camp

After flying from Islamabad to Skardu with an amazing view of Nanga Parbat, driving from Skardu to Thongol, and trekking from Thongol to Paiju, I set foot on the Baltoro Glacier. I trekked to Khoburtse that first day with a stunning view of Trango Nameless Tower and the Great Trango Tower. I had a dazzling sunrise from Khoburtse with views of Paiju Peak, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Towers, Cathedral, and Lobsang Spire. The next trekking day we went from Khoburtse to Goro II where Masherbrum was striking both at sunset and sunrise while Gasherbrum IV loomed ahead with Gasherbrum II poking out to its right.

The next day was a fairly short trekking day passing Muztagh Tower before arriving at Concordia, the highlight of the whole trek with K2 dominating the view at the head of the Godwin-Austen Glacier. Rotating in a circle at Concordia, the view has K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum IV, Baltoro Kangri, Vigne Peak, Mitre Peak, Paiju Peak, the spires of the Baltoro Glacier, Crystal Peak and Marble Peak. WOW! Spectacular! Breathtaking!

The next day we trekked on the Upper Baltoro Glacier to shagring Camp with views of Chogolisa and Baltoro Kangri. Cloudy weather rolled in as we trekked on the Abruzzi Glacier to Gasherbrum Base Camp with a brief view of Gasherbrum I. After back-tracking to Concordia it snowed, so we decided to return back down the Baltoro Glacier instead of waiting for the weather to clear and the snow to melt.


Broad Peak First Ascent


Broad Peak First Ascent Route And Camps Taken From Skil Brum 1957 - Broad Peak book

Hermann Buhl On Broad Peak Col on first summit attempt May 29, 1957 with the main summit on the left and the Forepeak on the right. Fritz Winterstellar And Kurt Diemberger are climbing towards the Forepeak. - Broad Peak book

Marcus Schmuck Looking At The Final Ridge From The Forepeak To The Broad Peak Main Summit June 9, 1957 - Broad Peak book

The first ascent of Broad Peak was completed by Marcus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller, Kurt Diemberger, and Hermann Buhl on June 9, 1957. This extremely small expedition marked a major step forward in the development of Himalayan climbing.

After a failed attempt by Karl Herligkoffer in 1954, a 4-person Austrian team came back in 1957. Summits and Secrets by Kurt Diemberger: "[Buhl's] plan was that from base camp onwards there would only be climbers on the mountain; they would do everything, load-carrying, establishment of camps and, finally, the assault on the summit. And it was all to be done without the use of oxygen."

They turned back at the fore-summit on their first summit attempt because it was getting late in the day and fog had rolled in. After regrouping at Base Camp, they started their second summit attempt.


Broad Peak First Ascent - Marcus Schmuck on Broad Peak Summit June 9, 1957 with K2 in background - Broad Peak book cover

Broad Peak First Ascent - Fritz Wintersteller and Marcus Schmuck on Broad Peak Summit June 9, 1957 with K2 in background - Broad Peak book

Broad Peak First Ascent - Kurt Diemberger Knapsack And Ice Axe On Broad Peak Summit June 9, 1957 With K2 Behind - Endless Knot: K2 Mountain Of Dreams And Destiny book

Broad Peak First Ascent - Hermann Buhl On Broad Peak Summit June 9, 1957 With Gasherbrum IV Behind - Hermann Buhl Climbing Without Compromise book

Diemberger reached the summit just as Marcus Schmuck and Fritz Wintersteller started their descent. As Diemberger was descending from the summit he met Buhl still ascending. Summits and Secrets by Kurt Diemberger:

"Slowly, with all that incredible strength of his will, he started to move, very slowly, upwards. ... Two men were standing on a peak, still breathing heavily from the ascent, their limbs weary - but they did not notice it; for the all-enveloping glory of the sun's low light had encompassed them too. Deeper and deeper grew the colours. ... No dream-picture, this. It was real enough, and it happened on the 26,404-foot summit of Broad Peak."


Other Notable Broad Peak Ascents


Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit 1975 - Broad Central Summit Towers Above Broad peak Col - mountainpassion.net

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit - Polish Team

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit - Polish Team Climbing

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit 1975 - Broad Peak Central Peak Towers Behind Marcus Schmuck Climbing To Forepeak On June 9 1957 - Broad Peak By Richard Sale

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit

The first ascent of the Broad Peak Central or Middle summit was completed by five Poles on July 28, 1975. The American Alpine Journal, Volume 39:

The route followed the Austrian route of 1957 with some variants, keeping more on the crest of the buttress. On July 28 Roman Bebak, Kazimierz Glazek, Marek Kesicki, Janusz Kulis, Bogdan Nowaczyk and Andrzej Sikorski set off for the summit of the central peak but in the afternoon Bebak withdrew while still below the col between the main and central summits. Right above the col and near the top were two difficult rock steps. At 7:30 P.M. the five other climbers reached the summit of the central peak.

After descending most of the fairly difficult ridge in the dark under worsening weather, they decided to rappel to a snow terrace on the west side, which led back to the col. Nowaczyk was lost when his rappel rope came adrift and plunged down the Chinese side. This was their only rope. During the unroped descent further on the icy slopes Kesicki, Sikorski and Kulis slipped at different times. Kulis managed to arrest himself, but the other two fell to their deaths.


Broad Peak First Ascent North Summit 1983 - Renato Casarotto Climbing Route 1983 - iborderline.net

Broad Peak First Ascent North Summit 1983 - Renato Casarotto Tent At 6850m - iborderline.net

Broad Peak First Ascent North Summit 1983 - Renato Casarotto Climbing Ridge Beyond 7000m - iborderline.net

Broad Peak First Ascent North Summit

The first ascent of Broad Peak North summit (7550m) was made by Renato Casarotto on June 28, 1983 at 6:10pm after a seven day solo push. After two failed attempts stopped by the bad weather at 6100m and 6350m, the weather improved and Casarotto started again on June 22. The weather turned bad again and for two days he could only gain about 100m. He climbed the 2000m route, overcoming climbing on rock, ice and mixed terrain. After reaching the summit so late in the day he had to bivouac at 7500m with no sleeping bag, staying awake all night before descending the next day.


Broad Peak First Traverse Of North, Central, And Main Summits Route 1984

Broad Peak First Traverse Of North, Central, And Main Summits Route 1984 - Climbing

Broad Peak First Traverse Of North, Central, And Main Summits - Broad Peak Central From North Col July 15, 1984.
Wojciech Kurtyka: I’m moaning on 15 July. We are standing on the North summit (7600m), at our feet is the north col (7300m). The central ridge looks frightening. Hopeless! ... The col, where we spend third night glittering with the late sun is a spellbinding place. - himalayanclub.org

Broad Peak Traverse Of The North, Central, and Main Summits

The first traverse of the three Broad Peak summits was completed by Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojciech Kurtyka in just 4 days. They climbed the west ridge to the North summit on July 15, 1984, and continued along the ridge to the Central summit on July 16, 1984. The pair then descended to Broad Col from where they followed the original route over the Forepeak to the main summit on July 17, 1984 and then descended the original route. This was only the second time that both the North and Central summits had been climbed.


Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit From Chinese Side 1992 Route - 8000 Metri Di Vita 8000 Metres To Live For book

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit From Chinese Side 1992 Route - alpinejournal.org.uk - photo by Kurt Diemberger

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit From Chinese Side 1992 - Trying To Find Route Through The Complex Icefall - alpinejournal.org.uk - photo by Kurt Diemberger

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit From Chinese Side 1992 - Broad Peak East Face With Main Summit in middle and Central Summit on right - alpinejournal.org.uk - photo by Kurt Diemberger

Broad Peak First Ascent Central Summit From Chinese Side

Climbing The World's 14 highest Mountains by Richard Sale and John Cleare: [August 5] 1992 saw the first ascent of a Broad Peak summit from the Chinese (east) side, a Spanish team (including one Italian and the Austrian Kurt Diemberger) climbing a hard line to Broad Peak Central which included 70 degrees ice and short vertical walls in the lower section and 65-70 degrees couloirs higher up. The summit climbers - Spaniards Oscar Cadiach, Enric Dalmau and Lluis Rafols, and the Italian Alberto Soncini - left Camp III, at 7,350m and climbed all day, bivouacking with little equipment at 8,000m, just a few metres from the top. At first light they summitted and returned safely to camp.

Oscar Cadiach in The American Alpine Journal 1993: Like zombies, we got to our feet, plowed through by the cold, and began the first and last steps upwards. Slowly, at the end of a few minutes, we stepped onto the summit. We felt nothing special, or rather, yes, we felt the cold! K2 behind us; the main summit of Broad Peak ahead of us. There we could make out tracks, yesterday's perhaps. The Gasherbrums. We were looking at them with our own eyes . . . . and from the summit! Finally! It was incredible. Before calling on the radio, I huddled to protect myself from the wind and to catch my breath. Down there, our companions were jubilant; up here an embrace meant it all!


Broad Peak First Ascent Southwest Face Route -  8000 Metri Di Vita 8000 Metres To Live For book

Broad Peak First Ascent Southwest Face - Denis Urubko On Broad Peak Summit July 25, 2005

Broad Peak First Ascent Southwest Face - Serguey Samoilov On Broad Peak Summit July 25, 2005

Broad Peak First Ascent Southwest Face

The first ascent of the 2300m vertical sheer rock and ice Southwest face of Broad Peak was completed by the Kazakhs, Serguey Samoilov and Denis Urubko on July 25, 2005 at 11:30am without supplementary O2, and no previously fixed ropes, gear caches or camps. They left base camp on July 18 in great weather and had to bivouac each night in their tent, but, except for two nights, only had room enough to sit and wait for the morning light. The weather got worse with each day until the fifth day when they awoke at 7000m to bad weather and snow, which increased the avalanche danger. In the upper sections the rock was smooth, washed away by avalanches through the centuries.

When they reached a tiny flat place at 7800m, there was only enough room for one to lie down at a time. In the morning a heavy wind swept away the clouds with thick fog covering the mountains below 7500m. The wind grew powerful as they reached the summit on July 25th. The weather worsened as they descended the normal route, forcing the thirsty and exhausted Kazakhs to bivouac once again at 7200m.


My Top 5 Memories Of Broad Peak

1. View from Concordia includes K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum IV, Gasherbrum II, Baltoro Kangri, Mitre Peak, Paiju Peak, Crystal Peak and Marble Peak. Gasherbrum I becomes visible at Gasherbrum Corner at the junction of the Upper Baltoro Glacier and the Abruzzi Glacier.

2. View from Khoburtse at sunrise includes Paiju Peak, Uli Biaho Tower, Trango Castle, Cathedral and Lobsang Spire.

3. Masherbrum shines at both sunset and sunrise from Goro II camp on the Baltoro Glacier.

4. Trango Nameless Tower and the Great Trango Tower from the Baltoro Glacier on the trek from Paiju to Khoburtse

5. Skardu, situated next to the Indus River, has beautiful lakes and sand dunes