Gasherbrum IV

Infobox Mountain
Name = Gasherbrum IV
Photo =Gasherbrum_IV.jpg|250px
Caption =Gasherbrum IV from Baltoro Glacier
Elevation = 7,925 metres (26,001 ft)
Ranked 17th (7th in Pakistan)
Location = Baltistan; Xinjiang, China; Northern Areas, Pakistan
Range = Baltoro Muztagh, Karakoram
Prominence = 715 m (2,346 ft)
Coordinates = coord|35|44|N|76|35|E|type:mountain
First ascent = August 6, 1958 by Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri
Easiest route = snow/ice climb

Gasherbrum IV is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan. It is one of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif.

The Gasherbrums are a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya. The massif contains three of the world's 8,000 metre peaks (if one includes Broad Peak). Gasherbrum is often claimed to mean "Shining Wall", presumably a reference to the highly visible west face of Gasherbrum IV; but in fact it comes from "rgasha" (beautiful) + "brum" (mountain) in Balti, hence it actually means "beautiful mountain."H. Adams Carter, "Balti Place Names in the Karakoram", "American Alpine Journal" 49 (1975), p. 53.]

Time Line

* 1958 First ascent by Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri by the North East Ridge.
* 1985 First ascent of the convert|10000|ft|m|abbr=on high West face by Robert Schauer and Wojciech Kurtyka. However, bad weather and extreme exhaustion forced them to reach the north summit missing the true summit.
* 1986 First ascent of the North West ridge by Greg Child, Tim Macartney-Snape and Tom Hargis. This is also the second ascent of Gasherbrum IV itself.
* 1997 Second ascent of the West Face by a Korean team (using a different line).

References