Gasherbrum II (also known as K4) is the thirteenth highest mountain on Earth. Gasherbrum II is the third highest peak of the Gasherbrummassif, located in the Karakoramrange of the Himalaya.
The standard route is via the SW ridge as it is relatively free of objective hazards such as ice fall and avalanches. A typical expedition lasts 7 to 8 weeks with climbing permits costing about $7,500 USD for five climbers.
Gasherbrum II was first climbed on July 8, 1956 by Fritz Moravec, Josef Larch and Hans Willenpart of an Austrian expedition.
1975 Second ascent by a French group, 19 years after the first ascent. This expedition also saw the first death on the Gasherbrum. Three other expeditions summit including a Polish women's team headed by Wanda Rutkiewicz.
1979 A Chilean and a German expedition succeed in the sixth and seventh ascents.
Gasherbrum is a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoramrange of the Himalaya.
Gasherbrum is often claimed to mean "Shining Wall", presumably a reference to the highly visible face of Gasherbrum IV; but in fact it comes from "rgasha" (beautiful) + "brum" (mountain) in Balti, hence it actually means "beautiful mountain."
Today, K1 is known as Masherbrum, K3 as Broad Peak, K4 as GasherbrumII and K5 as Gasherbrum I. Only K2, the second highest mountain in the world, has kept Montgomerie's name.
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