# Gasherbrum IV

Gasherbrum IV (Urdu: گاشر برم ۔ ۴; simplified Chinese: 加舒尔布鲁木IV峰; traditional Chinese: 加舒爾布魯木IV峰; pinyin: Jiāshūěrbùlǔmù IV Fēng), surveyed as K3, is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan, as well as the highest independent mountain under eight thousand meters in Pakistan.
One of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif, its immense West Face looms over the glacial junction of Concordia. The Name "Gasherbrum" is often claimed to mean "Shining Wall", presumably a reference to this face's tendency to reflect the rays of the setting sun, but in fact it comes from "rgasha" (beautiful) and "brum" (mountain) in Balti, hence it actually means "beautiful mountain."
Despite its lower height relative to the surrounding eight-thousanders, Gasherbrum IV is a venerated challenge among mountaineers.

## Notable ascents and attempts

| Year | Climbers | Summited? | Description |
| 1958 | Walter Bonatti Carlo Mauri | Yes | First ascent on an Italian expedition led by Riccardo Cassin via the Northeast Ridge and the North Summit. Traversing the pinnacled ridge to the main summit was considered the crux of the climb. |
| 1980 | Craig McKibben Steve Swenson | No | First attempt of ascent via the East Face was unsuccessful due to weather conditions. |
| 1985 | Wojciech Kurtyka Robert Schauer | No | First ascent of the 2,500 m high West Face. Bad weather, depletion of food and fuel, and extreme exhaustion forced them to stop at the north summit. The climb was called the "most remarkable alpine-style ascent of the 20th century" and cited in support of Kurtyka's 2016 Piolets d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award. |
| 1986 | Greg Child Tim Macartney-Snape Tom Hargis | Yes | First ascent of the Northwest Ridge, involving an open bivouac on the north summit. This was the second ascent of Gasherbrum IV. |
| 1993 | Yasushi Yamanoi | No | Unsuccessful ascent attempt via the East Face. |
| 1995 | Miroslav "Slavko" Svetičič | No | Died while attempting a solo climb of the West Face. |
| 1996 | Kim Chang-ho Lim Saeng-muk | No | Attempted to summit via the East Face. Climb was abandoned after reaching about 7,400 m due to avalanche warning. |
| 1997 | Bang Jung-ho Kim Tong-kwan Yoo Huk-jae | Yes | First complete ascent via the West Face by a Korean team, via the central spur. Reached the summit after a sieged ascent quoted as 5.10 A3. |
| 1999 | Kang Yeon-ryong Yun Chi-won | Yes | Second ascent of the Northwest Ridge as part of a 13-member Korean team. |
| 2008 | Alberto Iñurrategi Juan Vallejo José Carlos Tamayo Mikel Zabalza Ferran Latorre | No | Third ascent of the Northwest Ridge by a Spanish team. Did not reach the main summit, stopped at a minor peak a short distance from the true summit. |
| 2012 | French Expedition | No | Attempting a summit of the "Shining Wall" on the West Face was abandoned mid-route due to an avalanche. |
| 2016 | Aleš Česen Luka Lindič | Yes (North Summit) | Reached the North Summit via the Northwest Ridge on July 26th. Intended to summit via the West Face, but weather conditions and heavy snow altered their route. This was the fourth successful summit of the Northwest Ridge. |
| 2018 | David Göttler Hervé Barmasse | No | Expedition to climb the Southwest Face was abandoned midway due to poor weather. |
| 2018 | Oriol Baro Roger Cararach Iker Madoz Marc Toralles | No | Spanish expedition abandoned their summit attempt due to bad weather. Planned to reach the summit via the still unclimbed South Pillar. |
| 2018 | Italian Expedition | No | Aimed to replicate the first ascent by Italians Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri on the sixtieth anniversary. Ended in tragedy as Maurizio Giordano was hit by falling ice and killed on the descent. |
| 2023 | Sergey Nilov Dmitry Golovchenko | No | Expedition via a completely unknown route up the southeast ridge ended in tragedy as Golovchenko was lost in a fall. |
| 2024 | Sergey Nilov Mikhail Mironov Sergei Mironov | No | Attempt to recover Golovchenko's body ended tragically as a serac fell on the team. Expedition leader Sergei Nilov was reported missing and climbers Mikhail and Sergei Mironov were injured. |