• ABOUT THE SPOT

Mountaineering in Broad Peak (K3), Karakoram Park, Pakistan

Elevation:
26401 ft/8047 m
Season:
June to September
Broad Peak or also known as K3 is the 12th highest mountain of the world. The peak is a part of the Gasherbrum massif in Baltistan, situated on the border of Pakistan with China. Its exact location is on the Karakoram mountain range, at almost 8 km/5 mi away from K2.

Broad Peaks location, along the western Baltoro glacier between Gasherbrum IV and K2, makes it attractive to mountaineers from all over the world who wish to climb this notorious peak.

Broad Peak has three separate summits, the main summit at 8047 m/26400 ft high, the central summit at 8016 m/26299 ft high and the north summit at 7550 m/24770 ft high.

The first ascent on the main summit took place in 1957 by a four only members Austrian expedition. By using the fixed lines, set up by a German expedition back in 1954, all four expenditioners summited without using oxygen. The central summit or Broad Peak middle was first climbed by a 5 members Polish expedition in 1975. During the descent, 3 of them have died.

The north summit was first climbed in 1983 by an Italian expedition. Since 1957 until 2003, the mountain has been climbed 255 times and counts 18 deaths. Statistically, it is one of the safest 8000 m/26246 ft high peaks, given that death percentage is dropping down at 7%.

Today, many teams use the moderate climbing of the Broad Peak in order to acclimatize themselves for a rapid alpine style ascent of the K2. The main route via the west ridge is moderately strenuous but like every other mountain in the Karakoram range, weather is often the determining factor. Only five people have climbed twice Broad Peak and no one more than that.

Broad Peak is one of the mountains where many stop at the fore-summit, never reach the actual summit and claim to have climbed Broad Peak.

A short route overview reveals 4 possible routes: the Standard route on the west ridge, the Carsolio Route on the west ridge to south face, the Long Summit Ridge Traverse and the South Face Ridge. Pick up one route with the local school guides assisstance and have the time of your life by mountaineering on the Broad Peak.