Field guides / Gilgit-Baltistan / Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak)
Field guide · Mountains
Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak)
Gasherbrum I, officially K5 in the Karakoram survey, reaches 8,080 m as the world's 11th-highest peak. The name Hidden Peak was coined by William Martin Conway in 1892 after the way the summit hides behind lower ridges in the South Gasherbrum Glacier approaches.
Gasherbrum I, officially K5 in the Karakoram survey, reaches 8,080 m as the world's 11th-highest peak. The name Hidden Peak was coined by William Martin Conway in 1892 after the way the summit hides behind lower ridges in the South Gasherbrum Glacier approaches. First summited in 1958 by Americans Andrew Kauffman and Pete Schoening, it remains one of the more technically demanding 8,000 m peaks.
Why go
- ✦8,080 m, 11th highest in world
- ✦First climbed 1958
- ✦South Gasherbrum Glacier approach
- ✦Shares base camp with Gasherbrum II
Hidden in Plain Sight
Trekkers on the standard Baltoro route glimpse Gasherbrum I from Concordia. The summit is invisible from below until you round the shoulder into the South Gasherbrum Glacier, the effect that earned it the name Hidden Peak.
The Gasherbrum Group
Gasherbrum I and II share a base camp, and some expeditions attempt both in the same season. All four Gasherbrums (I, II, III, IV) form a concentrated group at the head of the Baltoro, together they make this one of the highest-density collections of giant peaks anywhere on Earth.
Planning tip
When to go, June to August for expeditions; Baltoro trekking season is May to September.
Getting there, Fly to Skardu, drive to Askole, then trek the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia. Gasherbrum base camp lies south of Concordia at the foot of the South Gasherbrum Glacier.
Allow, 8-10 days trek to base camp; 6-10 weeks for a full expedition.
