Mountains
Pakistan's 8,000 metre peaks
Pakistan contains five of the world's fourteen peaks above 8,000 metres: K2 at 8,611 metres, Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres, Gasherbrum I at 8,080 metres, Broad Peak at 8,051 metres and Gasherbrum II at 8,035 metres. Four stand in the Karakoram; Nanga Parbat anchors the western end of the Himalaya.
Quick facts
- 8,000 m peaks
- 5
- Highest
- K2, 8,611 m
- K2 first ascent
- 31 July 1954
- First winter ascent of K2
- 16 January 2021
Background
K2 was first climbed on 31 July 1954 by an Italian expedition, and Nanga Parbat by Hermann Buhl on 3 July 1953, solo on the final push. K2 was first climbed in winter on 16 January 2021 by a Nepali team, the last of the fourteen to fall in winter. Access to the Karakoram giants is by trek up the Baltoro glacier from Askole.
Key entries
- K2
Second-highest mountain on earth, on the China border.
- Nanga Parbat
Ninth-highest; the Rupal face is the highest on earth.
- Gasherbrum I
Also called Hidden Peak, 8,080 m.
- Broad Peak
8,051 m, above the Baltoro glacier.
- Gasherbrum II
8,035 m, the most frequently climbed of the group.
Frequently asked questions
- How many 8,000 metre peaks are in Pakistan?
- Five, four of them in the Karakoram and one, Nanga Parbat, in the Himalaya.
- When was K2 first climbed?
- On 31 July 1954, by Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli of an Italian expedition.