Masherbrum

Masherbrum, formerly known as K1, is a mountain located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Karakoram mountain range. It has an elevation of 7,821 metres (25,659 feet), ranking as the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in the region administered by Pakistan. Masherbrum was the first peak mapped during the Great Trigonometrical Survey, resulting in its designation as "K1".

Etymology

The etymology of the name "Masherbrum" is a source of debate, and the exact origin of the name may still be open to interpretation and further research. While "brum" is thought to mean "mountain" in Balti, the origin of "masher" is unclear. One theory is that it comes from "mashadar," which means a muzzle-loader, possibly alluding to the distinctive curvature or shape of its summit as seen from the Baltoro Glacier (In Persian, "masheh" refers to both matchlock and trigger, while "dar" is a suffix that means "having"). Others have pointed out that "masha" means lady, so "Masherbrum" is the "queen of peaks".

In neighbouring India, this mountain peak is known as "Mahasherbaram", which comes from Sanskrit word referring to "The White Tiger".

Geography

Masherbrum is the highest peak of the Masherbrum Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is a large and striking peak, which is somewhat overshadowed by the nearby peaks of the main range of the Karakoram which includes four of the fourteen Eight-thousanders, namely K2, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II.

The Masherbrum Mountains lie to the south of the Baltoro Glacier and the main range of the Karakoram lies to the north of the Baltoro (which is the route most commonly used to access the 8000m peaks of the Karakoram). However, the "normal route" to Masherbrum is along the Hushe Valley which flows south from the summit.

Climbing history

In 1856, Thomas Montgomerie, a British Royal Engineers lieutenant, noticed a tall mountain in the Karakorams and called it K1 (denoting peak 1 of the Karakorams; K2 was the name he gave to the nearby peak behind K1 when viewed from Harmukh). To the local people of the area, it is known as Masherbrum.

Masherbrum was reconnoitered in 1911 by Fanny Bullock Workman and her husband, Dr. William H. Workman. It was first attempted in 1938 from the south, by a group led by James Waller which included Dawa Thondup and J. O. M. Roberts. The attempt failed just short of the summit, when J.B. Harrison and R.A. Hodgkin, severely frostbitten, had to return due to bad weather.

Two more unsuccessful expeditions took place, in 1955 by a team from New Zealand and in 1957 by a UK team which included Don Whillans (on his first visit to the greater ranges). In 1955 the team reached c. 7000m. During the 1957 attempt Bob Downes died on the mountain and the highest point reached by the team was c. 200m below the summit.

Masherbrum was first climbed in 1960 by George Irving Bell and Willi Unsoeld, led by the former, in an American-Pakistani expedition including Nick Clinch.In Memoriam section
of the '' American Alpine Journal'', 2001 They succeeded in climbing the southeast face route that had stymied the earlier parties. Two days later team members Clinch and Pakistani mountaineer Jawed Akhter reached the summit. Masherbrum is the highest peak in Pakistan where a Pakistani man reached the summit on the first ascent expedition.

Th
Himalayan Index
lists three additional ascents and six additional failed attempts on Masherbrum. Masherbrum has only ever been ascended from the north by one route, following the Northwest Ridge before traversing across the upper Northwest Face to reach the summit saddle.

In her book, ''Voyage au Bout du Vide: Une Cordėe Alpine au Masherbrum'', the French mountaineer provides a dramatic account of her 1980 attempt, with David Belden, to ascend Masherbrum in alpine style. Their three-month expedition, bedeviled by bad weather, ended in failure when avalanches swept their camp and injured de Colombel, leading to a desperate three-day retreat in whiteout conditions.

See also

*List of mountains in Pakistan

References

Sources

* Jill Neate, ''High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks'',

Himalayan Index

External links

* - photos

Masherbrum on Summitpost
- photos

Masherbrum in Google Maps

{{Authority control

Seven-thousanders of the Karakoram
Mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan