Masherbrum, formerly known as K1, is a mountain located in the

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

region of the

Karakoram The Karakoram () is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range is withi ...

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 The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India was a project that aimed to carry out a survey across the Indian subcontinent with scientific precision. It was begun in 1802 by the British infantry officer William Lambton, under the auspices of t ...

, 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 A muzzleloader is any firearm in which the user loads the projectile and the propellant charge into the muzzle end of the gun (i.e., from the forward, open end of the gun's barrel). This is distinct from the modern designs of breech-loading fi ...

, 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 __NOTOC__ The Masherbrum Mountains () are a subrange of the Karakoram mountains, located in Ghanche District in the Baltistan region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Geography The Masherbrum Mountains are located on the south side of the Baltoro ...

, 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-thousander The eight-thousanders are the 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than in height above sea level, and sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no precise defin ...

s, namely K2,

Gasherbrum I Gasherbrum I, originally surveyed as K5, and also known as Hidden Peak, is the 11th highest mountain in the world at above sea level. It is located between Shigar District in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan and Tashkurgan in the Xi ...

Broad Peak Broad Peak (; ) is one of the eight-thousanders, and is located in the Karakoram range spanning Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China. It is the 12th highest mountain in the world with elevation above sea level. The first ascent of t ...

and

Gasherbrum II Gasherbrum II (; ; ); surveyed as K4, is the 13th highest mountain in the world at above sea level. It is the third-highest peak of the Gasherbrum massif, and is located in the Karakoram, on the border between Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan and ...

. The Masherbrum Mountains lie to the south of the

Baltoro Glacier The Baltoro Glacier (; ) is a glacier located in the Shigar District of the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan. It stretches for in length. It is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. It is home to some of the world’s high ...

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 Hushe Valley (; ) is a valley in Ghanche District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Formed by the Hushe River, the valley runs from Masherbrum Mountain (at 7,821 meters) and nearby glaciers south to the Shyok River, opposite Khaplu. Hushe village li ...

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 Mt Harmukh is a mountain in the Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Harmukh has a peak elevation of , and is located in Ganderbal district, between the Sind River to the south and Kishanganga River to the north, rising above Gangabal ...

). To the local people of the area, it is known as Masherbrum. Masherbrum was reconnoitered in 1911 by

Fanny Bullock Workman Fanny Bullock Workman (January 8, 1859 – January 22, 1925) was an American geographer, cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer, notably in the Himalayas. She was one of the first female professional mountaineers; she not only e ...

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 Dawa Thondup (1907-) (also Da Thondup) was an Indian Sherpa mountaineer. He had been a porter on the 1933 British Mount Everest expedition, he survived the 1934 Nanga Parbat climbing disaster, and he was a team member on a 1935 expedition led ...

and

J. O. M. Roberts Lieutenant Colonel James Owen Merion Roberts MVO MBE MC (21 September 1916 – 1 November 1997) was one of the greatest Himalayan mountaineer-explorers of the twentieth century; a highly decorated British Army officer who achieved his gre ...

. 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 Donald Desbrow Whillans (18May 19334August 1985) was an English rock climber and mountaineer. He climbed with Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. Early life Born and brought up in ...

(on his first visit to the

greater ranges The Roof of the World or Top of the World is a metaphoric epithet or phrase used to describe the highest region in the world, also known as High Asia. The term usually refers to the mountainous interior of Asia, including the Pamirs, the Himalay ...

). 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 George Irving Bell (August 4, 1926 – May 28, 2000) was an American physicist, biologist and mountaineer, and a grandson of John Joseph Seerley.Willi Unsoeld William Francis Unsoeld (October 5, 1926 – March 4, 1979) was an American mountaineer who was a member of the first American expedition to summit Mount Everest. The American Mount Everest Expedition was led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, and includ ...

, led by the former, in an American-Pakistani expedition including Nick Clinch.In Memoriam section
of the ''

American Alpine Journal The ''American Alpine Journal'' is an annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club. Its mission is "to document and communicate mountain exploration." The headquarters is in Golden, Colorado. Subtitled as a compilation of "The World's ...

'', 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.

References

Sources

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

External links