Broad Peak

Broad Peak (originally named K3),12th highest mountain on Earth and 4th highest in Pakistan is located in Karakoram range of Shigar valley Baltistan. Broad Peak is part of the Gasherbrum massif and is about 8 kilometres (5 miles) from K2.

Broad Peak was originally named K3 right after the naming of K2 but on closer inspection by a later party, it was discovered that the summit was over 1½ kilometres (1 mile) long, thus “Broad Peak”. Broad Peak is known locally as Faichan Kangri.

Broad Peak Climbing History

The first ascent of Broad Peak was made on June 9, 1957 by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger, and Hermann Buhl of an Austrian expedition led by Marcus Schmuck. In 1954, Dr. Karl M. Herligkoffer of West Germany tried to climb it. His original objective however, was to climb Gasherbrum I.

He is stated to have failed in persuading porters to carry loads beyond Concordia above the Baltoro glacier. Accordingly, the party carried the luggage and made an attempt, from the south-western side, through the lower Broad glacier. It however, did not meet with success because of a storm and a very low temperature.
In 1957, an Austrian expedition came to Pakistan to climb this peak. It was led by Marcus Schmuck. Other important members of the party were Fritz Wintersteller, a climber, Kurt Diemberger, an Austrian climber and photographer and a legendary mountaineer, and Hermann Buhl, who is considered as one of the best known postwar Austrian climbers.

The expedition began a reconnaissance of a ridge on the western face of the mountain. Consequently it climbed a snow gully and camped at 5,791m/19,000ft. While climbing, it made the best use of ropes which were fixed by the 1954 German expedition. On the 29th May, all members of the expedition left camp-3 for an assault on the summit. A storm forced them to return to the base camp. It was, however, on the 9th June, 1957 that Marcus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller, Kurt Diemberger and Hermann Buhl climbed the peak without using oxygen and high altitude porters.
It was after this climb that Schmuck and Wintersteller climbed an un-named peak (7,360m/24,147ft). In ten hours they crossed ten miles of the Godwin-Austen and Savoia glaciers and climbed up a snow slope on skis to camp at about 6,096m/20,000ft. On the 19th of June, they ascended in twelve hours to 1,219m/4,000ft on the south-west face of the summit, first on hard snow and then in deep powder. They were back at base camp just 52 hours after their departure. What an extraordinary feat of self-discipline, endurance and sheer determination!

The un-named peak so climbed is probably the Skill Brum peak of Jerziwala Polish maps. The other two climbers, Diemberger and Buhl, headed towards Chogolisa peak where Buhl met his death by falling from the mountain.

The name of other peak in the Broad range is Broad peak middle/central Some maps show its height at 8,016m while the others show it 8,000m. It is stated to have been climbed in 1975. Anyhow, it was in 1976 that a French expedition led by Yan nick Seigneur made an attempt on this peak in alpine style, along with main Broad peak. This party of four followed the Austrian first-ascent route and made four attempts but could go only upto 7,925m/26,000ft.

The expedition had to come back because of bad weather. A six member Spanish mountaineering expedition climbed Broad (central) peak in 1987. Their leader was Joseph Estruch.

The third peak in the Broad range is Broad peak North. Again some maps show its height as 7,538m while the others show it 7,550m. An Italian expedition, which was led by Renato Casarotto, attempted to climb it in 1982 but was unsuccessful. The party shows its height as 7,600m/24,935ft. Casarotto, however, succeeded in climbing it in 1983.