Italian climbers Herve Barmasse and the German David Gottler are attempting to make the first ascent of the southwest face of Gasherbrum IV (7.925 m) in the Karakorum.

“The journey begins!” wrote Gottler on social media. “Same, same but different as they often say.

“Originally we planned to go to G1 from the north but we were not granted all of the permits we required so we changed to another objective that had been on our minds for a long time, Gasherbrum IV.”

Climbing in alpine style, the team will bring no fixed ropes, bottled oxygen and will leave no camps behind or have any porters.

This is surely one of the boldest attempts that will go down this year in the Himalayas.


Gasherbrum IV, also known as K3, is the 17th highest mountain and the sixth highest in Pakistan. It is one of many peaks in the Gasherbrum massif.

The first ascent by Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri in 1958 was on an Italian expedition led by Riccardo Cassin. They climbed the northeast ridge and the north summit. The traverse from the pinnacled ridge to the main summit was considered the crux of the climb.