Masherbrum - K1
Ghanche District - Pakistan
Located in the historical region of Kashmir, Ghanche falls under the Gilgit-Baltistan administrative territory in Pakistan. It's the easternmost, as well as the coldest, part of Pakistan. The local natural beauty attracts more tourists than almost any other part of Pakistan. The name is derived from Balti, a language traditional to the area, in which "Gang" means glacier, and "che" is used as a superlative term to indicate "an abundance".
Unclimbed since 1985
The first recorded attempt to climb Masherbrum came in 1938, from the south, when a group led by James Waller almost completed the summit, before turning back due to frostbite. Ever since an American-Pakistani expedition successfully climbed the mountain in 1960, only three other expeditions have succeeded, last one being in 1985. To this day, no one has completed the fifth ascent.
22nd tallest mountain
When British geographers first discovered it in the 19th century, they believed it to be the tallest in the whole Karakoram range, hence giving it the name K1. In reality, it's only the ninth highest mountain in the Karakoram range and 22nd globally. Nevertheless, the 2 457m promimence combined with an already extreme altitude makes it one of the biggest modern mountaineering challenges.
