Masherbrum
Encyclopedia
Masherbrum is located in the Gilgit Baltistan of Pakistan
. At 7821 metres (25,659.4 ft) it is the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan
. It was the first scaled and mapped peak in the Karakoram
mountain range
, hence its name.
The meaning of the name "Masherbrum" is not entirely clear. It may come from mashadar (muzzle-loading gun) plus brum (mountain), from the resemblance of the double summit to an old muzzle-loader. It may also come from masha (queen or lady), giving "queen of peaks." Other meanings have also been suggested.
, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is a large and striking peak, which is somewhat overshadowed by the nearby 8000 metres (26,246.7 ft) peaks of the main range of the Karakoram which includes four of the fourteen Eight-thousander
s, 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. The main range is the continental divide
of southern Asia. Rivers to the south flow into the Arabian Sea
. Rivers to the north flow to the Yellow Sea
.
The Baltoro Glacier is the route most commonly used to access the 8000m peaks of the Karakoram, and many trekkers also travel on the Baltoro. Masherbrum also lies at the north end of the Hushe Valley, which serves as the southern approach to the peak.
, a British Royal Engineers lieutenant, noticed a tall mountain in the Karakorams and called it K1 (denoting peak 1 of the Karakorams). To the local people of the area, it is known as Masherbrum.
Masherbrum was reconnoitered in 1911 by the intrepid Dr. William H. Workman and his wife Mrs. Fanny Bullock Workman. It was first attempted in 1938 from the south; the attempt failed just short of the summit.
After two more failed expeditions, in 1955 and 1957, Masherbrum was first climbed in 1960 by George Irving Bell
and Willi Unsoeld, part of an American
-Pakistan
i expedition led by Nick Clinch. They succeeded in climbing the southeast face route that had stymied the earlier parties.
The Himalayan Index lists three additional ascents and six additional failed attempts on Masherbrum. The ascents include two by additional routes, the NW Face and the NW Ridge/N Face.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. At 7821 metres (25,659.4 ft) it is the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It was the first scaled and mapped peak in the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
, hence its name.
The meaning of the name "Masherbrum" is not entirely clear. It may come from mashadar (muzzle-loading gun) plus brum (mountain), from the resemblance of the double summit to an old muzzle-loader. It may also come from masha (queen or lady), giving "queen of peaks." Other meanings have also been suggested.
Geography
Masherbrum is the highest peak of the Masherbrum MountainsMasherbrum Mountains
The Masherbrum Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram mountain range, in Baltistan region of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in northern Pakistan.-Geography:The Masherbrum Mountains are located on the south side of the Baltoro Glacier...
, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is a large and striking peak, which is somewhat overshadowed by the nearby 8000 metres (26,246.7 ft) peaks of the main range of the Karakoram which includes four of the fourteen Eight-thousander
Eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia....
s, namely K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, Gasherbrum I
Gasherbrum I
Gasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...
, Broad Peak
Broad Peak
Broad Peak , is the 12th highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 8,051 meters . The literal translation of "Broad Peak" to Faichan Kangri is not accepted among the Balti people.- Geography :...
and Gasherbrum II
Gasherbrum II
Gasherbrum II , also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China...
.
The Masherbrum Mountains lie to the south of the Baltoro Glacier
Baltoro Glacier
The Baltoro Glacier, at 62 kilometers long, is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. It is located in Baltistan, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and runs through part of the Karakoram mountain range. The Baltoro Muztagh lies to the north and east of the glacier, while...
and the main range of the Karakoram lies to the north of the Baltoro. The main range is the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
of southern Asia. Rivers to the south flow into the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
. Rivers to the north flow to the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
.
The Baltoro Glacier is the route most commonly used to access the 8000m peaks of the Karakoram, and many trekkers also travel on the Baltoro. Masherbrum also lies at the north end of the Hushe Valley, which serves as the southern approach to the peak.
Climbing history
In 1856, Thomas MontgomerieThomas George Montgomerie
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas George Montgomerie was a British surveyor who participated in the Great Trigonometric Survey of India as a lieutenant in the 1850's. He was the person to label K2, the second highest mountain in the world, the K standing for Karakoram...
, a British Royal Engineers lieutenant, noticed a tall mountain in the Karakorams and called it K1 (denoting peak 1 of the Karakorams). To the local people of the area, it is known as Masherbrum.
Masherbrum was reconnoitered in 1911 by the intrepid Dr. William H. Workman and his wife Mrs. Fanny Bullock Workman. It was first attempted in 1938 from the south; the attempt failed just short of the summit.
After two more failed expeditions, in 1955 and 1957, Masherbrum was first climbed in 1960 by George Irving Bell
George Irving Bell
George Irving Bell was an American physicist, biologist and mountaineer, and a grandson of John Joseph Seerley. He died from complications of leukemia after surgery.-Education:...
and Willi Unsoeld, part of an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i expedition led by Nick Clinch. They succeeded in climbing the southeast face route that had stymied the earlier parties.
The Himalayan Index lists three additional ascents and six additional failed attempts on Masherbrum. The ascents include two by additional routes, the NW Face and the NW Ridge/N Face.
Sources
- H. Adams Carter, "Balti Place Names in the Karakoram", American Alpine JournalAmerican Alpine JournalThe American Alpine Journal is an annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club. Its mission is "to document and communicate mountain exploration."...
49 (1975), p. 53. - Jill Neate, High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks, ISBN 0-89886-238-8
- Himalayan Index
- Major Raja Shaheryar Khan " The pakistani army officer who was part of this first expedition to summit K-1, was Captain Raja Javed Akhter Khan, who later on was Killed in the 1971 war between Pakistan and India , at the rank of a Major. Javed later on took first Pakistan and Pakistan Army expeditions to different peaks including broad peak in 1969.