Gasherbrum II is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Pakistan-China. Gasherbrum II is the third highest peak of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya.

The standard route is via the SW ridge as it is relatively free of objective hazards such as ice falls and avalanches. A typical expedition lasts 7 to 8 weeks with climbing permits costing about $7,500 USD for five climbers.

Gasherbrum II was first climbed on July 8, 1956 by Fritz Moravec, Josef Larch and Hans Willenpart of an Austrian expedition.

Timeline

1956 First ascent
1975 Second ascent by a French group, 19 years after the first ascent. This expedition also saw the first death on the Gasherbrum. Three other expeditions summit including a Polish women's team headed by Wanda Rutkiewicz.
1979 A Chilean and a German expedition succeed in the sixth and seventh ascents.
1982 Reinhold Messner reaches the top with two Pakistanis, Nazir Sabir and Sher Khan.
1984 Messner and Hans Kammerlander traverse Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II without returning to base camp in between.
2005 First ski descent by Jorgen Aamot (Norway) and Frederik Ericsson (Sweden)
2007 Three Italians, Karl Unterkircher, Daniele Bernasconi e Michele Compagnoni, reach the top opening a new way on the north face, in alpine style