| |
Home | Gasherbrum II Main | Contact |
Move your mouse over an image to see a MEDIUM size version with a caption. Click on the image to see the FULL size.
Last Updated: September 2008
The following reference information is included:
My rating scale:
Excellent ;
Very Good ;
Good ;
Fair ;
Poor.
My favourite Gasherbrum II trekking guidebooks:
My favourite guidebook series - the right amount of detail, well written, accurate descriptions, great maps.
My favourite guidebook series - the right amount of detail, well written, accurate descriptions, great maps.
by Stefano Ardito. Published 2006. This trekking guidebook contains basic descriptions of 15 treks: Tirich Mir, Kafir Valleys, around Nanga Parbat, traversing the Biafo and Hispar Glaciers, K2, Zangskar, source of the Ganges, Kailash, Annapurna Sanctuary, around Annapurna, Mustang, Langtang and Helambu Valleys, Everest Nepal, Everest North ABC and Kangshung East Face, and Chomolhari. Each trek has an overview, useful information, a map and a day-by-day description. There are almost 250 photos. The cover is K2.
There are 14 pages on the Baltoro trek to K2, with views of Broad Peak and the Gasherbrums.
The maps and photos are very good.
by Laurent Doldi. Published 2006. In French and English. A large soft-cover photo book detailing 10 Himalayan treks: K2 Base Camp (12 pages. 23 photos), Ladakh to Zanskar (16 pages, 38 photos), Jeep tour in Kinnaur Spiti and Ladakh (12 pages, 32 photos), the Sources of the Ganges in India (14 pages, 30 photos), Dolpo (18 pages, 36 photos), Around Annapurna (22 pages, 45 photos), Helambu and the sacred lakes of Gosainkund (16 pages, 29 photos), Rolwaling Valley in winter (18 pages, 37 photos), Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Lakes (20 pages, 41 photos), and Kangchenjunga Base Camps in Nepal (21 pages, 44 photos). Each chapter starts with a very brief overview including a map and altitude profile. The front cover is K2. There are 360 colour photos.
This is very good companion book to a trekking guide, enabling you to visualize what you will experience on a trek. The photos are very good.
My favourite Gasherbrum II books:
by Reinhold Messner. Published 1998. In German. The cover is Messner on Gasherbrum II in 1984 with Gasherbrum I in the background. There are 32 pages of colour photos, 4 pages of b/w photos, 33 b/w photos in-line with text, 9 routes, and 1 map.
The first section (47 pages) describes Messner's 1975 attempt on the Lhotse South Face. There are 4 pages of colour photos, 4 b/w photos in-line with text, and 1 route. The story is from Messner's book The Challenge except the first part of the story is skipped. Some of the photos are the same as The Challenge.
The second section (85 pages) describes Messner's ascent of Gasherbrum I with Peter Habeler on August 10, 1975 via the Northwest Face. There are 11 pages of colour photos, 1 page b/w photo, 18 b/w photos in-line with text, 1 route, and 1 map. The story is from Messner's book The Challenge except the first part of the story is skipped. Many of the photos are different from The Challenge.
The third section (13 pages) describes Messner's ascent of Gasherbrum II with Sher khan and Nazir Sabir on July 24, 1982 via the Southwest Ridge. There are 5 pages of colour photos, 1 page b/w photo, 7 b/w photos in-line with text.
The fourth section (28 pages) describes Messner's traverse of Gasherbrum II (June 25 1984) and Gasherbrum I (June 28 1984) with Hans Kammerlander. There are 9 pages of colour photos, 2 pages of b/w photos, 4 b/w photos in-line with text, and 1 route.
The book closes with 6 b/w routes showing the different ascent routes on Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II and who climbed them first.
If you can't read German, it's better to buy To The Top Of The World. The photos are very good.
by Reinhold Messner. First published in English in 1992. The book briefly describes Messner's ascents of Manaslu in 1972, Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) in 1975, Everest without oxygen in 1978 and solo in 1980, Nanga Parbat solo in 1978, K2 in 1979, and the traverse of Gasherbrum II and I in 1984. The cover is the summit of K2. There are 56 pages of colour photos, 20 pages of b/w photos, 26 b/w photos, and six paintings by French artist Jean-George Inca highlighting the stories in the book.
The chapter on Gasherbrum I is 48 pages long with 8 pages of colour photos, 2 pages of b/w photos, 1 b/w photo in line with text, and a 1-page painting by Inca.
The chapter on the Gasherbrum Traverse is 13 pages long with 8 pages of colour photos, 1 page of b/w photos, 8 b/w photos in line with text, and a 1-page painting by Inca. "In three days in radiant weather we were on the summit of Gasherbrum II. ... The next morning we risked the dangerous descent into the Gasherbrum Valley ... Only if we forced ourselves – exhausted, emaciated and without back-up – to venture the second peak, could we succeed in what no one had previously attempted – the combined traverse of two of the highest mountains in the world without rest and without outside help. ... Suddenly it became uncannily gloomy. The storm increased to hurricane force ... Our goggles were iced up, our faces numb. ... At last, behind a cornice was the summit! The second eight-thousander within four days."
If you want a Best Of Messner book, this is a great choice. The Gasherbrum Traverse is short and action packed. The photos are very good. Messner's writing is interesting and poetic, letting us know his feelings and inner-most thoughts.
by Reinhold Messner. Published 1983. This coffee-table photographic book with text in German details Messner's ascents of Kangchenjunga on May 6, 1982, Gasherbrum II on July 24, 1982, Broad Peak on August 2, 1982, and Cho Oyu on May 5, 1983. Hmm, maybe it should have been called 4x8000? The front cover is in Leh, Ladakh. There are 119 pages of colour photos.
The combined chapter on Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II has 7 pages of colour photos, and 7 pages of text with 14 b/w photos and 1 map. The chapter on Gasherbrum II has 9 pages of colour photos (one including climbing routes), 1 b/w photo, and 1 page of text with 2 b/w photos and 1 map. On July 24, 1982 Reinhold Messner and Pakistani climbers Sher Khan and Nazir Sabir completed the 8th ascent of Gasherbrum II via the Southwest Ridge in alpine style without oxygen.
The photos are very good.
by Shiro Shirahata. Published 1990. One of Michael Chessler's Best Mountain Photo Books. He may just be the best mountaineering photographer ever. This coffee-table sized book provides stunning large photographs printed on glossy quality paper.
This book contains K2 (cover), Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbum II, Gasherbrum IV, Chogolisa, Nanga Parbat, and Tirich Mir. The photo of Gasherbrum IV on the back cover is stunning.
by Fritz Moravec. First published 1958. Germen. This book has two stories. The first is the story of the first ascent of Gasherbrum II on July 7, 1956 by Austrians Fritz Moravec, Sepp Larch and Hans Willenpart. There are 6 pages of b/w photos, and 10 very small b/w photos and a map on the inside front cover and first page. The second story describes the author's travels in Africa, mainly Kenya, climbing Kilimanjaro and visiting Mount Kenya. There are 6 pages of b/w photos, and 11 very small b/w photos and a map on the last page and the inside back cover.
Moravec led an expedition of 5 climbers, a geologist and doctor to Gasherbrum II, traveling from Genoa to Karachi by ship, overland to Rawalpindi, flying to Skardu and trekking via Askole and the Baltoro Glacier to Base Camp (5320m). They set up Camp I (6000m) but had to descend in bad weather. This was lucky because when they went back up on June 30, they found Camp I completely buried under a huge avalanche. They had lost most of their food and nearly all the high-altitude equipment. Rather than descend they decided on a fast, lightly mounted attempt on the summit. In just four days they opened up a new route over very steep snow and ice slopes as far as 7000m. They then decided to make a rapid bid for the summit with a bivouac halfway.
Morawec, Larch and Willenpart left Camp III in the afternoon of July 6, climbing unroped in bad snow, bivouacking at 7500m. They started at dawn the next day in fine weather and plodded painfully on, metre by metre in deep snow. Fritz Morawec, Sepp Larch and Hans Willenpart completed the first ascent of Gasherbrum II summit on July 7, 1956 at 13:30. "On the summit, the wind was still, and we enjoyed the unforgettable wonderful view. ... The ascent of Gasherbrum II was not a victory over the mountain. The mountain was kind to us. The weather and the circumstances were good."
The story is fairly basic. The photos are good.
My favourite books that partially feature Gasherbrum II are:
by Richard Sale, John Cleare (Photographer) - Highly recommended! The book details the exploration, first ascent, and other major ascents of all 14 8000m peaks, including spectacular photos.
by Simone Moro. Published 2008. In Italian and English. This coffee-table size book features excellent photos from all 14 8000m peaks. Each 8000m peak has a brief history, a photo of each face showing the climbing routes, and lots of excellent photos.
There are 8 pages on Gasherbum II.
The photos and route diagrams are excellent.
by Reinhold Messner. One of Michael Chessler's Top 100 Mountaineering Books. This book details Messner's ascents of all 14 8000m peaks documented with his photos. He also includes route diagrams and some basic history of the first few ascents. Messner was the first climber to summit all 14 mountains over 8000 metres in height, beginning with Nanga Parbat on June 27, 1970 and finishing with Lhotse on October 16, 1986. The cover photo is Kangchenjunga.
Reinhold Messner and Pakistani mountaineers Sher Khan and Nazir Sabir climbed the Southwest Ridge to the summit of Gasherbrum II on July 24, 1982.
The photos are very good.
photographs by Ed Viesturs, text with Peter Potterfield. Released in early 2003, this book presents photographs with some basic text descriptions of Viestur's ascents of 11 of the 14 8000ers. After this book was published he reached the summit of Nanga Parbat in June 2003, Broad Peak in July 2003, and on May 12, 2005 he reached the summit of Annapurna, becoming the first American to reach the summit of all 14 8000ers, all without oxygen. The front cover is Manaslu.
Viesturs devotes 59 pages to his attempts on Everest in 1987, 1988 East Kangshung Face, 1993 and 1995, and his successful summits in 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, and 1997. Ed was part of the 1996 Everest IMAX movie, and on his own way to the summit he had to pass the bodies of Scott Fischer and Rob Hall who had died days before. "I had never had a friend die, let alone a climbing partner. So seeing my friends' bodies was very difficult."
Ed's photos are excellent.
by Marco Bianchi. Although the title claims to be the 14 highest summits in the world, this beautiful, large-format photo book really focuses on the seven mountains the author climbed. The text is in Spanish, but the photos transcend language.
After attempts on Makalu in 1986 and Cho Oyu in 1989, Bianchi summitted seven of the 14 8000m peaks: Manaslu Sept. 28 1992 via Northeast Face, Broad Peak July 6 1993 via Normal route, Cho Oyu September 18 1993 via West Ridge, Shishapangma October 6 1993 via Southwest Face, Dhaulagiri September 25 1994 via Northeast Ridge, Everest May 12 1995 via Northeast Ridge, and K2 August 10 1996 via North Ridge. The front cover is Shishapangma.
There are four pages of the Tibet approach from Kathmandu, and 20 pages on Everest from his climb of the North face. The photos are excellent.
You can preview many of the photos at cuboimages.it by searching for Everest.
by Vittorio Sella. Spectacular b/w photos in a coffee table sized book. The chapters are the Alps, the Caucasus in Russia (includes a 4-page fold-out panorama from Elbrus), Mount Saint Elias in Alaska, Ruwenzori in Uganda, K2 and area (includes a 4-page fold-out panorama of K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum IV, Chogolisa, Mitre Peak).
The book includes 20 pages on Kangchenjunga from Sikkim and Nepal. The photos of Jannu are especially spectacular. The cover photo is Siniolchu seen from the Zemu Glacier, Sikkim.
For news on Gasherbrum II expeditions, I check the following regularly:
There are a few informational Gasherbrum websites, with my favourites being:
There are a few Gasherbrum II expedition websites, with my favourites being:
I thoroughly enjoy reading other people's travelogues and looking through their photos. Here are my favourites on Mustang:
There aren't many videos on Gasherbrum II. Here are the ones I found:
Directed by Werner Herzog. Filmed 1984. Released 1985. 45 minutes. Overdubbed in English. Herzog follows Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander as they attempt the first traverse of two 8000m peaks, Gasherbrum II and I. Messner: “Nothing like this has ever been tried before. We’ve got no points of reference.” Instead of focusing on the climbing, Herzog want to know: “What goes on inside mountain climbers who undertake such extreme endeavours. What is the fascination that drives them up to the peaks like addicts? Aren’t these mountains and peaks like something deep down inside us all?”
Herzog follows the expedition to Skardu where Messner buys supplies and selects the porters. They drive to Dasso and then trek along the Braldu river and up the Baltoro Glacier to Base Camp. Messner is interviewed in a hot spring near Askole, and several times at Base Camp, including a very humourous one with a porter giving him a vigorous massage. Messner mentions that they "climb freestyle. Each of us is responsible for himself." He talks about descending Nanga Parbat in 1970 with his brother Gunther dying and how it changed his life. "I didn’t care if I died or not … when I got home I had this feeling that my life began anew with that tragedy." When Herzog asks him how he broke the news of Gunther's death to their mother, Messner breaks down and sobs.
Messner and Kammerlander than leave for their climb, with Herzog following them with long telephoto scenes of them on the glacier and a slow telephoto pan from the two climbers low on the route, up, up along the route to the summit, clearly showing the length and scale of their climb. Messner uses a small movie camera to film Hans Kammerlander arriving on the summit of Gasherbrum II on June 25, 1984, the view from Gasherbrum II, and their climb in bad weather to the summit of Gasherbrum I on June 28, 1984. They finally cross the glacier and arrive back in Base Camp. Messner is interviewed again as he bathes naked in a glacial pool.
DVD5 of Werner Herzog's Documentaries and Shorts DVD colection also has The great ectasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1973, 44 minutes), No one will play with me (1976, 14 minutes). and Ballad of the Little Soldier (1984, 44 minutes). Werner Herzog eats his shoe (1980, 21 minutes),and
This is an excellent intimate portrait of Reinhold Messner and views on mountain climbing. The mountain scenes are excellent with Messner himself adding the summit views. The video quality is excellent.
by Sebastian Alvaro. Al Filo De Lo Imposible, Spanish TV. 57 minutes. Karakorum contains three films: a 1997 attempt on the west face of Amin Brakk (5850m) (15 minutes), a 1996 kayak trip down the rapids of the Indus River (15 minutes), and 1996 expeditions to Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II (25 minutes). This DVD has one other film, El Territorio del Leopardo (72 minutes) that shows an attempt to climb Broad Peak in the Winter of 2003.
The film starts with the trek to base camp, showing somewhat frightening scenes of crossing a river in basket, doctor Jose Gazo treats porters, they arrive at base camp, and cross glaciers.
While Al Filo was following Spanish climbers attempting Gasherbrum II, they were interupted to try and help Manuel Alvarez who fell while descending from the summit of Gasherbrum I on July 12, injuring his back, neck, and one eye. Earlier Juan Tomas and Iñaki Ochoa de Olza had reached the summit of Gasherbrum I on July 10 and safely returned to Base Camp. Diaz was brought down to Camp 3, but avalanches prevented a complete evacuation. He died on July 17. There is radio communication with Camp 3 and interviews with climbers and the doctor.
Back on Gasherbrum II, Jose Carlos Tamayo, Ramon Portilla, and Iñaki Ochoa de Olza reached the summit of Gasherbrum II on July 29, 1996.
The filming is very good, although some of it looks a bit old. I wish I could understand the Spanish narration.
by Fosco Maraini. First published in Italian in 1959 and English in 1961. One of Michael Chessler's Top 100 Mountaineering Books. This book tells the story of the first ascent of Gasherbrum IV on an Italian expedition led by Riccardo Cassin, with Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri reaching the summit on August 6, 1958 via the very difficult and dangerous northeast ridge. There are 40 pages of colour photos, 40 pages of b/w photos, 5 maps, 12 routes, and 9 sketches. The cover is a porter train between Skardu and Shigar on the way to Gasherbrum IV base camp.
In addition to following the team's travel to Skardu and on to base camp suffering the usual porter problems, Maraini writes a detailed overview of the history of the Indus River, the Balti people, K2 exploration, and Gasherbrum 1-6 history. They climbed the steep icefall, gaining the col between Gasherbrum III and IV and stared at the northeast ridge. "The North-East Ridge, on closer acquaintance, proved to be jagged with rocks, rose-red in the light of a setting sun, with fantastic cornices of snow and blue ice-cliffs."
Walter Bonatti and Carlo Mauri pushed out the route and tried to conquer the northeast ridge. "One highly difficult and dangerous pitch followed another, exhausting both the physical and nervous energies of the two leading men. ... endless series of knife-edge and rock-face, cliff and overhang" They realized they needed another camp on the ridge, but the rest of the team couldn’t keep the camps stocked quickly enough so they abandoned their summit bid and descended until the supply issues could be solved.
The team set up Camp 6, and Bonatti and Mauri retraced their steps and continued to tackle the northeast ridge. The summit day commentary is mainly by Walter Bonatti. "We were on the fore-summit at ten-thirty ... Nearer and nearer came the Summit, which outlines itself in the form of a wall rising steeply to five distinct points. ... A desperate struggle between the mountain and ourselves, but we were all winners, and at 12.30 exactly the little pennants of Italy, Pakistan and the C.A.I. fluttered on the Summit itself. Fluttered – no, blew out in the howling gale. 'In spirit, the whole Expedition was with us at that solemn moment of fulfillment. We embraced each other, deeply moved.'" They descended in a blizzard, with Giuseppi de Francesch almost falling to his death at 7200m.
Although Maraini's writing is very good, almost poetic at times, this book could a lot tighter as he rambles on way too long on other topics like the the Indus River and the Balti people - the team doen't actually reach base camp until page 177. The photos are excellent.
by Walter Bonatti, translated by Robert Marshall. This book collects the classic writings of world-famous mountaineer Walter Bonatti (many from On The Heights and The Great Days). The cover is Bonatti's route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru. The book has 26 pages of b/w photos, 3 b/w photos in-line with text, and 8 route maps.
The book starts with his climbs on Grande Jorasses, Grand Capucin and Lavaredo in winter. He was then invited on the 1954 Italian K2 expedition, where Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni became the first to summit K2. Controversy struck when the expedition leaders accused him of turning back before delivering needed oxygen to them below the summit. After staying quiet for 50 years, Lacadelli finally published his view of what happened, collaborating Bonatti's story.
Bonatti continued on to execute many great climbs, including a solo climb of a new route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru, Cerro Torre, the first ascent of Gasherbrum IV on August 6, 1958, the North Face of the Grande Jorasses in winter, an unprecedented solo ascent of the north face of the Matterhorn in winter, and the tragic story of the death of four mountaineers from exhaustion attempting to be the first to climb the Central Pillar of Freney in June 1961.
The chapter on Gasherbrum IV is 13 pages and has 2 pages of b/w photos. Bonatti and Carlo Mauri led the climb, but had to abandon their first summit attempt because there weren't enough provisions carried up to their camps. They descended to Base Camp and ensured that "the work of resupply was coordinated, and one by one we occupied the higher camps."
"Foot by foot we neared the summit, and as the perspective changed it showed the profile of five steep rocky points, smooth and vertical, at least 160 feet high, which followed one another onto form the summit ridge. ... Under my feet was the whole glittering west face, an abyss of more than 8,000 feet. Above us was still this last unknown 160 feet. ... At exactly 12:30 P.M., we emerged on the highest peak of Gasherbrum IV, at 26,180 feet. We could scarcely stand erect on the narrow crest in the savage gusts of a gale that wanted to tear the clothing off our backs. We embraced each other and then, with a gesture that was not at all mere rhetoric we lifted the flags of Pakistan and Italy to flutter in the wind."
This is one of my top 10 favourite mountaineering books of all time. The photos are good. Bonatti packs his pages with a total punch, introspective, exciting, and dangerous. You can just about feel the bitter cold.
by Greg Child. First published 1988. Child writes about his expeditions to Shivling (1981), Lobsang Spire and Broad Peak (1983), and Gasherbrum IV (1986). Greg Child, Doug Scott, Georges Bettembourg, and Rick White made the first ascent of Shivling (6543m) East Pillar on June 15, 1981. Greg Child, Doug Scott, and Pete Thexton completed the first ascent of Lobsang Spire (5707m) via the South Pillar on June 13, 1983, with Child using a drill for the last 30m. Greg Child and Pete Thexton were climbing near the summit of Broad Peak when Greg developed symptoms of acute mountain sickness, so they turned back. On the way down Greg got better and Pete got worse, dying of pulmonary oedema in his sleep. Greg Child, Tim Macartney-Snape, and Tom Hargis made the first ascent of the spectacular Northwest Ridge of Gasherbrum IV on June 22, 1986.
There are 21 pages of colour photos: 7 of Shivling, 4 Lobsang, 4 Broad Peak, and 6 of Gasherbrum IV. There are 11 pages of b/w photos showing the climbing routes on Shivling, K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and IV, Chogolisa, Mustagh Tower, Masherbrum, Lobsang Spire, Trango and Nameless Towers, and Paiju Peak. The cover is Pete Thexton on Broad Peak with K2 beyond.
The story of Gasherbrum IV starts with getting permission from Pakistan and trekking to Base Camp with the usual porter problems. Child provides a good description of the Pakistan India conflict high in the mountains. The Gasherbrum IV Northwest ridge is "A 1,000 ft icefield capped by a steep 1,000 ft marble and limestone headwall. ... It would be a technical and serious climb right to the top." ... Yes, we all wanted the summit, but the physical and mental pain we had endured and would yet endure was so great that we had to force ourselves onto the mountain." After bivouacing in a snow cave at 7000m, they alternated leading pitches over difficult rock and bivouaced at 7350m.
They couldn't make it the summit the next day, so they dug another ice cave just below the North Summit at 7880m. "As we settle into the cave I feel like a stranded astronaut bedding down for the night on a hostile planet. But no, it’s our own wild and beautiful earth." On June 22, 1986 Greg Child, Tim Mcartney-Snape, and Tom Hargis climbed to the North Summit and traversed 450m horizontally to the true Gasherbrum IV Summit, completing the first ascent of the Gasherbrum IV Northwest Ridge. "We functioned as a single being. Now on the summit, that being, drunk with euphoria, felt suddenly as if it had been merged with sky and mountain as well to become a single, elemental entity."
I really like Greg Child's writing style - interesting and witty. He is a keen observer and uses conversation effectively to bring immediacy to the stories. The photos are excellent. The b/w photos of the climbing routes are a very good reference.
by Andy Fanshawe, Stephen Venables. Published 1996. This book briefly details 40 of the world's finest climbs on mountains in Pakistan (including Broad Peak, K2 and Nanga Parbat), India, Nepal and Tibet (including Annapurna, Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga). Each climb is illustrated with many excellent photos, climbing routes, and summary statistics and information. Each area has an excellent overview map. The front cover is Kangchenjunga.
There are 5 pages on Gasherbrum IV Northwest Ridge.
by Reinhold Messner. Revised in 2001. Messner briefly details the big mountain walls in the world in the Himalayas, the Karakorum, the Alps, South America, Alaska and the Caucasus.
It includes two pages on climbing Gasherbrum IV West Face.
I like this as a reference book. The photos are very good.
by Jill Neate. Documents the climbing history, including first ascents, of all the 7000m peaks in the world, their various faces and subsidiary peaks, including good photos and maps.
There are two pages to Gasherbrum IV.
by Audrey Salkeld - briefly details 52 of the world's finest climbs.
The cover photo is the summit of the Matterhorn. The inside title page is a spectacular 2-page photo spread of the Hillary Step with the summit beyond, taken by Kurt Diemberger during his ascent as a member of the 1978 French Everest Expedition.
This book has chapters on Europe (including Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and the Eiger), Arctic and North America, South America, Antarctica, Indonesia and Oceania, High Asia and Korea and Japan (including K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum IV, Kangchenjunga, Mount Everest), and Africa.
by Sebastian Alvaro. Al Filo De Lo Imposible, Spanish TV. 56 minutes. Filmed in 1997. Released in 2001. This film follows Spanish mountaineers Jose Carlos Tamayo, Paco Chavarri, Jon Lazcano, and Kike de Pablo as they attempt Gasherbrum IV in June 1997.
The film opens with scenes of K2, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum IV. Walter Bonatti talks about his first ascent of Gasherbrum IV in 1958 with Carlo Mauri, with some of the film footage from that climb. We follow the climbers are their bus passes the barren countryside and villages of Pakistan, and then follow the porters and climbers as they trek past the Trango Tower to Concordia, with its sparkling views. The climbers climb the enormous icefall to Camp I and then to the beginning of the North East Ridge, and then return to Base Camp. They climb back to Camp 1, and then up the ridge to set up Camps 2 and 3, with broad beautiful views. They reached 7300m before retreating.
This DVD has one other film, La Arista De Peuterey (51 minutes), that follows Spanish climbers Esther Sabadell and Elena Castro as they climb the entire 8km Peuterey Ridge from Courmayeur to the summit of Mont Blanc, the longest ridge in Europe, in 2002.
The filming is excellent showing that Gasherbrum IV is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. The close up, broad view, and extreme telephoto gives the depth and scale and steepness of the climb. I enjoyed seeing the old film footage and Walter Bonatti's interview. I wish I could understand the Spanish narration.
