Chogolisa

Chogolisa (چوگولیزا‎) | Bride Peak

Gasherbrum II above Camp IV. Chogolisa peak visible in the background.

Chogolisa is one of the most beautiful and historically significant mountains of Pakistan’s Karakoram. Rising to 7,665 meters (25,148 feet) near the head of the Baltoro Glacier, the mountain forms an enormous trapezoid of snow and ice crowned by two almost equally high summits.

The highest point is the 7,665-meter southwest summit, while the northeast summit reaches approximately 7,654 meters (25,112 feet). The latter is widely known as Bride Peak, a name associated with British explorer William Martin Conway’s 1892 journey through the Karakoram.

Chogolisa’s elegant appearance contrasts sharply with its dangerous climbing terrain. Its ridges are heavily corniced, enormous ice slopes rise above surrounding glaciers, and storms can envelop the summit ridge with astonishing speed.

Those hazards shaped the mountain’s history. The Duke of the Abruzzi made a pioneering attempt in 1909 and reached roughly 7,500 meters. In 1957, legendary Austrian mountaineers Hermann Buhl and Kurt Diemberger attempted Bride Peak shortly after making the first ascent of Broad Peak. Buhl disappeared when a cornice collapsed beneath him during their retreat.

A Japanese expedition finally climbed Bride Peak in 1958. The slightly higher southwest summit remained unclimbed until an Austrian expedition reached it in 1975. In 1986, a British team completed the first traverse connecting both summits.

Today Chogolisa remains one of the great high mountains surrounding the Baltoro Glacier—and one whose spectacular snow-covered ridges demand exceptional respect.

⚡ Fast Facts

Fact	Details
Continent	Asia
Country	Pakistan
Region	Gilgit-Baltistan
Mountain Range	Karakoram
Subrange	Masherbrum Mountains / Chogolisa Group
Elevation	7,665 m / 25,148 ft
Prominence	Approximately 1,621 m / 5,318 ft
Isolation	Approximately 16.16 km / 10.04 mi
Nearest Higher Neighbor	Gasherbrum I
Coordinates	Approximately 35.6133° N, 76.5745° E
World Elevation Rank	Approximately 36th
Ultra-Prominent Peak?	Yes
Main Summit	Southwest Summit — 7,665 m
Northeast Summit	7,654 m / 25,112 ft
Alternate Name of NE Summit	Bride Peak
First Ascent of NE Summit	August 4, 1958
First Ascensionists of NE Summit	Masao Fujihira and Kazumasa Hirai
First Ascent of Main Summit	August 2, 1975
First Ascensionists of Main Summit	Gustav Ammerer and Fred Pressl
First Complete Traverse	1986 British expedition
Nearby Mountains	Masherbrum, Baltoro Kangri, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum IV, K2

Chogolisa’s approximately 1,621 meters of prominence places it above the 1,500-meter threshold required for classification as an ultra-prominent mountain. Despite standing amid an extraordinary concentration of higher peaks, it is therefore a strongly independent mountain in its own right.

📍 Location

Chogolisa lies in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, near the eastern end of the Masherbrum Mountains and immediately south of the upper Baltoro Glacier system.

The mountain stands southeast of Masherbrum and west of Baltoro Kangri. Across the upper glacier systems to the northeast rise Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, and Gasherbrum IV.

Farther northwest are Broad Peak and K2.

Chogolisa occupies an especially prominent position near the Vigne Glacier, a tributary of the Baltoro. Trekkers crossing the upper Baltoro region toward Gondogoro La can obtain particularly striking views of the mountain.

On its southern side, the massif drains toward the Kaberi Glacier and ultimately the Kondus and Hushe valley systems.

These northern and southern glacier systems have provided very different approaches for climbing expeditions.

🏔️ The Masherbrum Mountains

Chogolisa lies near the eastern end of the Masherbrum Mountains, a major subrange of the Karakoram extending along the southern side of the Baltoro Glacier.

The range includes some of Pakistan’s most dramatic mountains.

Its highest summit is Masherbrum at approximately 7,821 meters. Other major mountains include Chogolisa, Baltistan Peak / K6, Baltoro Kangri, and numerous lower but exceptionally technical granite peaks.

Historical geographic literature sometimes refers specifically to a Chogolisa Group at the eastern end of the Masherbrum range.

This reflects Chogolisa’s distinctive position near the divide between glacier systems draining toward the Baltoro on one side and the Kondus and Hushe valleys on the other.

🏔️ Two Summits

Chogolisa’s most distinctive geographic characteristic is its pair of nearly equal summits.

The southwest summit reaches approximately:

7,665 meters / 25,148 feet

The northeast summit reaches approximately:

7,654 meters / 25,112 feet

Only about 11 meters separate them in elevation.

The two high points are connected by a long, narrow summit ridge extending for roughly a kilometer. From a distance, this arrangement produces Chogolisa’s characteristic broad, roof-like or trapezoidal appearance.

For many years there was uncertainty over which summit was actually higher.

This complicated early climbing records. The northeast summit was climbed in 1958 and was sometimes simply described as the first ascent of Chogolisa.

Later mapping established that the southwest summit is slightly higher.

For that reason, the modern climbing history normally distinguishes between the 1958 first ascent of Chogolisa Northeast/Bride Peak and the 1975 first ascent of Chogolisa’s main southwest summit.

👰 Bride Peak

The northeast summit is widely known as Bride Peak.

The name is associated with British explorer William Martin Conway, who traveled through the Karakoram in 1892.

Seen beneath its sweeping mantle of permanent snow, the mountain suggested the form of a bride or bridal veil, and the romantic name became firmly established in English-language mountaineering literature.

Early writers sometimes applied Bride Peak to the mountain as a whole.

Modern usage generally reserves it for the 7,654-meter northeast summit.

Chogolisa itself is commonly said to derive from the Balti phrase Chogo Ling Sa, often translated as “Great Hunt.”

📏 Elevation, Prominence & Isolation

Chogolisa reaches approximately 7,665 meters (25,148 feet) above sea level.

That makes it approximately the 36th-highest independent mountain in the world, depending on the particular elevation and prominence criteria used.

Its topographic prominence is approximately 1,621 meters (5,318 feet).

Because a prominence of at least 1,500 meters is required to qualify as an ultra-prominent mountain, Chogolisa belongs to the comparatively select group of Ultra peaks.

Its topographic isolation is approximately 16.16 kilometers (10.04 miles).

The nearest higher terrain occurs toward the enormous Gasherbrum I massif northeast of Chogolisa.

This combination of extreme elevation and substantial prominence makes Chogolisa one of the most topographically important mountains of the Karakoram.

🧭 Early Exploration

Western exploration of the upper Baltoro expanded dramatically during the late nineteenth century.

William Martin Conway’s 1892 Karakoram expedition was particularly important in establishing names and improving geographic knowledge of the area.

Expeditions entering the upper Baltoro could hardly overlook Chogolisa. Its broad snow-covered ridges stand prominently above the glaciers southeast of Concordia.

Unlike many sharper Karakoram mountains, Chogolisa appears at first glance almost gentle.

That appearance proved deceptive.

Its broad snow ridges are heavily corniced, and steep ice slopes surround much of the massif. The very snow that gives the mountain its graceful appearance creates some of its greatest hazards.

🇮🇹 The Duke of the Abruzzi in 1909

One of the first serious attempts on Chogolisa came during the great 1909 Karakoram expedition of Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi.

The expedition is best remembered for its pioneering reconnaissance of K2, where the team investigated the southeast ridge that would eventually become known as the Abruzzi Spur.

The Duke also turned his attention to Chogolisa.

His party established camps on the northern side of the mountain and climbed toward the high summit ridge.

They eventually reached approximately 7,498 meters (24,600 feet).

Storms, deep snow, poor visibility, and the enormous hazards of continuing along the upper ridge forced the climbers to retreat.

Although they did not reach either main summit, their altitude was extraordinary for the period and represented one of the highest elevations then reached by mountaineers.

The attempt also revealed the deceptive difficulty of Chogolisa’s snowy upper ridges.

Nearly half a century would pass before climbers came significantly closer to the summit.

🏔️ Hermann Buhl and Broad Peak

Chogolisa’s name became permanently linked with one of the greatest mountaineers of the twentieth century: Hermann Buhl.

Buhl was already legendary before arriving in the Karakoram in 1957.

Four years earlier, he had completed the first ascent of Nanga Parbat in one of the most extraordinary solo summit efforts in mountaineering history.

In 1957, Buhl joined Markus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller, and Kurt Diemberger on a small Austrian expedition to Broad Peak.

All four reached Broad Peak’s 8,051-meter main summit on June 9.

Their ascent was remarkable for its lightweight organization and lack of supplemental oxygen or high-altitude porters.

But the expedition was not finished.

Schmuck and Wintersteller climbed Skil Brum on June 19.

Meanwhile, Buhl and Diemberger turned their attention toward unclimbed Chogolisa.

🧗 The 1957 Chogolisa Attempt

Buhl and Diemberger approached Chogolisa as a two-person team.

On June 24 they climbed toward the Kaberi Saddle, carrying heavy packs through deep snow.

By the following day they had established a camp around 22,000 feet on the ridge.

A fierce storm kept them inside their tent on June 26.

Then the weather cleared.

On the morning of June 27, 1957, Buhl and Diemberger left for the summit.

They moved quickly across the ridge and descended to a col beyond an intermediate high point.

For a time, conditions appeared excellent.

Only around 2,000 vertical feet remained between them and the summit.

Then clouds began moving across the mountain.

⚠️ The Death of Hermann Buhl

Visibility deteriorated rapidly.

Buhl and Diemberger continued upward for some time before recognizing that the worsening weather made the heavily corniced ridge too dangerous.

They turned around.

During the descent, the two climbers were moving unroped along the ridge.

Diemberger went ahead.

At one point he felt the surface snow move beneath him and quickly shifted toward the safer side of the ridge.

When he looked back shortly afterward, Buhl had disappeared.

Diemberger retraced their tracks and discovered that they ended at a break in a cornice.

Buhl had apparently stepped onto an overhanging mass of snow that collapsed beneath him, carrying him down the enormous face below.

Diemberger could do nothing.

He descended alone through the storm and eventually returned to Broad Peak Base Camp to raise the alarm.

A search was organized, but avalanche danger prevented the climbers from reaching the area beneath the face.

Hermann Buhl’s body was never recovered.

He was 32 years old.

🕯️ Hermann Buhl’s Legacy

Buhl’s death transformed Chogolisa into one of the most emotionally significant mountains in Karakoram history.

Only 18 days earlier, he had stood on Broad Peak’s summit.

He remains one of the most influential figures in high-altitude mountaineering, celebrated for his independence, endurance, and commitment to lightweight climbing.

His first ascent of Nanga Parbat included a legendary solo summit push and an exposed standing bivouac during the descent.

His ascent of Broad Peak showed that an 8,000-meter mountain could be climbed without the enormous logistical structures previously considered necessary.

Chogolisa became his final mountain.

The corniced ridges that caused his death would continue to define the dangers encountered by nearly every later expedition.

🇯🇵 The 1958 Japanese Expedition

Only one year after Buhl’s death, an expedition from the Academic Alpine Club of Kyoto returned to Chogolisa.

The expedition was led by Professor Takeo Kuwabara.

The team consisted of experienced Japanese climbers and researchers and approached the mountain through the Baltoro.

Base Camp was established on July 8 at approximately 16,075 feet.

The Japanese followed essentially the same northern approach explored by earlier expeditions.

As they moved higher, they found physical traces of Buhl and Diemberger’s attempt, including a tent and equipment that had been abandoned after the tragedy.

Some of these items were eventually returned to Buhl’s family.

🥾 First Ascent of Bride Peak

The expedition established a series of camps progressively higher on the mountain.

Deep snow created serious difficulties, and the high-altitude porters struggled with the elevation.

Eventually, Masao Fujihira and Kazumasa Hirai were positioned for a summit attempt.

On August 4, 1958, they climbed the final ridge and reached the 7,654-meter northeast summit.

The summit itself was exceptionally small and exposed.

Fujihira and Hirai had completed the first ascent of Bride Peak, the same summit Buhl and Diemberger had attempted the previous year.

The climb was an important achievement for Japanese Himalayan mountaineering and one of the country’s early successful expeditions to a major Karakoram peak.

But Chogolisa’s slightly higher southwest summit remained unclimbed.

❓ Which Summit Was Higher?

For years, maps and expedition reports disagreed over the relative heights of Chogolisa’s two summits.

The difference is extremely small on the scale of the mountain—only around 11 meters according to modern measurements.

Early surveying equipment could not easily determine such a narrow difference at these elevations and distances.

Some references therefore treated Bride Peak as the principal summit.

Later topographic work established the southwest summit at approximately 7,665 meters and the northeast summit at approximately 7,654 meters.

The highest point of Chogolisa had therefore not been reached in 1958.

It remained unclimbed for another 17 years.

🇦🇹 The 1975 Austrian Expedition

In 1975, an Austrian expedition led by Eduard Koblmüller approached Chogolisa from an entirely different direction.

Instead of entering from the Baltoro side, the climbers approached through the Hushe, Saltoro, Kondus, and Kaberi glacier systems south of the mountain.

The route was long and logistically difficult.

Base Camp had to be established well below the mountain because porters were unwilling or unable to continue through deep snow.

The climbers then had to transport their own equipment roughly 12 miles toward the south face.

A giant icefall and a steep ice slope blocked access to the west ridge.

The expedition gradually established camps and fixed extensive lengths of rope through the dangerous terrain.

⚠️ Another Cornice Accident

Chogolisa’s cornices nearly claimed another major mountaineer during the 1975 ascent.

While attempting to bypass an icefall on July 7, expedition leader Eduard Koblmüller broke through a cornice.

He fell approximately 100 feet.

Unlike Hermann Buhl, however, Koblmüller was roped.

Fred Pressl held the fall, and Koblmüller escaped without serious injury.

The incident provided a striking reminder of the hazard that had killed Buhl 18 years earlier.

The expedition continued.

By late July, the team had reached the high col beneath the west ridge.

🥾 First Ascent of Chogolisa Main

Fred Pressl and Gustav Ammerer left the high camp on August 1.

They spent much of the day breaking trail through deep snow along the long west ridge before establishing a bivouac at approximately 23,000 feet.

The following morning they continued toward the summit.

Progress remained exhausting as the climbers struggled through deep snow at extreme altitude.

After approximately 12 hours of climbing, Pressl and Ammerer reached the 7,665-meter southwest summit at around 3 p.m. on August 2, 1975.

They had completed the first ascent of Chogolisa’s true highest point.

Two days later, Alois Furtner and Hilmar Sturm also reached the summit.

The mountain’s two principal summits had now both been climbed—but by completely different routes from opposite sides of the massif.

🧗 The 1986 First Traverse

The next major milestone was connecting those two summits.

A British expedition consisting of Andy Fanshawe, Liam Elliot, Hamish Irvine, Ulric Jessop, and Simon Lamb arrived in 1986.

Rather than simply repeating one of the existing routes, the team planned to cross the complete summit ridge.

They approached from the Vigne Glacier on the northwestern side.

The climbers ascended the approximately 1,500-meter northwest face leading toward the southwest ridge.

After negotiating the face and spending another day climbing in high winds, all five reached Chogolisa’s 7,665-meter southwest summit.

They then continued across the long connecting arête toward Bride Peak.

🏔️ Crossing the Summit Ridge

The traverse between Chogolisa’s two summits presented one of the mountain’s most characteristic hazards: enormous cornices.

Although the technical climbing was not exceptionally difficult by Karakoram standards, determining exactly where solid ground ended and unsupported snow began demanded constant judgment.

The southwest summit itself formed a razor-like snow ridge.

The northeast summit was different, consisting of a small exposed rocky top rising above the snow.

The five British climbers successfully crossed the connecting ridge and reached Bride Peak, completing the first full traverse of Chogolisa’s twin summits.

They then descended toward the northern side.

The traverse was an elegant solution to the geography of a mountain defined by its two nearly equal high points.

⚠️ The Continuing Danger of Cornices

Few mountains demonstrate the danger of snow cornices as clearly as Chogolisa.

A cornice forms when wind deposits snow beyond the actual edge of a mountain ridge.

From above, the overhanging section can appear almost indistinguishable from snow resting on solid ground.

A climber may therefore believe they are walking safely along a ridge while actually standing several meters beyond the supporting rock or ice.

The danger increases dramatically in poor visibility.

Chogolisa’s broad snow ridges experience strong winds capable of producing enormous cornices.

Hermann Buhl’s fatal accident in 1957 is the most famous example, but Eduard Koblmüller’s 1975 fall and the delicate conditions encountered during later expeditions show that the hazard is fundamental to the mountain rather than an isolated event.

🧗 Climbing Chogolisa

Chogolisa is a major expedition mountain requiring extensive high-altitude and snow-and-ice climbing experience.

Its historical routes have approached from both the Baltoro/Vigne side in the north and the Kaberi Glacier in the south.

The established routes include long sections of glacier travel followed by steep snow and ice slopes and highly exposed summit ridges.

Major hazards include:

Giant snow cornices
Avalanches
Deep unconsolidated snow
Crevasses
Sérac collapse
Steep ice
High winds
Rapidly developing storms
Whiteout conditions
Extreme cold
High-altitude illness
Difficult retreat

The greatest technical challenge is not necessarily a single steep pitch.

Instead, Chogolisa demands prolonged judgment in an environment where snow conditions, weather, and cornices can turn apparently moderate terrain into an exceptionally dangerous landscape.

Pakistan, Gasherbrum I and II Base Camp, July 2015 – View of glacier moraine on which Base Camp is located with Chogolisa in the background.

🧊 Vigne Glacier

The Vigne Glacier lies northwest of Chogolisa and flows toward the upper Baltoro Glacier.

It provides one of the principal northern approaches to the mountain.

The glacier is familiar to trekkers traveling between Concordia and Gondogoro La, although climbing routes on Chogolisa leave the normal trekking corridor and enter much more serious terrain.

The Vigne Glacier also separates Chogolisa from some of the famous mountains northeast of the upper Baltoro.

From this region, climbers and trekkers can see an extraordinary skyline containing the Gasherbrums, Broad Peak, K2, and numerous 7,000-meter summits.

Chogolisa’s sweeping white mass forms a particularly striking contrast with the darker rock faces of some of its neighbors.

🧊 Kaberi Glacier

The Kaberi Glacier drains the southern side of Chogolisa.

It was central to the successful 1975 Austrian expedition.

Approaching the Kaberi side historically required traveling through the Hushe, Saltoro, and Kondus valley systems before entering the glacier itself.

The 1975 climbers found the approach exceptionally demanding because their base camp had to be established far below the mountain.

They then faced a major icefall and a 3,300-foot ice slope before reaching the col beneath the west ridge.

The route demonstrated that Chogolisa’s southern side, although less familiar than the Baltoro approach, provides access to its main southwest summit.

🧊 Baltoro Glacier

Chogolisa is closely connected with the Baltoro Glacier, one of the great glaciers of High Asia.

The Baltoro flows for tens of kilometers through the central Karakoram and receives numerous tributary glaciers from some of Earth’s highest mountains.

Near Concordia, the Baltoro meets the Godwin-Austen Glacier descending from K2.

The upper glacier region provides access to Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum IV, and numerous other major peaks.

The Vigne Glacier descending from the Chogolisa region joins this enormous system.

For mountaineering history, few glaciers have been more important than the Baltoro. Expeditions traveling toward K2 and the Gasherbrums have passed beneath or within sight of Chogolisa for more than a century.

🪨 Geology

Chogolisa belongs to the geologically complex central Karakoram, where some of the world’s most dramatic topography has developed through the continuing collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

The broader region contains granitic intrusions, metamorphic rocks, sedimentary formations, and major fault systems created or modified during successive episodes of continental collision and crustal deformation.

Tectonic uplift alone does not explain Chogolisa’s modern appearance.

Glaciers have played an equally important role in sculpting the mountain.

Moving ice continuously erodes the surrounding valleys and removes enormous quantities of rock, while freezing and thawing weaken exposed ridges and cliffs.

Chogolisa’s sweeping snow faces and sharp summit ridges therefore result from a combination of uplift, erosion, glaciation, and the accumulation of wind-driven snow at extreme altitude.

🌿 Flora and Fauna

There is essentially no conventional plant life on Chogolisa’s upper slopes.

At elevations above 6,000 and 7,000 meters, the environment consists almost entirely of rock, snow, and permanent glacial ice. Extreme cold, high winds, intense ultraviolet radiation, and the absence of developed soil prevent vascular plants from surviving.

Far below the summit, conditions become progressively more favorable.

The broader Central Karakoram region contains alpine meadows, dry steppe, alpine scrub, and scattered high-altitude woodland.

Plant species in suitable lower habitats include Pashtun juniper, Himalayan white pine, West Himalayan spruce, sea wormwood, thyme, geraniums, clover, alpine grasses, and specialized flowering plants.

Wildlife within the broader Central Karakoram landscape includes snow leopards, Himalayan ibex, markhor, musk deer, urial, Himalayan lynx, wolves, red foxes, stone martens, alpine weasels, and marmots.

High-altitude birds include golden eagles, Himalayan griffons, bearded vultures, snowcocks, snow partridges, chukar, and kestrels.

Most of these species live thousands of meters below Chogolisa’s summit. The high glacier environment immediately surrounding the mountain is one of the most biologically austere landscapes on Earth.

🏔️ Central Karakoram National Park

Chogolisa lies within the broader landscape protected by Central Karakoram National Park, Pakistan’s largest national park.

The protected region covers more than 10,000 square kilometers and encompasses an extraordinary concentration of mountains and glaciers.

K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, and numerous 7,000-meter mountains lie within this wider high-altitude environment.

Glaciers cover a substantial proportion of the park.

The protected area’s tremendous elevation range—from inhabited valleys to summits above 8,000 meters—allows it to encompass ecosystems ranging from dry mountain vegetation to some of the most extreme permanent ice environments on Earth.

🏔️ Nearby Mountains

Chogolisa occupies an extraordinary position among some of the world’s highest mountains.

Masherbrum

Masherbrum rises west of Chogolisa to approximately 7,821 meters.

Historically surveyed as K1, it is the highest summit of the Masherbrum Mountains and one of the most prominent mountains overlooking the Baltoro Glacier.

Baltoro Kangri

Baltoro Kangri rises east of Chogolisa to approximately 7,312 meters.

Known historically as the Golden Throne, it forms another broad glaciated massif near the headwaters of the Baltoro.

Gasherbrum I

Gasherbrum I rises northeast of Chogolisa to 8,080 meters.

It is Chogolisa’s nearest higher neighbor and the world’s 11th-highest mountain.

Gasherbrum IV

Gasherbrum IV reaches approximately 7,925 meters north of the upper Baltoro.

Its enormous West Face is one of the most spectacular walls in the Karakoram.

Broad Peak

Broad Peak reaches 8,051 meters farther northwest.

Hermann Buhl and Kurt Diemberger climbed Broad Peak with Markus Schmuck and Fritz Wintersteller only weeks before their tragic 1957 attempt on Chogolisa.

K2

K2 rises to 8,611 meters northwest of Chogolisa.

It is the highest mountain in the Karakoram and the second-highest mountain on Earth.

Sia Kangri

Sia Kangri rises farther east to approximately 7,422 meters near the upper glacier systems around Conway Saddle.

Together these mountains form one of the greatest concentrations of extreme elevation anywhere on Earth.

💡 Interesting Facts About Chogolisa

Chogolisa has two major summits separated by only about 11 meters in elevation.

The 7,654-meter northeast summit is known as Bride Peak.

Its 7,665-meter southwest summit is the true highest point.

Chogolisa is approximately the 36th-highest independent mountain in the world.

Its roughly 1,621 meters of prominence makes it an ultra-prominent mountain.

The Duke of the Abruzzi reached approximately 7,498 meters during a pioneering attempt in 1909.

Hermann Buhl and Kurt Diemberger attempted Bride Peak in 1957 after completing the first ascent of Broad Peak.

Buhl died on June 27, 1957, when a snow cornice collapsed beneath him.

His body was never recovered.

Masao Fujihira and Kazumasa Hirai made the first ascent of Bride Peak on August 4, 1958.

Gustav Ammerer and Fred Pressl made the first ascent of the 7,665-meter main summit on August 2, 1975.

Expedition leader Eduard Koblmüller survived a cornice collapse during that climb because he was roped to Fred Pressl.

A five-member British team completed the first traverse of both principal summits in 1986.

The summit ridge continues to be famous for its enormous and potentially unstable cornices.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How high is Chogolisa?

Chogolisa reaches approximately 7,665 meters (25,148 feet) above sea level.

Where is Chogolisa?

Chogolisa lies in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, within the Karakoram near the upper Baltoro Glacier.

Is Chogolisa also called Bride Peak?

Bride Peak specifically refers to Chogolisa’s approximately 7,654-meter northeast summit, although older literature sometimes applied the name more broadly to the mountain.

Why is Chogolisa called Bride Peak?

William Martin Conway is associated with giving the northeast summit the name Bride Peak during his 1892 exploration of the Karakoram, inspired by the mountain’s graceful, snow-covered appearance.

How many summits does Chogolisa have?

The mountain has two principal high summits: the 7,665-meter southwest summit and the 7,654-meter northeast summit, or Bride Peak.

Which Chogolisa summit is highest?

The southwest summit is the highest point, although it is only about 11 meters higher than Bride Peak.

Who first climbed Chogolisa?

The answer depends on which summit is meant. Masao Fujihira and Kazumasa Hirai first climbed the 7,654-meter northeast summit on August 4, 1958.

Gustav Ammerer and Fred Pressl completed the first ascent of Chogolisa’s higher 7,665-meter southwest summit on August 2, 1975.

What happened to Hermann Buhl on Chogolisa?

Buhl was attempting the northeast summit with Kurt Diemberger in 1957. Deteriorating weather forced them to retreat. During the descent on June 27, Buhl stepped onto an overhanging snow cornice that collapsed, causing him to fall down the face. His body was never recovered.

Had Hermann Buhl climbed Broad Peak before his death?

Yes. Buhl, Kurt Diemberger, Markus Schmuck, and Fritz Wintersteller completed the first ascent of Broad Peak on June 9, 1957, only 18 days before Buhl’s fatal accident.

When were both Chogolisa summits first traversed?

A five-member British expedition completed the first traverse of the southwest and northeast summits in 1986.

Is Chogolisa an ultra-prominent peak?

Yes. Its approximately 1,621 meters of topographic prominence exceeds the 1,500-meter requirement for an ultra.

What is Chogolisa’s nearest higher neighbor?

Gasherbrum I is the nearest higher mountain.

Is Chogolisa difficult to climb?

Yes. Although some of its ridges may not involve exceptionally difficult technical moves by modern standards, Chogolisa is an extremely serious high-altitude expedition mountain. Large cornices, avalanches, deep snow, glacier hazards, rapidly changing weather, and elevations above 7,600 meters make any ascent exceptionally dangerous.

Is Chogolisa part of the Himalayas?

No. Chogolisa belongs to the Karakoram, specifically the Masherbrum Mountains near the Baltoro Glacier.

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