Gasherbrum II Expedition

Day 3: fly Islamabad to Skardu on the early morning Pakistan International Airlines ATR-72 flight. 4 AM hotel departure. The one-hour flight provides an extraordinary aerial view of the western Karakoram in clear conditions. Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres appears on the left side of the aircraft approximately 40 minutes into the flight. Skardu airport at 2,228 metres. Transfer to hotel. Begin two days of acclimatization and logistics at Skardu before the Askole drive.

Day 4: full rest day in Skardu at 2,228 metres. Permit finalisation at the Pakistan Alpine Club liaison office. Porter team briefing and load distribution. Personal technical gear verification: crampon fit, ice axe, harness, jumar. Skardu market shopping for personal food supplements and any missing equipment items. Short acclimatization walk to Kharpocho Fort (150 metre gain, 30 minutes one way). Two nights at Skardu contribute meaningful acclimatization before the Askole drive to 3,050 metres.

Day 5: drive Skardu to Askole, 4 to 5 hours by jeep convoy through the Braldu Valley gorge road. Departure at 7 AM. The dramatic road carved into cliff faces above the Braldu River is an introduction to the scale of the Karakoram landscape. Tea stop at Dassu village. Arrive Askole at 3,050 metres in early afternoon. Full porter team assembles and receives load assignments. Cook team sets up kitchen. Tonight the expedition sleeps under Askole's dark sky before the trek into the glacier begins tomorrow morning.

Day 6 to Jhola (3,170 m), Day 7 to Paiju (3,400 m), rest day at Paiju, Day 9 to Khoburtse (3,850 m via Trango Towers), Day 10 to Urdukas (4,050 m), Day 11 to Goro II (4,270 m): this 6-day Baltoro approach follows the same route as the K2 and Broad Peak expeditions. Daily distances range from 11 to 14 kilometres on moraine terrain with 5 to 7 hours of walking. The altitude progression from 3,050 metres at Askole to 4,270 metres at Goro II is the foundation of the expedition's acclimatization sequence. The Trango Towers section between Khoburtse and Urdukas is the visual highlight of the approach, with Nameless Tower's 1,200-metre east face directly beside the trail.

Walk at a steady pace throughout the approach. There is no benefit to arriving at Goro II a day early and significant benefit to arriving with good energy reserves. Drink 3 to 4 litres of water daily from Paiju onward. At Paiju rest day, your guide conducts the first altitude health assessment of the expedition. Report any persistent symptoms rather than managing them privately. The rest day at Paiju is the right time to adjust pace or address concerns, not at Goro II with the high camps ahead.

Day 12: Goro II at 4,270 metres to Concordia at 4,691 metres, 9 kilometres, 4 to 5 hours. The arrival at Concordia with K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II visible simultaneously is the visual peak of the approach. From Concordia the Gasherbrum expedition diverges from the K2 and Broad Peak route. Instead of heading north on the Godwin-Austen Glacier toward K2 Base Camp, the Gasherbrum route turns southeast up the Abruzzi Glacier and then the South Gasherbrum Glacier toward Gasherbrum Base Camp.

Day 13: Concordia to Gasherbrum Base Camp at 5,150 metres, approximately 12 to 15 kilometres, 5 to 6 hours southeast across the glacier system. The South Gasherbrum Glacier is narrower and less travelled than the Baltoro. The route requires glacier travel across the ice surface rather than simply walking the lateral moraine. Your guide leads the route on the glacier. The base camp area is a flat moraine site on the South Gasherbrum Glacier with both G1 at 8,080 metres and G2 at 8,035 metres visible above camp. The mountain directly above the northwest aspect of the camp is G2, your objective. The southwest face route begins directly above the camp.

Days 14 to 16: base camp acclimatization and expedition setup. Three days at base camp before the first rotation. The cook tent, mess tent, and sleeping tents are fully established. Medical assessments cover blood oxygen saturation, resting heart rate, and a structured neurological check for each climber. Days 14 and 15 are complete rest at 5,150 metres. Day 16 is the technical preparation day: jumar practice on fixed ropes in the camp area, crampon walking on the lower glacier, ice axe technique review, and a reconnaissance walk to the base of the southwest face to identify the route start and current snow conditions.

Days 17 to 20: first rotation to Camp I at 6,100 metres. Leave base camp at 5 AM and ascend the southwest face of G2. The lower southwest face is a broad snow slope at 30 to 40 degrees angled above the base camp area. Camp I at 6,100 metres sits on a snow platform approximately 4 to 6 hours above base camp. The ascent is technically moderate on the lower section with steeper snow on the approach to Camp I. Fixed ropes are in place on the steepest sections. Spend 1 to 2 nights at Camp I acclimatizing before descending to base camp for the first rest period. This rotation is primarily physiological: the exposure to 6,100 metres programmes your body for the next rotation higher.

Days 21 to 25: base camp rest period of 4 to 5 days after the first rotation. Return to 5,150 metres from 6,100 metres and allow the body to consolidate the acclimatization gains. Eat as much as possible. Caloric deficit builds quickly above 6,000 metres and rest days are when it is recovered. The guide reviews each climber's rotation performance. Any issues with technique, pace, or altitude response are addressed now before the second rotation. Weather monitoring begins systematically during this rest period with daily forecast reviews for the summit window planning.

Days 26 to 32: second rotation reaching Camp II and Camp III. Leave base camp, ascend through Camp I and continue to Camp II at approximately 7,000 metres. Camp II on G2's southeast ridge is a series of platforms carved into the ridge snow. The route between Camp I and Camp II crosses steeper terrain on the upper southwest face before the ridge begins. Camp II marks the entry into the Death Zone. Time at Camp II is physiologically expensive: deterioration begins even with rest. Spend 1 night at Camp II then push to Camp III if conditions allow. Camp III sits at approximately 7,400 metres on the upper southeast ridge below the final summit pyramid. 1 night at Camp III completes the second rotation. Descend directly to base camp in 2 days.

Days 33 to 38: base camp rest and weather monitoring. Six days of full rest between the second rotation return and the summit push window. This is the longest rest period of the expedition and the most physiologically important. Your body has been to Camp III at 7,400 metres and is now fully acclimatized for the summit attempt. Maximum rest, maximum caloric intake, and active weather monitoring define this phase. The summit push begins within 24 hours of a favourable weather window opening. All gear for the summit push was cached on the rotations and is in position at Camps I through III.

Days 39 to 44: summit push. Day 1: base camp to Camp I. Day 2: Camp I to Camp II at 7,000 metres. Day 3: Camp II to Camp III at 7,400 metres. Day 4 (summit day): Camp III to G2 summit at 8,035 metres and descent to Camp II or Camp III. The summit day from Camp III gains 635 metres on the final southeast ridge to the summit. Departure at midnight to 2 AM. The upper ridge is exposed and wind is the primary hazard on summit day rather than technical difficulty. The summit of Gasherbrum II is a narrow snow/rock top at 8,035 metres. From the summit K2 is visible to the northwest and Gasherbrum I to the northeast. Descent to Camp I and base camp completes the summit push over 2 days.

Days 45 to 48: reserve summit days for second attempt if first push is weather-limited. The reserve days provide a second opportunity if the first push is turned back above Camp II by weather. If physical condition, oxygen supply, and weather all support a second attempt within the reserve window, the team launches again from base camp. If any of these factors is inadequate, the expedition concludes with the high point achieved on the first push.

Days 49 to 52: trek out via the South Gasherbrum Glacier to Concordia, then Baltoro Glacier back to Askole. The Baltoro return follows the approach in reverse. Concordia to Goro II, Goro II to Urdukas, Urdukas to Paiju, Paiju to Askole. Four days of moraine walking at progressively lower altitudes. By Paiju the air is rich enough to feel like luxury. The porter team walks with the expedition on the exit and porter payments are made at Askole before the jeep departure.

Day 53: drive Askole to Skardu, 4 to 5 hours by jeep through the Braldu Valley. Hotel in Skardu, hot shower, restaurant dinner, phone calls home.

Day 54: rest day in Skardu before the Islamabad flight. Summit certificate application to Pakistan Alpine Club if applicable. Expedition debrief with the leader. Personal laundry and rest.

Day 55: fly Skardu to Islamabad and depart. Morning flight, afternoon in Islamabad, international departure in the evening or following morning depending on connection timing.

Reserve days. These days cover flight delays between Skardu and Islamabad, any last-minute permit issues, or expedition overrun. If all went smoothly these days serve as extra rest in Skardu or Islamabad before your international departure.

Reserve days continued. The Karakoram weather and the Skardu flight schedule both create potential delays. Having these buffer days built in means you never miss your international connection because of a mountain weather disruption.

Reserve summit days at base camp if needed. If the first weather window closed before the summit was reached, these days extend your stay at base camp for a second attempt. The guide coordinates with weather services daily during this period.

Reserve summit days continued. Patience at base camp is one of the hardest parts of any 8,000-metre expedition. The mountain dictates the schedule. Trust the guide's weather assessment and wait for a genuine window rather than rushing into unsafe conditions.

Final reserve days. By this point in the schedule either the summit has been reached and you are walking out, or the expedition time has run out and you begin descent regardless. The guide makes the final call on when to begin the walk out based on all factors including team condition and remaining time.

Trek out day. Whether summit was successful or not, today the walk back to Askole begins. The Baltoro Glacier looks familiar on the return. The walk out typically takes four days from base camp to Askole. The jeep wait at Askole is a welcome sight after everything that came before.