Gasherbrum I and II — double-header expedition
Overview
A sixty-day expedition to Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I from a shared base camp area on the South Gasherbrum glacier, on a combined permit. Of all the ways to climb two eight-thousanders in one Karakoram season, this is the one that most often works.
Why this is the achievable double
The two mountains share an approach, a base camp area and much of the lower route, so the second summit does not mean a second expedition. Gasherbrum II is widely regarded as the most straightforward eight-thousander in the Karakoram; Gasherbrum I is harder, higher on the technical scale and the one that decides the season. Climbed in that order, the first serves as acclimatisation for the second.
The icefall
The shared hazard is the icefall between base camp and Camp 1. It moves through the season, it has to be reassessed and re-fixed rather than assumed, and it is crossed many times on a double-header — more times than on a single-peak trip. We cross it early in the day, before the sun loosens it, and as few times as the rotation plan allows. The guides decide the timing and that is not negotiable on the day.
What we ask of you
A verified seven-thousander summit, or two solid six-thousanders with real altitude on them. We check it. Gasherbrum II being the most straightforward of the Karakoram eight-thousanders is not the same as it being straightforward.
What is inside the price
A climbing permit for each peak and the royalty that goes with it, the liaison officer, park fees, and insurance for every member of the crew. Guides on our own payroll, at the ratios we publish, with the medical kit and oxygen inventory listed before you pay. Base camp and high camps, cook and all meals, fixed rope and group hardware, supplementary oxygen to the published allocation, satellite comms and dedicated weather forecasting, and an evacuation plan that assumes the helicopter may not come. To walk to these base camps rather than climb from them, see the four base camps trek, the rest of the Baltoro and Concordia and our other Karakoram expeditions.
- Duration
- 50 – 60 days
- Trek days
- 14
- Maximum altitude
- 8,080 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Extreme
- Group size
- Max 8
- Guides
- 1:2 above base camp, 1 WFR
- Season
- June – August
- Starts / ends
- Islamabad / Islamabad
- Accommodation
- Hotels either side, base camp and high camps on the mountain
- Two eight-thousanders from one base camp area on a combined permit
- The most achievable double in the Karakoram, because the mountains share a route low down
- Gasherbrum II first as acclimatisation, Gasherbrum I as the objective that decides the season
- One royalty structure rather than two separate expeditions
- Guides on our own payroll, crossing the icefall early and as few times as the plan allows
Private departures and group pricing
Your party, your dates. The per-person figure falls as the party grows, because the guides, the vehicles and the camp cost the same split more ways. Everything in the inclusions list applies, and the safety standard is the one published above.
| Party size | Price per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | USD 55,700 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 46,600 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 38,850 | Second guide joins at six |
Deposit is 30% of the trip price. The payment schedule and the cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote, before you pay anything.
Day by day
Buffer days are built in, not padding. If the weather takes them, nothing downstream collapses and you are not charged twice.
01 Arrive Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
Met inside the terminal. Expedition briefing, permits confirmed, full kit inspection.
03 Islamabad to Skardu Hotel · 2,230 m
By air when the weather allows. Loads made up and weighed.
05 Skardu to Askole Camp · 3,000 m
Up the Braldu by jeep with the full expedition load.
06 Askole to Paiju Camp
Three days up the Braldu to the foot of the Baltoro.
09 Paiju to Urdukas Camp
Onto the glacier. The approach is the first acclimatisation.
12 Urdukas to Concordia Camp · 4,600 m
Into Concordia, then south-east toward the Gasherbrums.
14 Gasherbrum Base Camp Base camp
Camp established on the South Gasherbrum glacier. Puja and load sorting.
16 Icefall assessed and fixed Base camp
The route to Camp 1 read and re-fixed. It is not inherited from whoever went first.
20 Rotations Base camp and high camps
Rotations through Camps 1 and 2, sleeping higher and returning to base.
32 Gasherbrum II summit window High camps
The first push, on the forecast and the lead guide's call.
37 Rest at base camp Base camp
Recovery between the two. This is why the trip is long.
42 Gasherbrum I rotations High camps
Onto the harder of the two. Steeper ground and a longer summit day.
52 Gasherbrum I summit window High camps
If the mountain gives one. The decision belongs to the lead guide.
56 Clear the mountain Base camp
High camps stripped. Nothing stays that we carried up.
57 Walk out to Askole Camp · 3,000 m
Four days back down the Baltoro.
59 Askole to Skardu Hotel · 2,230 m
Out by jeep. Crew settlement and debrief.
60 Skardu to Islamabad, and home —
By air or road, with buffer, and the airport.
What is included
- Visa sponsor letter
- Peak royalty, climbing permit and liaison officer
- All park fees and NOCs
- Met inside the terminal, all transfers
- Our own 4x4s and drivers
- Guides on our own payroll, and insurance for every member of the crew
- Base camp, high camps, cook and all meals
- Porter crew under our published charter, loads weighed
- High-altitude porters carrying oxygen, tents and food to the high camps, insured and equipped under our porter charter
- Fixed rope and group climbing hardware
- Full high-altitude service: summit oxygen for every climber, with mask and regulator, to the published allocation
- Medical kit, and a doctor at base camp where the team size requires one
- Satellite comms, weather forecasting and a daily message home
- International flights
- Visa fee itself
- Travel insurance covering high-altitude evacuation and repatriation
- Personal climbing equipment and clothing
- Personal supplementary oxygen beyond the published allocation
- Summit bonuses, if you choose to pay one
- Tips
If our price is wrong for you we will move you to a lower tier or remove a named inclusion. We do not discount a published price, and we do not cut the crew.
Fitness and difficulty — read this honestly
A verified climbing record: a seven-thousander summit, or two solid six-thousanders with real altitude on them. We check it rather than take your word for it. Gasherbrum II being described everywhere as the easiest Karakoram eight-thousander has put people on it who should not have been there.
Physically it is eight to nine weeks, and the demand is the icefall. It is crossed many times on a double-header, and speed through it is the only real protection there is — which means arriving fit rather than planning to get fit at base camp. Expect long waits, expect to be cold, and expect at least one of the two mountains to say no.
Kit list
The full list with quantities is sent with your quote. Rental is available in Skardu for most of it, priced separately. Your kit is checked item by item in Islamabad, not the night before the trek.
Group — we provide
- Base camp and high-camp tents, mess, kitchen and toilet
- Fixed rope, snow stakes and group climbing hardware
- Summit oxygen, masks and regulators for every climber, to the published allocation
- Base camp medical kit, and a doctor where the team size requires one
- Satellite comms, weather forecasting and a daily message home
Personal — yours
- Double boots rated for the altitude band
- Down suit, and a separate insulated jacket for base camp
- Harness, ascender, descender, carabiners, ice axe and crampons
- Sleeping bag rated to −30 °C or better, plus a warmer base camp bag
- Glacier glasses and goggles, both with a spare
- Headtorch with spares, and a power bank
- Personal medication, and a full declared medical history
Safety, evacuation and insurance
Helicopter rescue in the Karakoram is not guaranteed. Weather, altitude, daylight and clearance all decide whether a helicopter flies, so every stage carries a named drive-out or walk-out plan. Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation and repatriation to the maximum altitude on your itinerary, and we verify the certificate before the trip starts.
A graded medical kit sized to the trip, oxygen, a portable altitude chamber, a satellite phone and a messenger, and a wilderness first responder in the crew.
The lead guide’s decision to turn back is final. Not a guest, not an agent, not this office — whatever has been paid.
Getting there
Islamabad
Met inside the terminal by a member of our team, not a driver with a sign outside it. Briefing the same evening, SIM and cash sorted.
Islamabad to Skardu
A short flight that is weather-dependent, or two days by road that are not. We build buffer days either way and quote both.
Skardu to Askole
Seven to nine hours by jeep up the Braldu valley on a road that is regularly blocked by landslide. Our own 4x4s and our own drivers.
From Askole
On foot. There is no road beyond it and no vehicle access at any point on the trek.
Questions people actually ask
Why is this the achievable double?
Because the two mountains share an approach, a base camp area and much of the lower route, so the second summit does not mean a second expedition. Gasherbrum II goes first and acclimatises you for Gasherbrum I, which is the harder of the two.
How long is it?
Sixty days door to door, of which about a fortnight is the approach and the walk out. Most of the rest is rotations and waiting.
What experience do you require?
A seven-thousander summit, or two solid six-thousanders with real altitude on them, verified. Gasherbrum II being called the easiest Karakoram eight-thousander everywhere has put people on it who should not have been there.
How dangerous is the icefall?
It is the objective hazard of both mountains, and on a double-header it is crossed more times than on a single-peak trip. We cross early, before the sun loosens it, and as few times as the rotation plan allows. The guides decide the timing and that is not negotiable on the day.
What permits and royalty does it need?
A permit covers one peak, so a second peak means a second permit and an additional fee — the Gilgit-Baltistan rules are explicit on that, and anyone describing this as a single combined permit is simplifying. Both permits, both royalties, the liaison officer, Central Karakoram National Park fees and crew insurance are in the price and itemised. Royalty is charged per team with a per-member addition, and the bands were revised recently, so we quote the live schedule at enquiry.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
Team size moves it most, because the royalty is a team charge spread across the members. After that, oxygen allocation and the length of season you hold. Running both from one base camp in one season is markedly cheaper than two separate expeditions, even though the permits are charged separately. Deposit is 30 per cent above 6,500 m.
How high is Gasherbrum I exactly?
Sources give both 8,068 m and 8,080 m, and we have not settled which is right, so the figure prints with a marker until we have. It makes no difference to how the mountain is climbed and we would rather show the uncertainty than pick one.
When does it run?
June to August. The approach begins in June, Gasherbrum II is usually attempted first in July, and Gasherbrum I follows if the season holds.
If this one is not quite right
The commonest reason a trip is wrong is that it is too hard or too easy, not that it is in the wrong place.
- A step easier Diran expedition
You have already chosen the region, which is the harder decision. These run from the same roadhead.
- Baltoro & Concordia · Trek Four 8,000 m base camps
- Baltoro & Concordia · Trek Five 8,000 m base camps — the Big Five
- Baltoro & Concordia · Climbing Trango Towers — Nameless Tower
If this one is not right
Khosar Gang — first 6,000 m peak
Gasherbrum I expedition — Hidden Peak
Rakaposhi expedition
Very hard
Hushe & Charakusa · Expedition