Karakoram / Baltoro Muztagh · Pakistan · China
Gasherbrum III
K3a
7,946 m·Named subsidiary·first ascent 1975
- Elevation
- 7,946 m
- Prominence
- 355 m
- Class
- Named subsidiary
- Range
- Karakoram / Baltoro Muztagh
- Countries
- Pakistan · China
- Coordinates
- 35.7592° N / 76.6417° E
- First ascent
- 1975
- Climbed
- Yes
- Guided
- No
Overview
Gasherbrum III stands between Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum IV on the Baltoro, 7,952 m. Prominence is only about 460 m, so it is a named subsidiary of Gasherbrum II, not an independent 7000er. Until 1975 it was still one of the highest unclimbed summits on Earth.
A Polish expedition climbed it on 11 August 1975: Wanda Rutkiewicz, Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz, Janusz Onyszkiewicz, and Krzysztof Zdzitowiecki, from the col toward Gasherbrum II. Half the first-ascent party were women — still unusual at that height. The mountain then went quiet. A second ascent waited decades. In 2024 Aleš Česen and Tom Livingstone climbed a west-ridge line.
Gasherbrum III is the neighbour people ignore while they queue for Gasherbrum II. The page exists because the first ascent matters, and because the catalog includes named subsidiaries.