Features
Seen on approach from the Baltoro Glacier, Gasherbrum IV serves as the western anchor for the main arc of the Gasherbrum range. Carved by glaciers, it is a huge, steep fin of marble and limestone, wider on its western and eastern sides and narrowing considerably toward its col with Gasherbrum VII in the south. From the South Gasherbrum Glacier, a steep, dangerous icefall separates it from Gasherbrum III, and, by extension, the rest of the massif. While the 1958 route of first ascent climbed into the cirque above to reach the Northeast Ridge, and a handful of abortive attempts on the 900-meter East Face have accessed it, it has never been successfully repeated due to ever-increasing hazards from falling ice and rock. To date, the East and South Faces and South and Southeast Ridges of Gasherbrum IV have repelled all climbing attempts, some fatally. ==Notable ascents and attempts==