The first attempts to climb Gauri Sankar were made in the 1950s and 1960s but weather, avalanches and difficult ice faces defeated all parties. Though they did not make the long additional traverse to the main "Shankar" summit, their climb was a significant achievement in itself. In 1983 Gaurishankar was reached again by a Slovenian team. The main summit (7134 m) was reached on November 1 by Slavko Cankar (expedition leader), Bojan Šrot and Smiljan Smodiš; and three days later by Franco Pepevnik and Jože Zupan. They climbed the left side of the south face to reach the southwest ridge, then continuing to the main summit. The Himalayan Index lists only two more ascents of the main summit of Gauri Sankar. The third ascent was made in the spring of 1984 by Wyman Culbreth and Ang Kami Sherpa, via a new route on a ridge on the southwest face. The fourth ascent (and the first winter ascent), in January 1986, was by
South Korean Choi Han-Jo and Ang Kami Sherpa. In the fall of 2013, the complete south face was finally climbed by a four-man team of French climbers. After reaching the top of the south face at 4 pm on October 21, they decided not to continue to the 7,010 m south summit. It took them 11 hours to descend to the bottom of the face. == Cultural reference ==