Haramosh Peak (Urdu: ہراموش چوٹی), also known as Haramosh or Peak 58, is a Karakoramrange mountain located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The total population of the Haramosh Valley is at least 8000. The 7,409-meter Haramosh Peak is situated roughly 65 kilometers (40 miles) to the east of Gilgit, within the south-central part of the Rakaposhi-Haramosh Mountains, which is a subrange of the Karakoram range. This mountain rises steeply above the north bank of the Indus River, just upstream from its confluence with the Gilgit River.
The Haramosh massif consists of two main summits: Haramosh Peak and Haramosh Kutwal Laila Peak. The Haramosh Peak was first successfully climbed in 1958 by an Austrian team comprising Heini Roiss, Stephan Pauer, and Dr. Franz Mandl.
Climbing history
Haramosh was first reconnoitered in 1947 when a Swiss team explored the area. Subsequently, in 1955, a German team investigated a potential northeastern route to the mountain. However, it was in 1957 that Haramosh became the site of a tragic and ill-fated expedition. A team from Oxford University, consisting of Tony Streather, John Emery, Bernard Jillot, and Rae Culbert, attempted to conquer the peak but faced a series of mishaps and misfortunes during their ascent. This expedition led to the loss of Bernard Jillot and Rae Culbert's lives, while Tony Streather and John Emery survived. Emery, however, endured severe frostbite and lost all of his fingers and toes as a result of the ordeal.
The epic tale of this expedition is told in Ralph Barker's The Last Blue Mountain.
Haramosh was first climbed on 4 August 1958 by three Austrian mountaineers: Heinrich Roiss, Stefan Pauer and Franz Mandl, via the Haramosh La (a saddle to the northeast) and the East Ridge, roughly the route of the 1957 tragedy.
According to the Himalayan Index, there have been only three more ascents, in 1978 (Japanese, West Ridge), 1979 (unknown party/route), and 1988 (Polish, Southwest Face).