Chogolisa is a 7,665-metre peak in the Karakoram, standing above the Vigne glacier near Concordia, best known among trekkers as the mountain visible to the south as they approach K2 base camp or cross the Gondogoro La. It also carries one of Karakoram mountaineering's better-known stories: the death of Hermann Buhl, the first man to climb Nanga Parbat, who fell through a cornice near its summit in 1957.
This guide covers Chogolisa's height and setting, the climbing history that gives it its reputation, and where trekkers actually see it.
Where Chogolisa stands
Chogolisa sits in the Gilgit-Baltistan section of the Karakoram, close to the Baltoro glacier system and directly above the Vigne glacier, within sight of Concordia, the confluence of glaciers where the Baltoro trek reaches its high point below K2. It has two summits of similar height on a long ridge, with the higher, main summit given as 7,665 metres. Some older sources give slightly different figures, generally between about 7,654 and 7,668 metres, a normal spread for Karakoram peaks surveyed decades apart by different expeditions.
Its old English name, Bride Peak, comes from the way its long summit ridge, capped in snow, resembles a bridal veil when seen from a distance.
The mountain has two summits of near-equal height, Chogolisa I and Chogolisa II, joined by a long snow ridge roughly a kilometre across. This shape is part of what makes the mountain distinctive from Concordia: rather than a single sharp point like nearby K2 or Masherbrum, Chogolisa reads as a broad, level-topped wall of snow and ice along the southern skyline.
Hermann Buhl's death, 1957
In the summer of 1957, an Austrian team led by Marcus Schmuck made the first ascent of Broad Peak, Pakistan's fourth-highest 8,000-metre peak, in alpine style, without high-altitude porters or fixed camps, a first for an 8,000-metre summit. Weeks later, two of that team, Hermann Buhl and Kurt Diemberger, turned their attention to the unclimbed Chogolisa. Buhl had already made history in 1953 as the first man to summit Nanga Parbat, climbing the final stretch alone.
On 27 June 1957, a sudden snowstorm forced Buhl and Diemberger to turn back less than 2,000 feet from Chogolisa's summit. On the descent, in poor visibility, Buhl broke through a cornice on the mountain's near-vertical north face and fell. His body has never been found.
The first ascent, 1975
Chogolisa's main summit was not climbed until 1975, when Fred Pressl and Gustav Ammerer, members of an Austrian expedition led by Eduard Koblmuller, reached the top on 2 August. That is nearly two decades after Buhl's fatal attempt, a gap that reflects both the mountain's genuine difficulty and how little climbing traffic the Karakoram's smaller giants saw compared with the 8,000-metre peaks nearby. Chogolisa remains far less climbed than its 8,000-metre neighbours around Concordia, and it has no established route with anything like the regular traffic of K2 or the Gasherbrums.
Where trekkers see Chogolisa
Chogolisa is one of the mountains visible from Concordia, alongside K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums and Mitre Peak, and it dominates the skyline above the Vigne glacier for trekkers on the Gondogoro La crossing, where the route runs closer beneath its slopes than the standard K2 base camp trek does. It is not a peak most trekking itineraries name as a highlight in advance, but it is one of the more striking mountains photographed from Concordia once people are actually there.
Our Concordia guide covers the full circle of peaks visible from that point, and our K2 base camp trek guide and Gondogoro La trek guide cover the routes that pass beneath Chogolisa.
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Chogolisa?
About 7,665 metres at its main summit, with a secondary summit of similar height nearby. Older sources give figures a little lower, generally between about 7,654 and 7,668 metres.
Why is Chogolisa called Bride Peak?
For the way its long, snow-capped summit ridge resembles a bridal veil when seen from a distance, an old English name still sometimes used alongside the local one.
Did Hermann Buhl die on Chogolisa?
Yes. He fell through a cornice on the mountain's north face on 27 June 1957, during a descent from an attempt on the unclimbed summit with Kurt Diemberger. His body was never recovered.
When was Chogolisa first climbed?
In 1975, when Fred Pressl and Gustav Ammerer, part of an Austrian expedition led by Eduard Koblmuller, reached the main summit on 2 August.
Can trekkers see Chogolisa without climbing it?
Yes. It is visible from Concordia and dominates the view above the Vigne glacier on the Gondogoro La crossing, both reached on foot without any climbing.
For help planning a trek into this part of the Karakoram, see our travel planning guide.
