The Unconquered Citadel: The 1975 Polish First Ascent of Gasherbrum III

In the summer of 1975, one towering prize stood above all other unclimbed mountains on Earth: Gasherbrum III (7,952m). Tucked deep inside the Karakoram Range of Pakistan, flanked by the giants Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum IV, this formidable mountain was officially the highest unclimbed peak in the world. While all fourteen 8,000-metre summits had fallen between 1950 and 1964, Gasherbrum III resisted every approach due to its sheer granite faces, treacherous couloirs, and extreme altitude.

The challenge was accepted by an extraordinary expedition organized and led by visionary Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz. Operating under the banner of the Polish Mountaineering Association (PZA), Rutkiewicz assembled an unprecedented team that combined elite female and male climbers, including Krzysztof Zurek, Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz, and Janusz Onyszkiewicz.

Confronting the Gasherbrum Icefall

The Polish team arrived at the base of the Gasherbrum glacier complex in late June 1975. The approach required traversing the turbulent South Gasherbrum Glacier, negotiating maze-like crevasse systems, and carrying heavy loads without the vast support networks of western commercial outfits.

Rutkiewicz’s leadership was tested immediately. A heavy monsoon storm pinned the expedition in base camp for days, triggering avalanches that swept the lower approaches. Once conditions stabilized, Krzysztof Zurek and his teammates pressed upward, fixing ropes up the steep snow couloirs and ice ramps leading to the high col between Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum III at approximately 7,300 metres.

The Historic Summit Bid

On August 10, 1975, the four climbers—Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krzysztof Zurek, Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz, and Janusz Onyszkiewicz—established Camp IV perched on the narrow col. The temperature plummeted below minus thirty degrees Celsius as gale-force winds buffeted their tents.

In the early morning hours of August 11, 1975, the assault began. Zurek led the way, kicking steps into hard blue water-ice and deep, powdery windslab along the razor-sharp East Ridge. The ridge was defended by steep rock steps and precarious snow cornices overhanging the sheer North Face. Climbing without modern lightweight gear or bottled oxygen, the four alpinists battled debilitating exhaustion and biting winds.

By mid-afternoon on August 11, 1975, Krzysztof Zurek, Wanda Rutkiewicz, Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz, and Janusz Onyszkiewicz hauled themselves onto the triangular summit snowfield. At 7,952 metres, Earth’s highest remaining virgin summit had finally been conquered. The ascent established Wanda Rutkiewicz as the highest-climbing woman in mountaineering history at that date, and stands today as a crowning masterpiece of the Polish Golden Age of Himalayan climbing.