Americans Forge Two Bold New Routes in Karakoram
Photo: danesteadman
A team of American climbers has opened two striking new alpine routes in Pakistan’s Karakoram range after abandoning their original objective due to unsafe conditions.
Dane Steadman, Cody Winckler, and Blake Berghoff set out this autumn to climb Dansam Peak (K13), one of the region’s rarely attempted 6,600-meter mountains, located between the Kondus and Kaberi valleys near the Line of Control. The trio had secured a special permit to access the area, which had been closed to foreign climbers for several years.
Abandoning the Main Objective
Their primary goal was the north buttress of Dansam Peak, a formidable granite wall visible from satellite imagery and rarely visited by mountaineers. However, when they arrived at the base, reality differed sharply from expectations.
According to Steadman, what had appeared to be solid granite from photographs turned out to be “crumbling munge” – dangerously unstable rock riddled with loose flakes and fractured sections. The descent line also appeared too hazardous to attempt safely.
Recognizing the high objective risk, the team decided to call off the Dansam route. As Steadman put it, “Pursuing such a line, no matter how significant it would be, was not worth dying for.”
Two New Routes Instead
Undeterred, the climbers redirected their expedition toward unclimbed summits in nearby valleys – a decision that led to two new first ascents in classic alpine style.
First Route: Ming Ling Glacier Spire (6,082 m)
Their first new route was established on a striking granite spire that rises from a side valley of the Ming Ling Glacier. The ascent covered roughly 500 meters of steep mixed terrain, blending ice, rock, and technical chimney sections.
The trio reached the 6,082-meter summit on September 23, grading their route M6 AI4 A2+, a demanding combination of technical dry tooling, ice, and aid climbing.
Second Route: Unnamed Peak NE of Dansam (6,300+ m)
Their second objective was an unnamed peak northeast of Dansam, estimated at over 6,300 meters.
The line followed a long 1,450-meter alpine face, characterized by icy ribs, steep ice pitches, mixed sections, and a knife-edged summit ridge.
The climbers rated the route M7 AI4+ C1, highlighting its sustained difficulty and bold character.
A Spirit of Adaptation and Style
The ascents underscore the trio’s adaptability and commitment to exploration, even when original plans collapse. Both climbs were completed in pure alpine style, without fixed ropes or porters, and in a remote corner of the Karakoram rarely visited by modern climbers.
Steadman and Winckler were recently named Piolet d’Or recipients for another major 2024 climb, further establishing their reputation among a new generation of bold American alpinists.
What began as a thwarted mission to Dansam Peak ended with two aesthetic and technically demanding first ascents, achieved in the finest alpine tradition. Their success reinforces the Karakoram’s status as one of the last great frontiers of modern exploratory climbing – a place where uncertainty, skill, and creativity define every summit.