Elite teams are rarely keen to share details about their upcoming expeditions. Some even decline to name their targeted peak. Fair enough. But it’s hard to keep secrets in the Himalaya and Karakoram, and crumbs of information sometimes tempt us to speculate.
Here are the facts so far:
On June 26, Benjamin Zoerer and Egon Egger of Austria arrived in Pakistan and were received by the director of Blue Sky Treks & Tours. The outfitter wrote the following message on social media:
Italian & Austrian Gasherbrum 2/4 Expedition
Today, our two Austrian clients arrived in Islamabad for Gasherbrum 2 Expedition. Soon, our Italian clients will also arrive for G2 Expedition.
Benjamin Zoerer, center, and Egon Egger of Austria arrive in Islamabad. Photo: Blue Sky Treks & Tours
Two days later, Francois Cazzanelli of Italy posted a picture of himself and frequent partner Stefano Stradelli, together with Jerome Perruquet and Etienne Janin of France, arriving in Skardu.
As an aside, Cazzanelli and Zoerer met for the first time last year at the foot of Nepal’s 6,781m Kimsung. The Italian had teamed up with Giuseppe Vidoni, while the Austrian’s partner was Lukas Waldner. Both pairs decided to join forces, and together they opened a new route on the mountain.
Francois Cazzanelli, third from the left, and team on the summit of Kimshung in the fall of 2025. Photo: Benjamin Zoerer
It is unlikely that such experienced climbers joined forces only to climb Gasherbrum II by its normal route. However, the peak could offer ropes and a broken trail, excellent for acclimatizing before climbing another peak of similar altitude in alpine style. Since the outfitter called the expedition “Gasherbrum 2-4,” we asked both teams. Hey, it was our job to ask. The Italians did not reply, but Benjamin Zoerer said this:
Reply to a question by ExplorersWeb’s Angela Benavides.
We wish the team a safe climb, wherever they go. Gasherbrum IV (7,925m) is a rarely summited, highly technical mountain on all sides, but its most coveted side is the enormous west face. It’s famously known as The Shining Wall, because it glows in the evening sun:
Gasherbrum IV yesterday, from Urdukas. Photo: Horia Colibasanu
Several teams have attempted the Shining Wall in recent years, but without success. The latest were Charles Dubouloz and Symon Welfringer of France last year. They had to abort due to dangerous conditions. Also in 2025, Federico Secchi, Leonardo Gheza, and Gabriele Carrara of Italy attempted the Bonatti-Mauri route on the Northeast Ridge, again without success.
In 2023, Russians Sergey Nilov and Dmitry Golovchenko attempted a new route on Gasherbrum IV, but Golovchenko died during the summit push. Nilov returned to the mountain the following year to recover the body of his friend as per his family’s request. A crumbling serac killed Nilov and injured two more in the rescue team.
