The local name of Broad peak is Falchan Kangri. The height of the main peak is 8047m/26,401 ft. It is called broad peak because of its breadth at the top. It has also been called Enormous Tripe-Headed Breithorn (4,165m high tree-headed peak of European Alps of the Baltoro.
In 1954 Dr. Karl M. Heligkoffer of West Germany tried to climb it. His original objective, however, was to climb Gasherbrum – I. He is stated to have failed in persuading porters to carry loads beyond Concordia above Baltoro glacier. Accordingly, made an attempt from the south-western side, through the lower broad glacier. It, however, did not meet the success because of a storm and very low temperature.
In 1957, Austrian expedition came to Pakistan to climb this peak. It was lead by Marcus Schmuck. Othere important members of the party were Fritz Wintersteller, a climber, Kurt Diemberger, an Austrian climber and photographer and legendary mountaineer, and Herman Bhul, who is consider one of the best known pstwar Austrian climbers. It began a reconnaissance of a ridge on the western face of the mountain. Consequently it climbed a snow gully and camped at 5,791/19000ft. While climbing it made the best use of rope which were fixed by the 1954 German expedition. On 29th May, all members of the expedition left camp III for an assault on the summit. A storm force them to return to the base camp. It was however, on 9th June, 1957 that Marcus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller, Kurt Dieberger and Harman Bhul climbed the peak without using oxygen and high altitude porters.
It was after this climbed that Schmuck and Wntersteller climbed an-un-named peak (7360m/24147ft. In ten hours they cross ten miles of the Godwin-Austin and Savoia glacier and climbed up a snow slope on a ski to camp about 1219m/4000ft. on the south-west face of summit. First on a hard snow and then in deep powder, they were back just in 52 hours after their departure. What an extraordinary feat of self-discipline, endurance and sheer determination. The un-named peak so climbed is probably the skill Brum Peak of Jerziwala Polish maps. The other two climbers, Diemorger and Bhul, headed towards Chogolisa peak where Bhul met his death by falling from the mountain.
The name of other peak in the broad range is broad middle/central. Some maps show its height as 8016m while the show it as 8000m It is stated to have been climbed in 1975. Anyhow it was in 1976 that a French expedition led by Yannick Seigneur made an attempt on this peak in alpine style, along with main broad peak. This party of our followed the Austrian first-ascent route and made four attempts but could go only up to 7,925m/26,000ft. The expedition had come back because of bad weather.A six number Spanish mountaineering expedition climbed broad central peak in 1987. Leader of the party was Josef Estruch.
The third peak in the broad range broad peak north. Again some maps show its height as 7538m while the other show it as 7550m. an Italian expedition lead by Renato Casarotto, attempted to climb it in 1982 but was unsuccessful. The party shows it height as 7600m/24,935ft. Casarotto, however succeeded in climbing it in 1983.
