Spantik was first climbed in 1955 by Karl Kramer's German expedition. The most commonly climbed line follows the south east ridge, which was attempted by the Bullock Workman party in 1906. The ridge rises 2700 metres over a lateral distance of 7.6 km, at angles which are mostly less than 30 degrees, with a few sections up to 40 degrees. It contains varied terrain, from rocky outcrops to snow and ice and scree.