Updated: February 2010. Click on an image to see the FULL size with a caption.

Lhotse - 8516m - #4 In The World

To see all the photos please see separate sections on Mount Everest.

Lhotse (8516m) is the fourth highest mountain in the world, connected to Mount Everest via the South Col. Lhotse has two notable subsidiary peaks - Lhotse Middle at 8414m and Lhotse Shar (East) at 8383m. The name Lhotse comes from the Tibetan Lho meaning south and Tse meaning peak, so Lhotse means South Peak, the south peak of Mount Everest. Similarly, Nuptse means the west peak of Mount Everest and Changtse means the north peak of Mount Everest.

Most expeditions who climb Everest from Nepal have photos of the glacial blue ice on the 1125m Lhotse Face and the Lhotse summit area, rising only 610m from the South Col.

What makes Lhotse famous, however, is the tremendous steep rock and ice wall of the Lhotse south face. The south face has been the scene of many failed attempts, some notable fatalities like Jerzy Kukuczka in 1989, and very few ascents.

Here is a Google Earth image of the trekking routes in the Solu Khumbu Mount Everest region of Nepal. Treks normally start in Lukla, trekking to Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Chukung, Lobuche, Kala Pattar, and Everest Base Camp. Side trips can be made to Thame and Gokyo.

Here is a Google Earth image of the trek from Kharta over the Shao La, up the Kama Valley to the Everest Kangshung East base Camp, and then back to Kharta over the Langma La.

Lhotse Trekking Routes In Nepal and Tibet

I trekked to the Everest Southwest Face and Lhotse in the Solu-Khumbu area of Nepal three times. In 1997, I flew to Lukla and trekked to Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Chukung, Lobuche, and Kala Pattar.

In 2000, I flew to Lukla and trekked to Gokyo, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche, Gorak Shep, and Everest Base Camp.

In 2008, I trekked from the Rolwaling Valley over the Tashi Lapcha pass to Thame, over the Renjo La to Gokyo, over the Cho La to Gorak Shep and to Kala Pattar, over the Kongma La from Lobuche to Dingboche, and back to Lukla.

In 1998 and 2005 we drove to the Everest North Face.

In 1998 we drove from Kathmandu to Kharta and trekked to the rarely visited Lhotse East Face and Everest Kangshung East Face.

My Youtube Videos - View From Mera Peak Eastern Summit (6350m), View From Mera Peak High Camp

Lhotse First Ascent

The first ascent of Lhotse Main was made by a Swiss expedition, with Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger reaching the Lhotse summit on May 18, 1956. The Swiss team also made the second summit of Everest by Ernst Schmied and Jurg Marmet on May 23 and Dolf Reist and Hansrudolf von Gunten on May 24.

Reiss: "On that savagely sculptured summit there was neither room to sit nor to put a rucksack down. We stood, holding on to the rim of the summit, looking at Everest's mighty south-western precipice and, near by, the rocky summit ridge of our own peak, plastered with ice crests and cornices."

Other Notable Lhotse Ascents

After a solo climb claimed by controversial Tomo Cesen in spring 1990, a 20-member Soviet team for sure made the first ascent of Lhotse Main by the south face. Despite bad weather, avalanches, ice-covered rock and dangerously corniced ridges, Sergei Bershov and Vladimir Karatayev made it to the summit on October 16, 1990.

The first ascent of Lhotse Main in winter was made by Krzysztof Wielicki of Poland on December 31, 1988

The first ascent of Lhotse Shar was made by Zepp Maierl and Rolf Walter on May 12, 1979 via the South East ridge.

The first ascent of Lhotse Shar via the south face was made by a Czech-Slovakian team, with Zoltan Demjan reaching the summit on May 20, 1984 via the Southwest spur. Bozik, Josef Rakoncaj and Jaryk Stejskal reached the summit the following day.

The first ascent of Lhotse Middle was made on May 23, 2001 by Eugeny Vinogradsky, Sergei Timofeev, Alexei Bolotov and Petr Kuznetsov of a Russian expedition. They climbed from the South Col, traversed the slopes of northeast wall with a number of technical difficult sections before reaching the summit. On May 24 Nikolay Zilin, Gleb Sokolov, and Yuri Koshelenko made it to the summit, and on May 27 Vladimir Yanochkin and Viktor Volodin also made it.

My Top 5 Memories Of Lhotse

1. Lhotse West And South Faces - are so close from Kongma La that you can almost reach out and touch them.

2. Lhotse West Face - the Lhotse West Face, the South Col and the Geneva Spur are perfectly visible from Knobby View north of Gokyo. The Lhotse West Face is also visible from Gokyo Ri, especially spectacular at sunset, and peaking out between Everest and Nuptse from Kala Pattar.

3. Lhotse East Face - spectacular full view at sunrise from the Kharta Valley in Tibet

4. Lhotse South Face - visible from Namche all the way to Dingboche and Chukung on the trek to Mount Everest, from just above Makalu Base Camp South, and from Mera Peak.

Lhotse Best Photos

Gokyo Lhotse Photos

Kongma La Lhotse Photos

Makalu and Mera Peak Lhotse Photos

Lhotse East Face Photos From Tibet

Lhotse Other Photos

Lhotse West Face, South Col, and the Geneva Spur from Knobby View north of Gokyo (click to enlarge)

Nuptse and Lhotse change from white to yellow to red in the last rays of the sun from Gokyo Ri. (click to enlarge)

Lhotse West Face, Lhotse South Face, Lhotse Shar Close Up From Kongma La (5535m). (click to enlarge)

From Kala Pattar in 1997 I had this magnificent view of Everest and a portion of the Lhotse Face. (click to enlarge)

Mera High Camp At Midday

Mera High Camp At Sunset

Mera Peak Eastern Summit 6350m

Lhotse References

The three summits of Lhotse East Face at sunrise from Hoppo – Lhotse Shar, Lhotse Middle, and the main summit. (click to enlarge)

Lhotse, Lhotse Shar, Everest Kangshung East Face, and Peak 38 close up from the climb to the East Col Glacier Camp. (click to enlarge)

Everest and the enormous south face of Lhotse, Lhotse Middle and Lhotse Shar close up from the upper Hongu Valley. (click to enlarge)

Nuptse, Everest Southwest and Southeast faces, Lhotse, Lhotse Middle and Lhotse Shar close up from Mera High Camp (5770m) at sunset. (click to enlarge)