Climbers seek glory on unclimbed peaks as Everest becomes costly, crowded
As the cost and competition of climbing the world’s highest mountains rise, an increasing number of mountaineers are turning to Nepal’s smaller, unnamed peaks for both challenge and the prestige of being first.
PC: Thibaut Marot
A joint Nepali–Korean team achieved the first ascent of Chhuama Peak III, a previously unclimbed 6,268-metre summit near Namdo village in Upper Mustang’s Lomanthang region.
Officials said the team, which included Kim Dongjin, Kim Hyon Chul, and Oh Namyong from South Korea, and Dawa Phurten Bhote and Mingmar Sherpa from Nepal, reached the summit on November 2, in a rare success for modern Himalayan exploration.
Just a week earlier, Chilean mountaineer Hernán David Leal Barrientos, accompanied by Nepali Sherpas Lakpa Chhiri, Lhakpa Chhiring, Kunga Gyaju, and Pema Tasi Tamang, completed the first ascent of Mount Pathibhara, a 7,123-metre peak, via its southeast face.
Two French climbers have successfully completed the first ascent of Jannu East (7,468m), a previously unclimbed and technically demanding peak in eastern Nepal on October 19, according to the Department of Tourism. The peak is known as Kumbhakarna in Nepali or Phaktalung in local Limbu culture.
Adding to the season’s achievements, Italian alpinist François Cazzanelli, along with Beppe Vidoni, Lukas Waldner, and Benjamin Zörer, made the first ascent of Kimshung, a 6,781-metre peak near Langtang Lirung, on October 20.
These climbs follow the September 18, success on Bhabhaya Himal, also known as Lyahuel Peak, in Darchula. According to the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), instructors Lal Bahadur Jirel, Ramkaji Tiwari, and Rakeshraj Tamang, alongside trainees Suryaman Tamang, Suraj Tamang, Bhishan Yonjan, and Dali Sherpa, completed the mountain’s first recorded ascent via the north ridge.
Bhabhaya Himal is located just east of Api Himal, which at 7,131 metres is the tallest peak in Nepal’s far-western Sudurpaschim Province.
These recent triumphs build on momentum from spring 2024, when a Nepali team led by Vinayak Jaya Malla achieved the first ascent of Patrasi Peak (6,450m) in Jumla District, accompanied by high-altitude climbers Pasang Rinzee Sherpa and Pasang Kami Sherpa. Later that year, Sherpa siblings Fura Tshering and Ngima Tashi summited Yasa Thak Peak, a 6,141-metre mountain, further adding to Nepal’s list of first ascents on little-known summits.
The growing attractions of previously unclimbed peak illustrate a quiet shift in mountaineering in Nepal’s Himalaya. With Everest permits now costing 15,000 US dollars per person and the mountain’s slopes increasingly crowded each spring, skilled climbers are choosing smaller, more technical peaks that can be climbed in alpine style, with fewer people, lower cost, and greater authenticity.
Nepal, home to over 1,300 peaks above 6,000 metres, still offers hundreds of unclimbed summits and thousands of unnamed ridges suited for exploration. To encourage such ventures, the government has waived climbing fees for 97 peaks across Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces for two years, aiming to boost tourism and local economies in remote mountain districts.
Currently, 462 mountains are open for expeditions including several previously unclimbed peaks, according to the Department of Tourism.
