Lhotse

Lhotse
The South Face of Lhotse as seen from the climb up to Chukhung Ri
Highest point
Elevation8,516 m (27,940 ft)
Ranked 4th
Prominence610 m (2,000 ft)
ListingEight-thousander
Coordinates27°57′42″N 86°56′00″E / 27.9617°N 86.9333°E / 27.9617; 86.9333
Geography
60km
37miles
Bhutan
Nepal
Pakistan
India
China
45
The major peaks (not mountains) above 7,500 m (24,600 ft) height in Himalayas, rank identified in Himalayas alone (not the world).
LocationSolukhumbu District, Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal
Tingri County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Parent rangeMahalangur Himal, Himalayas
Climbing
First ascent18 May 1956
Fritz Luchsinger, Ernst Reiss
(First winter ascent 31 December 1988 Krzysztof Wielicki)
Easiest routeglacier/snow/ice climb
Lhotse
Traditional Chinese洛子峰
Simplified Chinese洛子峰
Transcriptions

Lhotse (Nepali: ल्होत्से, romanized: L'hōtsē [lotse]; Standard Tibetan: ལྷོ་རྩེ, romanized: lho tse, lit.'South Peak' [l̥otse]; Chinese: 洛子峰) is the fourth-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. At an elevation of 8,516 metres (27,940 ft) above sea level, the main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu region of Nepal.

With Everest to the north and Nuptse to the west, Lhotse forms the apex of the massive horseshoe-shaped arc of the Everest massif. Despite the tremendous vertical relief of its South and Northeast Faces, it is the least prominent of the eight-thousanders due to the great height of the South Col between it and Everest. Lhotse's Western Face, recessed behind the head of the Khumbu Glacier in the Western Cwm, plays an integral part in the standard routes of ascent for both peaks. The name Lhotse, which means "South Peak" in Tibetan, further emphasizes the close relationship between the two.

The main ridge of the mountain features four distinct summits: Lhotse Main at 8,516 m (27,940 ft) AMSL, Lhotse Middle (also called Lhotse Central I or Lhotse East) at 8,414 m (27,605 ft), Lhotse Central II at 8,372 m (27,467 ft), and Lhotse Shar at 8,383 m (27,503 ft). Though Lhotse Main is considered to be an intermediately difficult eight-thousander when ascended from the standard Reiss Couloir route, its secondary summits and extremely steep South Face are regarded as some of the most difficult and dangerous climbs in the world. Its icy North East Face remains unclimbed.