GUNUNG · Nepal

Lhotse

ल्होत्से (Lhotse)

Information

Elevation: 8.516 m
Country: Nepal (NP)
Location / Range: Mahalangur Himalaya (Khumbu subrange), Nepal–China (Tibet) border
Mountain type: Himalayan orogenic peak (non-volcanic) — the fourth-highest in the world
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 27.9617, 86.9333
Difficulty: Very difficult and technical (a true eight-thousander, death zone)
Best Season: April–May (pre-monsoon); October (post-monsoon) as a shorter secondary window
Permits & Rules: A summit permit (royalty) from Nepal's Department of Tourism is mandatory, arranged through an official expedition operator; Lhotse and Everest climbs are often run jointly from the Nepal side
Hazards: Death zone (>8,000 m), the roughly 1,100 m Lhotse Face wall dense with seracs and avalanches, rockfall in the couloir, sudden storms, route congestion in the busy season, and accumulated fatigue from the long approach

Description

Lhotse (8,516 m) is the fourth-highest mountain on Earth, rising just south of Everest within the Mahalangur Himal massif on the Nepal–China (Tibet) border and connected to Everest via the South Col. Its name is Tibetan for 'South Peak'. Unlike a trekking objective, Lhotse is genuine eight-thousander mountaineering: the normal route shares Everest's Base Camp in the Khumbu, climbs the legendary Lhotse Face ice wall, then attacks the narrow, steep Reiss Couloir to the summit, where rock and ice fall are constant hazards. It was first climbed by the Swiss pair Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger on 18 May 1956. The massif holds the sub-summits Lhotse Middle (8,414 m) and Lhotse Shar (8,383 m). Its roughly 3,200 m South Face is one of the tallest mountain walls in the world and remains one of the most extreme challenges in alpinism, first fully climbed by a Slovenian team in 1990.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Dinding Selatan (South Face) Lhotse — Rute Slovenia 1990

Ekstrem (ED+) — salah satu jalur paling sulit di Himalaya; hanya untuk alpinis kelas dunia berpengalaman

Tidak umum untuk ekspedisi komersial; biasanya ekspedisi elit murni ±35–50 hari dengan aklimatisasi terpisah

Lhotse's South Face (~3,200 m high) is one of the largest and most challenging mountain walls on Earth. It was first fully climbed in October 1990 by Slovenian climbers. The route crosses steep rock, dangerous seracs, and demands alpine-style or capsule-style climbing. This route is not for commercial climbing and requires the highest technical ice and rock skills plus tolerance for extreme objective risk.

Source

Rute Normal — Couloir Lhotse via South Col (rute Swiss 1956)

Sangat berat & teknis (8000-an); kombinasi glasier, es terjal (Lhotse Face), dan couloir sempit di zona kematian

Ekspedisi ±40–55 hari (termasuk pendekatan, aklimatisasi bertahap, dan jendela cuaca puncak)

The normal Lhotse route shares the Everest path from Khumbu Base Camp (~5,360 m): through the Khumbu Icefall, Camp I in the Western Cwm (~6,065 m), Camp II at the upper Western Cwm (~6,500 m), and Camp III on the Lhotse Face (~7,100 m). Here Everest and Lhotse routes diverge: Lhotse climbers continue straight up via Camp IV at the South Col (~7,900 m) — also used by Everest climbers — then veer right to attack the Lhotse Couloir, a steep, hazardous gully between rock and ice leading to the 8,516 m summit. The couloir is prone to rock and ice fall, making an early-morning start (2–3 a.m.) critical to avoid solar heating that worsens objective hazards.

Source

Safety Statistics

Moderate risk

Aggregated for prevention and awareness — not a casualty list. Read alongside the safety tips below.

2.8% Fatality rate per successful summit

13 Recorded deaths

461 Summits

Period 1950–2012 · Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data, compiled by Eberhard Jurgalski), 1950 through March 2012: 461 successful summits / 13 deaths = 2.8% deaths per person reaching the top; as a 'climber death rate' (deaths per climber above base camp) the figure is 1.03%. Basis note: other sources count casualties on a different definition — the Lhotse article records that 'by December 2008, 371 climbers had summited while 20 had died', so the total death count can be higher depending on scope; the rate above follows the 8000ers.com table, which states the ratio directly. Lhotse (8,516 m, the 4th-highest peak on Earth) shares its approach with Everest through the Khumbu Icefall and Western Cwm, then splits onto the steep Lhotse Face toward the summit couloir.

Causes of death

Avalanche

💡 Avalanches have repeatedly caused multiple deaths on Lhotse (e.g. 1987 and several other years), some on the approach shared with Everest. Watch avalanche forecasts, cross hazard zones in the early morning when snow is most stable, and minimise exposure time beneath loaded slopes.
Source
Fall

💡 Falls on the Lhotse Face — the steep ice-and-snow wall leading to the summit couloir — are among the most frequent causes of death, including high-altitude workers and experienced climbers who slipped. Stay properly clipped to fixed lines, keep crampons sharp, and take extra care descending when fatigued.
Source
Altitude illness (AMS/HACE/HAPE)

💡 Altitude illness, including cerebral edema (HACE), is recorded as fatal on Lhotse in the death zone. Acclimatise gradually, limit time above 8000 m, and descend immediately if a crushing headache, ataxia, or severe breathlessness appears.
Source
Exposure / hypothermia

💡 Cold exposure and forced bivouacs at extreme altitude have caused deaths from hypothermia and frostbite on Lhotse. Carry adequate insulation and emergency bivvy gear, respect turnaround times, and avoid being stranded overnight near the summit.
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Notable incidents

1956 First ascent of Lhotse (Reiss & Luchsinger, 1956)

On 18 May 1956 two Swiss climbers reached Lhotse's main summit for the first time, as part of the Swiss Everest/Lhotse expedition. The climb showed that the approach shared with Everest — even through the hazardous Khumbu Icefall — can be managed with careful planning, team support, and good timing.
Source
1989 1989 South Face death — a broken rope

In October 1989 a renowned Polish alpinist — one of the great figures of Himalayan climbing — died in a fall on Lhotse's very steep South Face when the secondhand rope he was using snapped. The lesson is not about the individual but about equipment: inspect ropes and protection before use, avoid gear of unknown history on extreme terrain, and never stake your whole life on a single point of protection.
Source

Statistics source: Source Source

Climbing Experiences

Lhotse (8,516 m), Everest's southern neighbour, is a technical eight-thousander whose summit is guarded by the narrow, steep Reiss Couloir. Its normal route shares terrain with Everest up the Lhotse Face before branching toward its own summit. The videos and writing below document real expeditions — from full summit footage and rope-fixing teamwork to a historic ski descent and accounts of climbing the Lhotse Face. All links are verified live.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.