Lhotse Shar

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Lhotse Shar
LhotseShar JHK 2014 10.jpg
Lhotse Shar in 2014
Highest point
Elevation 8,383 m (27,503 ft)
Prominence 86 m (282 ft)
Parent peak Lhotse
Isolation 0.62 km (0.39 mi)
Listing Eight-thousander
Coordinates 27°57′30″N86°56′36″E / 27.95833°N 86.94333°E / 27.95833; 86.94333
Geography
Nepal rel location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Lhotse Shar
Location in Nepal
Location Nepal (Khumbu)
China (Tibet Autonomous Region)
Parent range Mahalangur Himal
Climbing
First ascent 12 May 1970

Lhotse Shar is a subsidiary mountain of Lhotse, at 8,383 m (27,503 ft) high. It was first climbed by Sepp Mayerl and Rolf Walter on 12 May 1970.

Contents

Climbing routes and dangers

Lhotse Shar forms the eastern highpoint of Lhotse’s central ridge, far from the main summit's standard route of ascent via the Reiss Couloir. As the ridge and Lhotse's central summits are themselves extremely difficult climbs, a traverse to the Shar along the main ridge is impractical and prospective climbers must instead ascend Lhotse’s huge vertical rise from outside the Western Cwm. Most opt for the southeastern flank of the Shar itself, or the most direct route, up Lhotse's South Face.

The steep pyramid of the Shar inevitably forces climbers across exposed rock bands and avalanche-prone slopes in all directions, and these routes have consequently seen many fatalities; indeed, of Lhotse's documented deaths as of 2021, a third (11 of 31) have occurred on Lhotse Shar. It has the highest fatality rate of all principal or secondary eight-thousander summits – for every two people who summit the mountain, one person dies attempting to. [1] The mountain's extreme height further compounds the danger: At 8,383 meters above sea level, it is 292 meters (958 feet) higher than Annapurna I Main, the next-deadliest summit of the eight-thousanders, and well into the Death zone, greatly increasing the risk of altitude sickness for climbers.

Incidents

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lhotse Middle</span> Subsidiary peak to Lhotse

Lhotse Middle, is a subsidiary peak of 8,410 metres (27,590 ft) in elevation that sits in the middle of a ridge between its parent peak, the eight-thousander, Lhotse 8,516 metres (27,940 ft), and another subsidiary peak, Lhotse Shar 8,383 metres (27,503 ft). In 2013, a proposal by Nepal to the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) to have Lhotse Middle designated as standalone eight-thousanders was not successful due a perceived lack of topographic prominence. Right beside the peak is the smaller subsidiary peak of Lhotse Central II (8,372 metres ; sometimes the term West tower and East tower are used to distinguish Lhotse Central I and Lhotse Central II, respectively.

References

  1. "Lhotse Shar 8400 metres". EverestNews. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  2. Buffet, Charlie (20 March 2005). "Nicolas Jaeger au pays de l'oxygène rare" (in French). Le Monde . Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  3. Eiger Dreams