Nepal Officially Recognised 14 Mountains Above 8,000 Metres

Nepal, the ultimate destination for high-altitude trekking and mountaineering, has officially expanded its list of peaks surpassing 8,000 metres. Previously recognised for hosting eight eight-thousanders, Nepal has now updated its peak profile to include 14 such mountains, following a recent announcement by the Department of Tourism.

Six New Eight-Thousanders Identified

The newly recognised peaks include four from the Kanchenjunga range:

Yalung Khang (8,505m)

Yalung Khang West (8,077m)

Kanchenjunga Central (8,473m)

Kanchenjunga South (8,476m)

Additionally, two peaks from the Lhotse range have been included:

Lhotse Middle (8,410m)

Lhotse Shar (8,400m)

Global Recognition Pending

While Nepal has officially recognised these peaks, global recognition requires approval from the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA). The UIAA, recognised by the International Olympic Committee, is the governing body that standardises mountaineering classifications worldwide.

Thakur Raj Pandey, senior vice president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), stated that the government is actively working on the necessary documentation to present these peaks on international platforms. Once the Cabinet approves the updated list, Nepal will begin lobbying for recognition in global mountaineering forums.

Current Eight-Thousanders in Nepal

Before this update, Nepal’s globally recognised 8,000m peaks were:

Mount Everest (8,848.86m)

Kanchenjunga (8,586m)

Lhotse (8,516m)

Makalu (8,463m)

Cho Oyu (8,201m)

Dhaulagiri (8,167m)

Manaslu (8,163m)

Annapurna I (8,091m)

With the addition of six new peaks, Nepal’s official tally of eight-thousanders has risen to 14.

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Documentation and Verification Process

The recognition of these new peaks is the result of over a decade of research. In 2013, a 10-member committee led by Purna Chandra Bhattarai submitted a 113-page report recommending these six peaks for inclusion. Further studies were conducted by a sub-committee formed under the Department of Tourism in 2014 and later reconstituted in 2018.

A technical working group, chaired by Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, former director general of the Survey Department, was responsible for Geographic Information System (GIS) data verification and analysis of the peaks’ geographical significance.

Next Steps for Recognition

Narayan Prasad Regmi, director general of the Department of Tourism, confirmed that the updated list has been published as a preliminary claim. The next step involves formally submitting the data to the UIAA for international validation.

“This process will involve detailed verification of GIS data and other essential parameters before we make our final proposal,” Regmi stated.

While the Cabinet’s final approval is still pending, Nepal’s mountaineering authorities are optimistic that these newly recognised peaks will soon be acknowledged globally, further solidifying Nepal’s status as the premier destination for high-altitude climbing.

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