Mt Lhotse records first summit of the season

KATHMANDU: At least six climbers successfully stood atop the world’s fourth highest peak making the season’s first ascent of the mountains above 8,000m on Sunday.

According to Imagine Treks and Expedition, climber Mingma Gyalje Sherpa along with three fellow Sherpa and two Chinese climbers made it to the top of Mt Lhotse (8,516m) this morning. “We are on Mt Lhotse summit now,” Sherpa shared.

A rope fixing team deployed by the Himalayan Guides has opened a route up to 7,800m on Mt Everest while  another team led by Sherpa fixed ropes to the summit point on Mt Lhotse. Chinese climbers – Liu Yongzhong and Hong Dong Juan as well as Kili Pemba Sherpa, Tamding Sherpa and female climber Nima Jangmu Sherpa successfully climbed the peak at around 11:30 am.

The climbers opened a route making the first summit on the mountain this season, base camp officials said, adding that all climbers have now arrived at Camp IV. Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse share the same route up to the Yellow Band beyond Camp III.

A record at the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, at least 88 climbers of different eight teams are attempting to climb Mt Lhotse this season. “With six climbers reaching the top of Mt Lhotse, the country recorded the first successful summit to the mountain above 8,000m in this spring season,” liaison officer Gyanendra Shrestha confirmed.

For the second consecutive years, a team led by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, a renowned mountaineer, became the first to reach the summit in the spring season. According to DoT, a team led by Sherpa had reached the summit of Mt Dhaulagiri on May 4 becoming the first team to scale the 8,000-metre mountain in 2017.