The History of Lhotse

The first attempt to climb Lhotse was made in 1956 by a Swiss expedition, which was unsuccessful. The first successful ascent of the mountain was made in 1956 by a team of four Swiss climbers, Ernst Reiss, Fritz Luchsinger, Ernst Schmied, and Hansruedi von Gunten. The team made their ascent via the West Ridge of the mountain, and reached the summit on May 18th. The first solo ascent of Lhotse was made in 1980 by Reinhold Messner, the renowned Italian mountaineer and explorer. Messner made his ascent via the same West Ridge route that the Swiss had used 24 years earlier. He also made the first winter ascent of Lhotse in 1988, again using the West Ridge route.

In the 1990s, Lhotse began to attract a number of professional climbers, and in 1993, the first successful ascent of Lhotse without supplemental oxygen was made by the American climber Ed Viesturs. Since then, a number of professional climbers have made successful ascents without supplemental oxygen. More recently, the mountain has seen a number of high-profile climbers attempt to ascend Lhotse, including the American climber Conrad Anker, who made the first ascent of the peak’s North Face in 2006. He was followed by the British climber Kenton Cool in 2010, who became the first person to summit all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks.

Today, Lhotse continues to attract climbers from around the world, with the mountain’s West Ridge and North Face routes being the most popular. The mountain is also a popular training ground for professional climbers looking to prepare for bigger challenges. As a result, it has become an important part of mountaineering history, and is one of the most iconic peaks in the Himalayas.