Lhotse

Lhotse (8,516m) is the world's fourth highest mountain, connected to Mount Everest via the South Col in the Mahalangur Himal. Its name means 'South Peak' in Tibetan. While often overshadowed by its famous neighbor, Lhotse is a formidable mountain in its own right. Notably, Lhotse Middle (8,414m) remains the highest unclimbed summit in the world.

The Lhotse Face — a massive wall of glacial blue ice with approximately 1,125m of vertical gain between Camp II and the South Col — is one of the most feared obstacles on the Everest South Col route, as climbers must ascend it to reach the South Col. The south face of Lhotse, rising over 3,000m, is widely considered one of the steepest and most formidable faces on any eight-thousander and remained unclimbed until 1990, when it was first ascended by a Soviet expedition.

First climbed on May 18, 1956 by Fritz Luchsinger and Ernst Reiss of a Swiss expedition led by Albert Eggler, Lhotse shares Base Camp with Everest and the climbing routes diverge only above Camp III on the Lhotse Face. The approach trek through the Khumbu region is the same as the Everest Base Camp trek, passing through Lukla, Namche Bazaar, and traditional Sherpa villages. The best climbing season is spring (April-May).