Gangkhar Puensum

Gangkhar Puensum stands at 7,570 metres on the northern border and is generally recognised as the highest mountain on earth that has never been climbed. Several expeditions attempted it in the 1980s and failed; Bhutan then restricted mountaineering above 6,000 metres in 1994 and prohibited it entirely in 2003, out of respect for beliefs that the high peaks are the seats of protective deities. Attempts from the Chinese side are complicated by the disagreement over where exactly the summit lies. For visitors the mountain is something to look at rather than approach: trekking routes in the Bumthang region reach viewpoints and a base-camp area, and the peak is occasionally visible from passes and ridges on clear autumn days. It remains one of the few genuinely untouched summits.

History

The mountain's height was first measured in 1922, but for decades maps placed it in different spots with very different heights, and the first team to attempt it could not even find it. After Bhutan opened to mountaineering in 1983, four expeditions failed on the summit in 1985 and 1986; in 1994 Bhutan banned climbing above 6,000 metres out of respect for local spiritual beliefs and from 2003 all mountaineering, and in 1999 a Japanese team climbing from Tibet reached instead Liankang Kangri, a subsidiary summit of 7,534 metres on a ridge 2 kilometres to the north-northwest (Wikipedia, Gangkhar Puensum).

What's there

• The unclimbed summit - the highest peak never to have been ascended.
• Base-camp approaches - trekking routes to viewpoints on the Bumthang side.
• Ridge and pass views - the peak from high points on clear days.
• Protected high country - the closed peaks of the northern border.

When to go

October and November give the clearest air and the best chance of a view. Trekking on the approach routes runs in the same window and in late spring. Cloud hides the peak for most of the year.

What to expect

Climbing is prohibited and requests to attempt it are refused; this is settled policy, not a permit question. Even seeing the mountain requires a multi-day trek and luck with weather. There is no road access to any viewpoint. Everything runs through a licensed operator.

Nearby

Bumthang lies south; Lhuentse is east.

Key facts