Lhotse is the world’s fourth-highest mountain, rising to 8,516 metres beside Mount Everest.
Its name means “South Peak” in Tibetan, reflecting its position directly south of Everest. The two mountains are connected by the South Col, a high mountain pass used on Everest expeditions.
The main summit of Lhotse was first climbed on 18 May 1956 by Swiss climbers Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger. Its normal route follows the Lhotse Face, a steep, blue-ice wall that also forms part of the standard South Col route toward Everest.
Lhotse is sometimes confused with Everest because of their close geographical relationship, but it is an independent mountain with its own summit. Lhotse Middle and Lhotse Shar are subsidiary summits on the same massif; Lhotse Middle was one of the last major unclimbed mountain points until its 2001 ascent.