In October, as part of a tourist development plan, the Nepal government announced it was opening 57 additional mountains for climbing expeditions. These range in altitude from just below 5,900m to a little over 6,800m.

The list includes many little-known peaks in West Nepal, Dolpo, and Mustang, which will be of great interest to exploratory mountaineers. There are also many subsidiary tops to climbed mountains: e.g., Chombu North (6,822m), a border peak a short distance north of the main summit of Chombu.

The peak list will need careful scrutiny by those aspiring to first ascents, as some already have been climbed, such as Pangbuk North (6,478m) in the Rolwaling and Nupchu (6,044m) in the Janak Himal.

Some peaks are confusingly named. Rongshar Ri II (6,492m) is more commonly known as Lunag West, while Pathibhara Northeast (6,857m) has always been referred to as Langpo South (and has been ascended twice). It is not to be confused with the 7,090m top close to the summit of Pathibhara (a.k.a. Pyramid Peak), which has for many decades been known as Pathibhara Northeast.

To download the list of 57 newly opened peaks, click here.

—Lindsay Griffin, AAJ