In November, Tsuyoshi Nagai and AAC Honorary Member Tamotsu Nakamura (Japan) traveled to southern Tibet to identify peaks along the Yalung Tsangpo River. This region is sensitive and currently strictly restricted, due to its proximity to the Indian border. No climbers would be allowed to travel in this area without a special permit from the Public Security Bureau and the Chinese Liberation Army in charge of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Nakamura photographed peaks of the Bobonung Massif, a north-facing cirque of peaks surrounding the Bobonung Glacier and facing Route 306, which runs beside the Yalung Tsangpo. Four of the summits are above 6,000m, with the highest at 6,215m (approximately 28°51'25.98"N, 93°11'55.83"E). The most westerly is Chipula (6,152m). He also photographed the rocky peaks Nyel Japo (6,152m) and Worde Kongge (5,998m), farther to the west. Some of these mountains were photographed by Nakamura during a similar expedition in 2014 (and are seen in his comprehensive book East of the Himalaya), but the new photos reveal considerably more detail. Click here to download a PDF with a map and the photos.

– Lindsay Griffin