Kumbhakarna Mountain

Notable features

Kumbhakarna is the 32nd highest peak in the world (using a cutoff of 500m prominence, or re-ascent). It is more notable for its climbing challenge, and is one of the hardest peaks in the world in terms of technical difficulty because of its complex structure, its vertical relief, and the particularly steep climbing near the summit. The north face, in particular, has been the scene of some of the most technical (and controversial) climbing achieved at altitudes over 7000m.

Climbing history

Kumbhakarna Jannu was first reconnoitered in 1957 by Guido Magnone, and first attempted in 1959 by a French team led by Jean Franco. It was first climbed in 1962 by a team led by the French alpinist Lionel Terray. Those reaching the summit were René Desmaison, Paul Keller, Robert Paragot and Gyalzen Mitchung Sherpa (April 27) and Lionel Terray, André Bertraud, Jean Bouvier, Pierre Leroux, Yves Pollet-Villard, Jean Ravier and Wangdi Sherpa (April 28).

Their route started from the Yamatari Glacier south of the peak and followed a circuitous route to the large plateau known as the Throne (a hanging glacier south of the summit), continuing to the summit via the southeast ridge.

The huge, steep north face (the so-called "Wall of Shadows") was first climbed in 1976 by a Japanese team led by Masatsugu Konishi (ja:小西政継, by a route that starts on the left side of the face and then meets the east ridge, avoiding the steep headwall at the top of the face (though a New Zealand team had climbed the north face the previous year without proceeding to the summit). A Dutch team ascended the north face in 1987, three men reached the summit but only one made it down. A Slovenian climber, Tomo Česen, claimed a solo ascent of a more direct route on the face in 1989, but this claim is considered suspect by many in the climbing community.

In 2004, after a failed attempt the previous year, a Russian team led by Alexander Odintsov succeeded in climbing the direct north face route through the headwall. This required big-wall aid techniques in a sustained, committing setting at over 7500m, a major achievement. However some in the climbing community were upset to learn that the Russians left a good deal of equipment on the wall, provoking a debate over what constitutes appropriate modern style on such a route. Despite the controversy, the team won the Piolet d'Or for the ascent.

On October 12th 2023, three American climbers, Alan Rousseau, Matt Cornell and Jackson Marvell reached the summit. They climbed with no supplemental oxygen, no ropes fixed in advance, and no porters beyond base camp, using only what they could carry on their backs.

The Himalayan Index lists over a dozen ascents of Jannu; there may be others that have not been written up in the climbing literature.

Jannu East

The east face of Jannu rises to 7,468 m (24,501 ft). The north face of this subsidiary peak had been described as "arguably amongst the hardest unclimbed, unattempted walls worldwide". In 1991, the mountain was first attempted by a Slovenian team, but the climbers declined their summit bid at 7,050 m (23,130 ft). Several other attempts over the years by Slovenian teams have been unsuccessful.

In 2022, a Spanish team attempted the East face alpine style. They were ultimately unsuccessful.

In 2023, Michael Gardner and Sam Hennessey reached 7,010 m (23,000 ft) via the North face before descending due to high winds. The next year, Gardner and Hennessey returned to the mountain. On October 7, 2024, American climber Michael Gardner died when he fell from Jannu East when attempting a new route up the mountain's north face. French climbers Léo Billon, Nicolas Jean and Benjamin Védrines who were also attempting the peak, came to Gardner's climbing partner Sam Hennessey's aid and aborted their attempt on the peak.

French climbers Benjamin Védrines and Nicolas Jean completed the first ascent of Jannu East on October 15, 2025 via a 2,300 m (7,500 ft) alpine style route.