Nuptse

Geography

Nuptse lies 2 km (1.2 mi) WSW of Mount Everest. Due to the structure of the Everest Massif, Nuptse blocks Everest's view for much of the surrounding region. It is a dramatic peak when viewed from the south or west, and it towers above the base camp for the standard south col route on Everest. However, it is not a particularly independent peak: its topographic prominence is only 319 m (1,047 ft). Hence, it is not ranked in the list of highest mountains.

The main Nuptse ridge contains 7 summits:

Climbing

Nuptse was first climbed in 1961 and subsequently climbed a few times:

• 1961 – First ascent of the North Ridge on May 16 by Dennis Davis and Sherpa Tashi as part of a British expedition led by Joe Walmsley. Tashi was the first human to set foot on the summit, while Davis waited to take photographs. Davis followed closely after Tashi. On May 17, other members of the same expedition reached the summit: Chris Bonington, Les Brown, James Swallow and Pemba Sherpa.
• 1975 – The Joint British Army-Royal Nepalese Army Nuptse Expedition in an attempt to be the second team atop Nuptse ended in tragedy with the loss of four climbers to falls: Major G.F. Owens and Captain R.A. Summerton, Lieutenant D.A.J. Brister and Rifleman Pasang Tamang.
• 1979 – Ascent of the North Ridge on October 19 by Georges Bettembourg, Doug Scott, Alan Rouse and Brian Hall.
• 1984 – First ascent of the West Ridge by Yvan Estienne, Rémi Roux, et al., an expedition led by Raymond Renaud.
• 1994 – First ascent of the south pillar of Nuptse Shar I by Frenchmen Michel Fauquet and Vincent Fine, who were stopped by the wind on the summit ridge 300 m (980 ft) from the summit. The climb was nominated for a Piolets d'Or.
• 1997 – Nuptse – Nup II (7742 m) – on top: Tomaž Humar, Janez Jeglič
• 2008 – Opening of the south face by Stéphane Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz; nominated for the Piolets d'Or in 2008.
• 2017 – Frédéric Degoulet, Benjamin Guigonnet and Hélias Millerioux open a route on the south face.
• 2023 – On 8 May, a team of 3 climbers from the US and 6 Sherpas were the first to reach the summit in the year. It is reported that at least 65 climbers in 6 teams have obtained permits for Nuptse.

In culture

In 1987, Sally McCoy, Director of Equipment at The North Face, an American outdoor recreation products company, was part of the Snowbird Everest Expedition. This inspired The North Face to create outerwear named after the region's peaks and glaciers. In 1992, the company introduced the Nuptse Jacket. It featured a novel baffle construction to reduce shifting of the down and to increase warmth. The Nuptse jacket in bright colours was popular in New York City in the 1990s, especially among school kids and rappers. The Nuptse line of outdoors clothing has expanded to over 60 items in 2023.