Mt. Kumbhakarna Expedition

Overview of Mt. Kumbhakarna Expedition

Jannu or Kumbhakarna is the 32nd highest mountain in the world. It is an important Western outlier of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak. Jannu is a large and steep peak in its own right, and has numerous challenging climbing routes.

The official name of this peak is Kumbhakarna, but the designation Jannu is still better known. Jannu is the highest peak of the Kumbhakarna Section of the Kangchenjunga Himal, which straddles the border between Nepal and Sikkim, and lies entirely within Nepal. A long ridge connects it with Kangchenjunga to the east.

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.

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).

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