22,247-Foot Himalayan Peak Kimshung Sees First-Ever Successful Ascent Kimshung (or Tsangbu Ri as it’s also locally known) has long stood as one of the last unclimbed Himalayan peaks since modern climbing first arrived in the region. Standing at a massive elevation of 22,247 feet in Nepal near the border with Tibet, Kimshung has seen numerous failed attempts over the years. Due to its remote location and difficulty of […] Climbing Joseph Kaufmann | November 7, 2025 0 Comments
Last Surviving Member of First Mt. Everest Summit Passes Away Peacefully at Age 92 Kanchha Sherpa, a high-altitude porter on the famed first successful ascent of the world’s highest peak, has passed away. Phur Gelje Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said in a statement that Kanchaa passed away in his home of Kapan, Nepal, on Thursday, October 16. Kanchha was a member of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s ascent of Everest. […] Climbing Joseph Kaufmann | October 22, 2025 0 Comments
Nepalese Climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja Becomes First Person in History to Summit Mountains Over 8,000 Meters 50 Times Nepalese climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja—also known as Nimsdai—made history on July 3 by becoming the first person to successfully summit mountains over 8,000 meters (24,000 feet) a staggering 50 times. Purja is well known for his record-setting in the mountains and notable first ascents throughout his climbing career. A native of Nepal, Purja initially served in the Nepalese Gurkha combat […] Climbing Joseph Kaufmann | August 22, 2025 0 Comments
Everest Permit in Nepal Will be $4,000 More Expensive Starting in September Nepal’s Department of Tourism recently put forth a new plan to identify the annual “carrying capacity” of Everest, following instructions from the Nepal Supreme Court. This plan includes allowing the Department of Tourism to cap the number of permits it grants annually. Starting in September, the Nepali government also stated it will be raising the spring season permit fee for […] Climbing Joseph Kaufmann | July 21, 2025 0 Comments
How Much Does it Cost to Climb to the Roof of the World in 2025? For many in the climbing community, Mount Everest stands as the pinnacle of high altitude mountaineering. The highest of the seven summits, Everest (known locally as Chomolungma in Tibetan or Sagarmatha in Nepali) is the highest point on Planet Earth. This behemoth towers a staggering 29,032 feet (8,848 meters) above sea level, the same altitude as commercial jets fly. In […] Climbing Joseph Kaufmann | June 12, 2025 0 Comments
Mount Kailash, Tibet: The Unclimbable Mountain Mount Kailash, Tibet, has the reputation of being an unclimable mountain. Located in the Ngari prefecture in Tibet, it reaches 21,778 feet in elevation. This photogenic mountain isn’t close to the heights of some of the other mountains in the Himalayas, such as Mount Everest at 29,032 feet or K2 at 28,251 feet. So why hasn’t it been climbed? In […] Climbing Ben Davies | April 15, 2024 3 Comments
Record Breaking Sherpa Tenjin Lama & American Climber Gina Marie Rzucidlo Confirmed Dead in Shishapangma Avalanche, Tibet China moutaneering authorities have declared American climber Gina Marie Rzucidlo and her guide Tenjin Lama Sherpa dead. The pair went missing on Saturday, October 7, 2023, when an avalanche took out the path on Tibet’s Shishapagma. Their bodies have not been found and Chinese authorities do not allow helicopters in search and rescue efforts. Related: American Climber Anna Gutu and […] Climbing Julia Schneemann | October 10, 2023 0 Comments
Calls to Boycott China Winter Olympics Grow The 2022 Winter Olympics in China are just under a year away but already a hotly contested subject. Several groups and individuals have called for a boycott of the Winter Olympics, citing human-rights abuses against minorities by the Chinese government. As the list of objectors continues to grow, the appeals for a boycott have become tough to ignore. The leading […] Olympics Alex Mangels | May 28, 2021 8 Comments
10 Facts About Mount Everest’s Mountaineers A new study looking at the success and death rates on Mount Everest reveals interesting facts about the mountaineers who climb it. Some of their findings are not surprising, such as a decreased death rate due to better gear and weather forecasting. Check out the list below, are there any that you wouldn’t expect? Related: Nepal to Insist that Trekking […] Climbing Alex Camerino | September 12, 2020 2 Comments
Former Gurkha Close to Being First Ever to Climb the 14 Tallest Mountains in Under a Year After completing Phase I and Phase II of his 14 mountain mission, Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja has just 3 mountains left before breaking the most impressive record in mountaineering. Nims is a former Gurkha soldier, a group of British-hired Nepalese soldiers who have a reputation of fearlessness. He certainly embodies this reputation as he nears his goal of smashing the existing […] Climbing Joseph Phillips | August 1, 2019 0 Comments
David Lama Claims First Ascent of Lunag Ri Near Everest. Alone Although climbing permits have been issued to a number of teams of for attempts at Lunag Ri, this stunningly beautiful peak of 6,907 meters (22,660′) remains unclimbed. At least until last month when 28 year-old Austrian mountaineer David Lama changed that. Located only 25 miles west of Mt. Everest, it sits on the borderline between Nepal and Tibet. Lama not only completed […] Climbing Jon Roubik | November 30, 2018 0 Comments
NASA Satellite Images Help to Explain What Caused Twin Mega-Avalanches in Tibet A post yesterday on the NASA Earth Facebook page explained what caused two huge, fatal avalanches in Tibet over a two month period. In July 2016, the lower portion of a valley glacier in the Aru Range of Tibet detached and barreled into a nearby valley, killing nine people and hundreds of animals. The huge avalanche, one of the largest […] Avalanche Steven Agar | February 8, 2018 0 Comments
UNPRECEDENTED: Two 21 Trillion-Cubic-Foot Glacier Avalanches in Same Region of Tibet in 10 Weeks: A 21 trillion cubic foot glacier avalanche came down near Dungari village, a remote area of Tibet, on July 17th, 2016 killing 9 people, 100 sheep, and 350 yaks (see photos above & below). This avalanche was 3.7 miles long and up to 100 feet deep. Then, the impossible happened: another approximately 20 trillion cubic foot glacier avalanche came down in […] Avalanche Sergei Poljak | October 26, 2016 0 Comments
9 People, 100 Yaks, 350 Sheep Killed in Large Avalanche in Tibet on Sunday Nine people, 100 yaks, and 350 sheep were killed in a large avalanche in Western Tibet on Sunday according to Chinese state media. The people killed were all residents of Dungru in Ngari prefecture that lies 620 miles west of Tibet’s capital city Lhasa. All 9 of the people killed were sheep herders. Dungru sits at over 15,000 feet, is […] Avalanche AvyBrains | July 18, 2016 1 Comment
Shangri-La China | Woman in Traditional Tibetan Dress Shangri-La China. 10,000 feet. China, very near the Tibetan border. This is one of the Tibetan cities outside of Tibet. Photo from October 2012. SnowBrains | May 7, 2013 0 Comments
MoonSet – Sunrise in Yubeng, China Yubeng China is a remote village with no roads and no vehicular access. You’ve gotta walk in about 8 miles or ride a mule. The top of the ridge in this photo is the border of Tibet. Tibet is run by China now. Yubeng is also Tibet despite being just outside the border. The people are all Tibetan and they […] SnowBrains | April 29, 2013 0 Comments
Mt. Meili, Tibet | Sacred & Unclimbed | 22,113 Feet Tall A Sino-Japanese team once attempted to climb this sacred mountain. They were never heard from again. This mountain is sacred. It is said in Tibet, that if it were to be climbed, the gods would anger and destroy the local villages including Yubeng. Not knowing this, I told a local that I’d like to climb that peak someday. “If you […] SnowBrains | April 11, 2013 0 Comments
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