Kangchenjunga

The third-highest mountain on Earth, 8,586 metres on the border between Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim. The name comes from Tibetan and refers to the five summits of the massif, each said to hold a treasure of the gods — gold, silver, gems, grain, and sacred scripture. To the people of Sikkim, the mountain is not a peak to be climbed. It is a deity.

The first ascent was made in 1955 by a British expedition led by Charles Evans. Joe Brown and George Band reached the summit, but in deference to the religious beliefs of the people of Sikkim, they stopped a few feet short of the true top. Every summit team since has done the same. The summit of Kangchenjunga has, by tradition, never been touched.

The mountain is significantly more remote and less travelled than Everest. The standard route from the Nepalese side ascends through dense rhododendron forest into glaciated valleys that few outsiders see. The fatality rate among summiteers is approximately 20 percent — among the highest of any 8000er. The weather is more variable than further west. The eastern Himalaya catches the first monsoon moisture, and storms build quickly.

For Indian and Nepali mountaineers, Kangchenjunga holds a status closer to sacred than to challenge. For climbers from elsewhere, the mountain is a serious undertaking with little of the infrastructure that has built up around Everest and Annapurna. Kangchenjunga remains one of the great untouristed 8000ers. The five treasures, by tradition, stay buried.