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Highest unclimbed mountain

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Mount Kailash is off limits due to religious beliefs.

An unclimbed mountain is a mountain peak that has not been climbed to the top. Determining which unclimbed peak is highest is often a matter of controversy. In some parts of the world, surveying and mapping are still unreliable. There are no comprehensive records of the routes of explorers, mountaineers, and local inhabitants. In some cases, even modern ascents by larger parties have been poorly documented and, with no universally recognized listing, the best that can be achieved in determining the world's highest unclimbed peaks is somewhat speculative. Most sources indicate that Gangkhar Puensum (7,570 metres, 24,840 ft) on the Bhutan-Tibet border is the tallest mountain in the world that has not been fully summited. Gangkhar Puensum has been off limits to climbers since 1994 when Bhutan prohibited all mountaineering above 6,000 m (20,000 ft), reportedly due to spiritual beliefs.[1]

Unclimbed mountains are sometimes referred to as virgin peaks. Many virgin peaks exist because no one has had access to that mountain due to its geographic isolation or political instability. Some are off limits due to religious beliefs in that country or region which hold that a certain mountain is sacred and should remain inviolate. Of those, Mount Kailash, a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China, with an altitude of 6,638 m (21,778 ft), is one of the most prominent. It lies in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. Mount Kailash is considered sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon. Because of its status as a sacred mountain there are annual pilgrimages to see it, but any climbing activities on it are forbidden.[2]

Additionally, since climbing tall mountains is usually a major undertaking and climbers are attracted to climbing the tallest ones, lower peaks (even if they are very formidable) simply get less attention, and instead the taller peaks are summited again, by parties following a new route, or perhaps during the winter when conditions are generally more treacherous.[1]

Challenges in definition

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Definition of a mountain

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Figure 1. Vertical arrows show the topographic prominence of three peaks on an island. The dashed horizontal lines show the lowest contours that do not encircle higher peaks. Curved arrows point from a peak to its parent.

Many mountains, in addition to their highest point or peak, also have subpeaks. There is no universally accepted way of deciding when a subpeak is distinct enough to be classified as a mountain in its own right; therefore, any list of the world's mountains is subject to dispute. The topographic prominence of each apex and the general topography of the area both come into consideration when determining their status. Although objective criteria have been proposed, there is no widely agreed standard. In 1994, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation classified 82 mountain peaks in the Alps whose summits were at least 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level and with at least 30 m (98 ft) of topographic prominence over any adjacent mountain pass or col, as a distinct peak.[3]

Verification of unclimbed status

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It can be difficult sometimes to determine whether or not a mountain peak has been fully summited. Long before modern mountaineering commenced in the middle of the 19th century, evidence indicates that people did indeed travel up to the summits or near to the summits of major mountain peaks. Archaeological excavations in the Andes have shown that humans traveled up to 6,739 m (22,110 ft) in prehistoric times.[4] Permanent settlements as high as 4,500 m (14,800 ft) were established as far back as 12,000 years ago in the Andes.[5] In the Greater Himalaya region, Lhasa, in Tibet, sitting at 3,650 m (11,980 ft) has been permanently occupied since the 7th century and many smaller settlements across the Greater Himalaya thrive at elevations exceeding 4,000 m (13,000 ft).[6] With humans living at high elevations for many millennia, nearby peaks to such settlements may or may not have been summited at some point in the past. However, many regions away from settlements may never have been explored, especially since some high peaks in the Greater Ranges are so remote that they were unknown to local inhabitants until they were sighted by explorers.

The world's third-tallest peak, Kangchenjunga, has been summited a number of times, but on the 1955 expedition the first climbers of the peak agreed to honor the wishes of locals and not set foot on the topmost part of the mountain.[7] Succeeding mountaineering parties may (or may not) have followed this tradition. Machapuchare had only one summit attempt back in 1957 when climbers came within 150 m (490 ft) of the summit, but turned back to honour King Mahendra's words, as he had permitted them to climb without stepping foot on the summit itself; Nepal then banned future attempts,[8] but Bill Denz may have climbed the mountain illegally decades later.[9]

Gangkhar Puensum

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Main article: Gangkhar Puensum
Summit of Gangkhar Puensum from Gophu La pass, Bhutan

The mountain most widely claimed to be the highest unclimbed mountain in the world in terms of elevation is Gangkhar Puensum (7,570 m, 24,840 ft).[10] It is in Bhutan, on or near the border with China. In Bhutan, the climbing of mountains higher than 6,000 m (20,000 ft) has been prohibited since 1994.[11] The rationale for this prohibition is based on local customs that consider this and similar peaks to be the sacred homes of protective deities and spirits,[11] and the lack of high-altitude rescue resources from any locale closer than India. The prohibition was further expanded in 2003 when mountaineering of any kind was disallowed entirely within Bhutan.[12] Gangkhar Puensum will likely remain unclimbed so long as the government of Bhutan prohibits it.[13]

Highest unclimbed non-prohibited peak

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A sub-peak of Kunyang Chhish is one of highest unclimbed non-prohibited peak.

It is unclear which is the highest unclimbed non-prohibited mountain. While some recognize only peaks with 100 m (330 ft)[citation needed] of topographical prominence as individual summits, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation was using a 30 m (98 ft) cutoff for determining individual summits (from 1994 to at least 2013[14][15]).[16][17] Unclimbed summits includes Summa Ri (7,302 m or 23,957 ft) with prominence of 246 m or 807 ft, and Labuche Kang III/East (7,250 m, 23,790 ft) with prominence of 570 m (1,870 ft).

Most prominent unclimbed peak

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Mount Siple on Siple Island is one of the most prominent unclimbed peaks.

Unclimbed candidates with high topographic prominence are by definition independent mountains, but some have relatively modest elevations. With such peaks, there is a greater possibility of undocumented ascents, perhaps occurring long ago.

As of November 2025, Sauyr Zhotasy[18] (3,840 m or 12,600 ft, prominence of 3,252 m or 10,669 ft), the high point in the Saur Range on the border between Kazakhstan and China, and Mount Siple (3,110 m or 10,200 ft, prominence of 3,110 m or 10,200 ft) on Siple Island off the coast of Antarctica, have no record of successful ascents. The unclimbed status of each of these peaks is difficult to confirm, although Mount Siple in particular is remote, uninhabited (and without any nearby habitation), and seldom visited.[19]

List of highest unclimbed peaks

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The following peaks, with a minimum prominence of 150 m (490 ft), were thought to be unclimbed as of 12 November 2025. At least 21 peaks of over 7000 m are thought to have been unclimbed.[20]

Mountains with prominence over 300 m are in bold.

Rank Peak Height Prominence Parent Location
m ft m ft
1 Gangkhar Puensum 7570 24836 2995 9826 Kangchenjunga Bhutan/China
2 Kunyang Chhish West[a] 7350 24114 202 663 Kunyang Chhish Pakistan
3 Summa Ri[b] 7302 23957 246 807 Skilbrum Pakistan
4 Labuche Kang II[c] 7250 23786 570 1870 Labuche Kang China
5 Apsarasas Kangri[d] 7243 23763 607 1991 Teram Kangri I India
6 Tongshanjiabu[e] 7207 23645 1757 5764 Gangkhar Puensum Bhutan/China
7 Skyang Kangri West 7174 23537 194 636 Skyang Kangri Pakistan
8 Chamar South 7161 23494 219 719 Chamar Nepal
9 Namcha Barwa II 7146 23445 166 545 Namcha Barwa China
10 Chongtar Kangri NE 7145 23442 205 673 Chongtar Kangri China
11 Asapurna I[f] 7140 23425 262 860 Annapurna I Nepal
12 Urdok Kangri II[g] 7137 23415 321 1053 Sia Kangri Pakistan/China
13 Praqpa Kangri I[h] 7134 23406 668 2192 Skilbrum Pakistan
14 Annapurna Dakshin NE 7126 23379 151 495 Annapurna Dakshin Nepal
15 Teri Kang 7125 23376 454 1490 Tongshanjiabu Bhutan/China
16 Sanglung 7095 23278 995 3264 Namcha Barwa China
17 Sia Kangri II[i] 7075 23212 347 1134 Sia Kangri Pakistan/China
18 Asapurna II[j] 7069 23192 156 512 Asapurna I Nepal
19 Malangutti Sar South 7061 23166 157 515 Malangutti Sar Pakistan
20 East Labuche Kang II[k] 7040 23097 180 591 Labuche Kang II China
21 Shudu Tsenpa 7024 23045 547 1795 Pauhunri India/China

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Also known as Pyramid Peak.
  2. ^ Also known as Savoia Kangri.
  3. ^ Also known as Labuche Kang East.
  4. ^ Jurgalski considers the unclimbed peak known as "Apsarasis III" just higher than "Apsarasis I" (7241 m), which was climbed on August 7, 1976.[21]
  5. ^ Also known as Gyalbu Kangri.
  6. ^ Also known as West Gangapurna.[22]
  7. ^ Also known as Sia Kangri North.
  8. ^ Also known as Praqpa Ri.
  9. ^ Also known as Mount Hardinge or Sia Kangri South.
  10. ^ Also known as Tare Kang.[23]
  11. ^ Also known as Peak 7040.

References

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  1. ^ a b Nuwer, Rachel (July 4, 2014). "The mountains we have never climbed". BBC. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  2. ^ "Kailash Mansarovar Yatra | District Pithoragarh, Government of Uttarakhand | India". Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "Mountain Classification". UIAA-International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  4. ^ Reinhard, Johan; Ceruti, Constanza (2010). Inca Rituals and Sacred Mountains: A Study of the World's Highest Archaeological Sites. Institute of Archaeology Press. ISBN 9781931745765.
  5. ^ Ghose, Tia (October 23, 2014). "Oldest High-Altitude Human Settlement Discovered in Andes". Live Science. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Gill, Nicholas (February 8, 2016). "Where are the world's highest cities?". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Band, George (1955). "Kangchenjunga Climbed" (PDF). Alpine Journal. 60: 207–226.
  8. ^ Noyce, Wilfrid (1998) [1958]. Climbing the fish's tail. Pilgrims Book House. ISBN 978-8173031007. OCLC 857085947. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  9. ^ AnOther (July 22, 2016). "The Untouched Holy Mountain of Nepal". AnOther. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  10. ^ Itami, Tsuguyasu (October 2001). "Gankarpunzum & First Ascent Of Liankang Kangri" (PDF). Japanese Alpine News. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Verschuuren, Bas (2016). "Nye within protected areas of Bhutan". Asian Sacred Natural Sites: Philosophy and practice in protected areas and conservation. Routledge.
  12. ^ Mason, Colin (2014). "Nepal and Bhutan". A Short History of Asia. Macmillan International Higher Education. ISBN 9781137340634.
  13. ^ Jennings, Ken (December 14, 2015). "What's The World's Highest Mountain That's Never Been Climbed". Conde Nast. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  14. ^ Podobnikar, Tomaž. "Papers - Workshop in Borsa, Romania, 2010 - Mountains' Peaks Determination Supported with Shapes Analysis". Commission on Mountain Cartography. p. 113. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  15. ^ "UIAA looking at how 8000 meter peaks are identified". Recreation Law. September 5, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  16. ^ "Grades & Standards / Peak Classifications / 8000m Peaks". UIAA. October 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  17. ^ Bîca, Ioan (September 30, 2021). "TOPOGRAPHICAL PROMINENCE OF THE PEAKS FROM FĂGĂRAȘ MOUNTAINS (ROMANIA) WITH RELEVANCE TO THE MOUNTAIN ACTIVITIES. METHODOLOGICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS". Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai Educatio Artis Gymnasticae: 110. doi:10.24193/subbeag.66(3).28. ISSN 2065-9547.
  18. ^ "Sauyr Zhotasy - Peakbagger.com". www.peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  19. ^ "Skiing the Pacific Ring of Fire and Beyond: Mount Siple". www.skimountaineer.com. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  20. ^ Jurgalski, Eberhald (August 17, 2018). "High Asia – All mountains and main peaks above 6650 m".
  21. ^ Misawa, Hideo (1977). "Apsaras" (PDF). American Alpine Journal. 21: 271.
  22. ^ Montagnes. "103 nouveaux sommets autorisés au Népal". Montagnes Magazine : l'actu montagne, alpinisme, test matériel ski rando, randonnée (in French). Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  23. ^ "AAC Publications - Tarke Kang and Tare Kang, Clarification of Names and Ascents". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved November 17, 2025.