Kathmandu: Nepal has formally sought international recognition for six additional mountains above 8,000 metres, presenting its case at the opening of the General Assembly of the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) in Kathmandu on Thursday, Everest Chronicle reported.

Source: Everest Chronicle

Fur Gelje Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), presented profiles of the six peaks along with a study report supporting their recognition as separate mountains. The NMA study team assessed and measured the peaks, compiling evidence of their geographical identities, distinct summits and separate climbing routes; according to The Tourism Times, the team was led by Madhu Sudan Adhikari and its members were to present the findings to the international delegates.

Source: The Tourism Times

The six peaks Nepal wants recognised

Four of the peaks are in the Kanchenjunga range: Kanchenjunga South (8,476 metres), Kanchenjunga West (8,077 metres), Kanchenjunga Central (8,473 metres) and Yalung Khang (8,595 metres). The other two, Lhotse Middle (8,410 metres) and Lhotse Shar (8,400 metres), are in the Everest-Lhotse region.

8,595 mYalung Khang — the highest of the six proposed peaks
14 to 20World's recognised 8,000-metre peaks if all six are accepted
95Delegates from 45 countries at the Kathmandu assembly

The Government of Nepal has already opened the six peaks for mountaineering, and Nepal has issued climbing permits for them for years — climbers have summited them and received official certificates — but they have not yet received international recognition as separate 8,000-metre mountains. Sherpa argued that each peak has its own name, geographical identity and summit route and is regarded as distinct by local communities, noting that the name Kanchenjunga reflects the area's five great peaks, called 'Kanchen Che Nga' locally. "Climbing one summit does not mean reaching another one," he told the assembly.

Nepal currently has eight internationally recognised mountains above 8,000 metres: Everest (8,848.86 metres), Kanchenjunga (8,586 metres), Lhotse (8,516 metres), Makalu (8,463 metres), Cho Oyu (8,201 metres), Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres), Manaslu (8,163 metres) and Annapurna I (8,091 metres). If all six proposals are accepted, Nepal's tally would rise to 14 and the world total from 14 to 20, creating a new target for climbers chasing the highest-peaks record — Nepalese climber Nirmal Purja completed all 14 currently recognised peaks in six months and six days in 2019.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Nepal's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadak Raj Poudel described the mountains as a source of national pride deeply intertwined with local cultures and communities, and stressed protecting the Himalayas, which supply water to billions of people across Asia. The Kathmandu gathering is the third UIAA General Assembly held in Nepal, after 1982 and 2011, and has brought together 95 delegates from 45 countries across five continents. The NMA has asked the UIAA executive board to formally evaluate the six peaks on geographical, scientific and international mountaineering criteria; no decision was announced at the opening.