Labuche Kang (Lapche Kang, Lobuche Kang I, Choksiam)
Rising to 7,367 meters (24,170 feet) in southern Tibet, Labuche Kang is one of the world’s highest mountains and the dominant summit of a remote Himalayan massif lying between Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. Also known as Lapche Kang, Labchi Kang, Lobuche Kang, and Choksiam, the mountain is far less familiar than the neighboring eight-thousanders despite ranking among approximately the 75 highest mountains on Earth.
Labuche Kang is particularly impressive from a topographic perspective. Its approximately 1,957 meters (6,421 feet) of prominence easily exceeds the 1,500-meter threshold required for classification as an ultra-prominent mountain. Its nearest higher neighbor is Cho Oyu, roughly 37 kilometers to the southeast.
The mountain was first climbed in October 1987 by a joint Chinese-Japanese expedition. Eight climbers reached the summit on October 26, followed by another seven on October 27, meaning 15 expedition members eventually stood on top. The route climbed the northwest side of the mountain before gaining the west ridge.
⚡ Fast Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Mountain | Labuche Kang |
| Alternate Names | Lapche Kang, Labchi Kang, Lobuche Kang, Choksiam, Labujikang |
| Chinese Name | 拉布吉康 |
| Continent | Asia |
| Country | China |
| Region | Tibet Autonomous Region |
| Mountain Range | Himalayas |
| Subrange | Labuche Himal / Lapchi Kang group |
| Elevation | 7,367 m / 24,170 ft |
| Prominence | 1,957 m / 6,421 ft |
| Isolation | 36.7 km / 22.8 mi |
| Key Col | Approximately 5,410 m / 17,749 ft |
| Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) | Cho Oyu |
| Parent Peak | Cho Oyu |
| Coordinates | Approximately 28.3042° N, 86.3508° E |
| Classification | Seven-thousander and ultra-prominent peak |
| Approximate World Rank | Around 75th by elevation |
| First Ascent | October 26, 1987 |
| First-Ascent Route | Northwest Face to West Ridge |
| Main Summit Status | Climbed |
| Highest Peak of Massif | Yes |
📍 Where Is Labuche Kang?
Labuche Kang lies entirely within the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, north of the main Himalayan crest separating Tibet from Nepal.
The mountain occupies a fascinating position between two of the world’s fourteen eight-thousanders. Cho Oyu, at 8,188 meters, lies to the southeast, while Shishapangma, at 8,027 meters, rises to the west.
To the south are the high mountains of Nepal’s Rolwaling region.
This makes Labuche Kang part of an extraordinary concentration of Himalayan peaks, yet the massif itself remains comparatively obscure.
Historical geographic classifications have used several names for this region, including:
- Labuche Himal
- Labchi Kang
- Lapche Kang
- Pamari Himal
The American Alpine Journal describes the main spine of the group as lying northwest of the Rolwaling Himal and containing three principal summits above 7,000 meters.
🏔️ Labuche Kang or Lobuche?
The mountain’s name can be confusing because several English transliterations have appeared in maps and mountaineering literature.
Common variations include:
- Labuche Kang
- Lapche Kang
- Labchi Kang
- Lobuche Kang
- Choksiam
These all refer to the same main 7,367-meter mountain or its associated massif, depending on context.
It should not be confused with Lobuche East and Lobuche West in Nepal’s Khumbu region. Those are completely different mountains located near Everest and are considerably lower.
The similarity is primarily the result of different systems for transliterating Tibetan place names into the Latin alphabet.
📏 How High Is Labuche Kang?
Labuche Kang reaches an accepted elevation of approximately 7,367 meters, or 24,170 feet.
That height commonly places it around 75th among the world’s highest independent mountains, although exact rankings vary depending on the prominence criteria used when deciding which subsidiary summits count as separate mountains.
Its height places Labuche Kang above numerous better-known Himalayan summits.
Only the exceptional concentration of huge mountains throughout the Himalayas and Karakoram can make a 7,367-meter peak appear relatively obscure.
📐 An Ultra-Prominent Mountain
Labuche Kang has approximately 1,957 meters of topographic prominence.
Topographic prominence measures the height of a summit above the lowest saddle connecting it to higher terrain.
A mountain with at least 1,500 meters of prominence qualifies as an ultra-prominent peak, or Ultra.
Labuche Kang therefore clears the threshold by more than 450 meters.
Its key col is approximately 5,410 meters high.
The mountain also has approximately 36.7 kilometers (22.8 miles) of topographic isolation, meaning a climber would need to travel that distance before encountering terrain reaching Labuche Kang’s elevation again.
🧭 Nearest Higher Neighbor: Cho Oyu
Labuche Kang’s Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) is Cho Oyu.
Cho Oyu rises to approximately 8,188 meters (26,864 feet) on the China-Nepal border southeast of Labuche Kang.
Peakbagger places the nearest higher terrain approximately 36.7 kilometers away in the direction of Cho Oyu.
Cho Oyu is also Labuche Kang’s logical topographic parent.
Although Shishapangma is another nearby eight-thousander, the connecting topography ultimately leads toward the higher Cho Oyu massif.
🌄 Between Cho Oyu and Shishapangma
The geographic setting of Labuche Kang is one of its most interesting characteristics.
Few mountains can claim to stand almost directly between two eight-thousanders.
Cho Oyu is the sixth-highest mountain on Earth.
Shishapangma is the fourteenth highest.
From the summit of Labuche Kang, the first ascenders reported an extraordinary panorama that included Cho Oyu, Everest, Shishapangma, Gauri Sankar, and numerous other Himalayan peaks.
Despite these famous neighbors, Labuche Kang is highly independent.
Its nearly 2,000 meters of prominence means it is not simply a subsidiary bump on the ridge of Cho Oyu or Shishapangma but a substantial mountain in its own right.
🏔️ The Labuche Kang Massif
Labuche Kang is the highest point of a massif containing several major 7,000-meter summits.
Unfortunately, the numbering of these mountains is confusing.
The three best-known high summits are generally described as:
- Labuche Kang I — 7,367 m
- A western summit — approximately 7,072 m
- A high eastern summit — approximately 7,250 m
Historical expeditions did not always number these peaks consistently.
The 7,072-meter western summit was called Labuche Kang II when a Swiss expedition climbed it in 1995.
Later geographic classifications recognized the 7,250-meter eastern mountain as the more substantial independent summit. Some modern mountaineering sources therefore call the eastern peak Labuche Kang II or Lapche Kang II, while others continue to call it Labuche Kang III.
For Mountain Field Guide, it makes sense to retain the established article names while explaining the discrepancy clearly.
🪨 Geology of Labuche Kang
Labuche Kang belongs to the central Himalayan mountain system created by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian continental plates.
India traveled northward after separating from Gondwana and eventually collided with Eurasia approximately 40 to 50 million years ago.
Because both plates contain relatively buoyant continental crust, neither could simply disappear beneath the other in the way dense oceanic crust commonly does.
Instead, immense quantities of crust were shortened, folded, faulted, metamorphosed, thickened, and pushed upward.
This process created both the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.
The collision remains active today. Modern geophysical measurements show India continuing to converge with Eurasia at several centimeters per year, producing earthquakes and continuing deformation throughout the Himalayan region.
More detailed geological work in the Cho Oyu–Everest region describes complex relationships among high-grade metamorphic rocks, sedimentary sequences, folds, shear zones, and major fault systems.
Labuche Kang belongs to this broader central Himalayan tectonic province, although detailed summit-specific geological mapping is comparatively scarce.
❄️ Glaciers
Glaciers dominate Labuche Kang’s upper slopes.
The 1987 first-ascent team established Camp II at approximately 6,150 meters on a hanging glacier on the northwest face.
From there, the expedition fixed ropes across steep snow and ice before gaining the west ridge.
The mountain’s glaciers are part of the larger network of ice fields occupying the Chinese Himalaya.
These glaciers store enormous quantities of frozen water and feed streams that ultimately drain into the Sun Kosi, Kosi, Ganges, and Bay of Bengal drainage system.
Glacial retreat throughout the Himalayas has also led to the growth of many moraine-dammed lakes. Research on the Chinese Himalaya has identified glacial lake outburst floods as an important regional hazard associated with changing glaciers and unstable moraine dams.
🌦️ Climate
Labuche Kang occupies the northern side of the Himalayas, where conditions are considerably drier than in many valleys south of the main range.
The Himalayas intercept moisture traveling northward from the Indian subcontinent, producing a strong rain-shadow effect across southern Tibet.
Lower landscapes consequently include semi-arid shrubland, alpine steppe, rocky valleys, and high-elevation grasslands.
The upper mountain is completely different.
Above 7,000 meters, Labuche Kang experiences permanent snow and ice, extreme cold, violent winds, very low atmospheric pressure, and rapidly changing weather.
The 1987 first-ascent expedition experienced a major blizzard from October 17 to 19. Heavy snowfall buried Camp I beneath an avalanche or snow slide, although no expedition members were injured.
🔭 The 1986 Reconnaissance
Before the successful ascent, a joint Chinese-Japanese team reconnoitered Labuche Kang in 1986.
The expedition operated between September 1 and October 5.
Base Camp was established near Longoro village at approximately 4,500 meters, followed by an Advance Base at roughly 5,300 meters.
The reconnaissance climbers examined several possible approaches.
They concluded that the north face and north ridge were unsuitable.
A more promising route was identified by climbing toward a roughly 6,200-meter col and examining the west ridge.
That reconnaissance proved crucial.
The following year’s expedition returned with a much larger team and followed the general route identified in 1986.
🧗 First Ascent Expedition
The first-ascent expedition was a joint effort between the Tibet Mountaineering Association and the Himalayan Association of Japan.
It consisted of nine members from each association.
The expedition was led by Cheng Tian Liang, with Japanese climber Ken’ichi Yamamori serving as deputy leader.
Base Camp was established on September 16, 1987, at approximately 4,500 meters near Langgoloz village.
Advance Base was placed four days later at approximately 5,300 meters, about 21 kilometers farther up the valley.
Camp I followed on September 28 at roughly 5,600 meters.
By October 6, the climbers had established Camp II at approximately 6,150 meters on the hanging glacier of the northwest face.
🪢 Reaching the West Ridge
The section above Camp II required extensive rope fixing.
The expedition installed approximately 20 fixed ropes to reach the west ridge.
Then the weather deteriorated.
A blizzard between October 17 and 19 produced heavy snow and temporarily disrupted the climb. Camp I was struck and buried by sliding snow, but everyone escaped injury.
After conditions improved, the climbers resumed their ascent.
On October 25, Camp III was established at approximately 6,900 meters on the west ridge.
The summit was now within reach.
🏆 First Summit — October 26, 1987
On October 26, 1987, eight climbers left Camp III for the summit.
The Japanese members were:
- Ataru Deuchi
- Hidekatsu Furukawa
- Keiichi Sudo
- Osamu Tanabe
The Tibetan members were:
- Wanjia
- Diaqiog
- Gyala
- Lhaji
The team installed approximately another 700 meters of fixed rope above Camp III.
After around five and a half hours, all eight climbers reached the 7,367-meter summit.
The first ascent of Labuche Kang was complete.
🏔️ Seven More Summit the Next Day
A second summit party departed Camp III on October 27 despite strong winds and poor weather.
The Japanese climbers were:
- Sadao Ogawa
- Yasuhiro Hashimoto
- Toshiya Takahashi
The Tibetan climbers were:
- Lhaba
- Pupu
- Akapu
- Tonglu
All seven reached the summit.
Across the two days, 15 climbers—seven Japanese and eight Tibetans—successfully reached the top of Labuche Kang.
That total is worth clarifying because shortened accounts of the first ascent sometimes omit one member of the October 26 team.
👩 Lhaji and an Unusual Mountaineering Record
One particularly interesting member of the first summit team was Lhaji, a Tibetan climber who was only 17 years old.
The Himalayan Journal reported that her ascent represented a record at the time for the youngest climber to summit a previously unclimbed 7,000-meter mountain.
Tonglu, who reached the summit on October 27, was also a woman.
Their participation makes the Labuche Kang expedition particularly noteworthy in the history of Tibetan high-altitude mountaineering.
🏔️ Labuche Kang II — The 7,072-Meter Summit
A separate 7,072-meter summit lies a few kilometers west of the main Labuche Kang.
A Swiss Alpine Club expedition completed its first ascent in 1995.
An Italian team had unsuccessfully attempted it in 1992.
The Swiss climbers established Base Camp at approximately 5,300 meters and climbed through a difficult serac barrier to reach Camp I at roughly 5,750 meters.
Camp II was established at approximately 6,300 meters on the col between the 7,367-meter main summit and the 7,072-meter peak.
The upper route followed a steep east ridge containing ice of approximately 55 degrees.
The team fixed around 1,000 meters of rope.
Remarkably, all ten expedition members reached the summit in three separate groups between April 30 and May 5, 1995.
🏔️ Labuche Kang III / East
Another major summit rises east of the main mountain.
Generally listed at approximately 7,250 meters, this peak is now commonly called Labuche Kang III, Labuche Kang East, or Lapche Kang II.
It has approximately 570 meters of prominence and stands only about 3.17 kilometers east of the main summit.
Unlike Labuche Kang itself, this eastern mountain has no confirmed ascent in the major mountaineering records reviewed through 2026.
The confusing numbering of the western and eastern summits is one reason searches for Labuche Kang climbing history sometimes produce apparently contradictory results.
⚠️ The 2010 Joe Puryear Expedition
The Labuche Kang massif returned to international climbing attention in 2010.
American climbers Joe Puryear and David Gottlieb traveled to Tibet intending to explore the largely unknown southern side of the massif.
Puryear described the expedition before departure as an exploration of Labuche Kang and its surrounding unclimbed 7,000- and 6,000-meter peaks. He noted that the main 7,367-meter summit had received only one previous ascent, by the 1987 Tibetan-Japanese expedition.
On October 27, the expedition ended tragically.
Puryear was moving unroped along a ridge when he broke through a cornice and fell to the glacier below.
The American Alpine Club reported a fall of approximately 700 feet.
Some later summaries describe this as an attempt on Labuche Kang itself, while Puryear’s own pre-expedition account makes clear that the climbers intended to explore the wider massif and its unclimbed peaks.
For that reason, it is safest to describe the 2010 journey as an exploratory Labuche Kang massif expedition rather than confidently assigning Puryear’s accident to a specific summit objective.
🥾 How Difficult Is Labuche Kang?
Labuche Kang is a serious high-altitude expedition mountain.
Although the 1987 west-ridge route successfully carried a large team to the summit, the climb required extensive fixed ropes, glacier travel, high camps, steep snow and ice, and sustained work at extreme altitude.
Major hazards include:
- Crevasses
- Hanging glaciers
- Avalanches
- Cornices
- Steep snow and ice
- Extreme cold
- High winds
- Whiteouts
- High-altitude illness
- Frostbite
- Exhaustion and dehydration
- Difficult evacuation
The first-ascent expedition’s experience demonstrates the avalanche danger particularly well. A single major storm buried one of its camps.
The mountain’s remoteness adds another level of difficulty. Labuche Kang has none of the permanent commercial infrastructure associated with Everest or Cho Oyu.
Climbers must operate far more independently.
🫁 Extreme Altitude
At 7,367 meters, Labuche Kang rises far above the elevation at which humans can permanently acclimatize.
Atmospheric pressure at the summit is less than half that at sea level.
Every physical task therefore requires considerably more effort.
Sleep becomes difficult, appetite often decreases, dehydration becomes easier, and recovery from exertion slows dramatically.
Serious altitude illnesses such as high-altitude cerebral edema and high-altitude pulmonary edema can become life-threatening.
Even relatively straightforward snow climbing becomes an extreme undertaking above 7,000 meters.
🌿 Flora and Fauna
There is essentially no meaningful vegetation on Labuche Kang’s summit or highest slopes.
Permanent snow, glacier ice, exposed rock, severe cold, strong wind, and extremely low atmospheric pressure dominate the upper mountain.
Lower elevations of southern Tibet are considerably more biologically diverse.
Research on vegetation across the Tibetan Plateau describes southern Tibetan landscapes below roughly 4,000 meters as containing shrub and steppe communities. At approximately 4,000 to 4,700 meters, alpine steppe becomes increasingly important, with plants such as Stipa, Artemisia, Caragana, Potentilla, and juniper occurring in suitable habitats.
Higher areas can support alpine meadows dominated by sedges and other cold-adapted plants before vegetation eventually disappears into the periglacial and permanent snow zones.
🐆 Wildlife of Southern Tibet
The wider protected Himalayan landscape of southern Tibet supports an impressive community of high-altitude animals.
Research in Qomolangma National Nature Reserve has documented species including:
- Snow leopard
- Blue sheep
- Gray wolf
- Eurasian lynx
- Brown bear
- Tibetan wild ass, or kiang
- Tibetan gazelle
- Himalayan tahr
- Red fox
- Pallas’s cat
These animals occupy lower grasslands, shrublands, rocky slopes, cliffs, forests, and alpine environments rather than Labuche Kang’s frozen summit.
Snow leopards are particularly associated with rugged terrain around approximately 4,000 meters, where sufficient prey and rocky cover are available.
The enormous elevation range of the region allows several ecological zones to exist within a relatively short geographical distance.
🌊 Drainage
Although Labuche Kang stands entirely in Tibet, water originating from its glaciers ultimately flows south toward Nepal and India.
Peakbagger places the mountain within the drainage system of the:
- Sun Kosi
- Kosi
- Ganges
- Bay of Bengal
This illustrates an important characteristic of the Himalayan watershed.
Political borders do not necessarily follow the final destinations of rivers.
Snow falling on a Tibetan mountain can eventually melt into streams that travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers through Nepal and India before reaching the Indian Ocean.
🌏 Why Is Labuche Kang So Little Known?
Labuche Kang has almost every characteristic that normally makes a mountain famous.
It exceeds 7,300 meters.
It is an ultra-prominent peak.
It ranks among approximately the 75 highest mountains on Earth.
It has a dramatic first-ascent story.
Its summit provides views toward Everest, Cho Oyu, and Shishapangma.
Its massif still contains extremely high unclimbed terrain.
Yet it remains obscure.
Its location explains much of this.
Labuche Kang lies entirely in Tibet, away from the famous trekking corridors on the Nepalese side of the Himalayas.
It also occupies the unfortunate position of standing between two much higher and vastly more famous mountains.
To the southeast is Cho Oyu.
To the west is Shishapangma.
Farther east is Everest.
In almost any mountain range outside High Asia, Labuche Kang would be one of the defining geographical features of an entire region.
Here, a 7,367-meter summit can almost disappear among giants.
💡 Labuche Kang Fun Facts
- Labuche Kang rises to approximately 7,367 meters (24,170 feet).
- It is commonly ranked around the 75th-highest mountain on Earth.
- The mountain has approximately 1,957 meters of prominence.
- Labuche Kang is an ultra-prominent peak.
- Its topographic isolation is approximately 36.7 kilometers.
- Its Nearest Higher Neighbor is Cho Oyu.
- Labuche Kang lies between Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.
- The mountain is also known as Lapche Kang, Labchi Kang, Lobuche Kang, and Choksiam.
- A Chinese-Japanese expedition reconnoitered the mountain in 1986.
- The north face and north ridge were rejected during that reconnaissance.
- The successful expedition returned in 1987.
- Eight climbers completed the first ascent on October 26.
- Seven more summited on October 27.
- A total of 15 climbers reached the summit during the expedition.
- The first-ascent route followed the northwest side onto the west ridge.
- Climbers installed hundreds of meters of fixed rope.
- A blizzard buried Camp I during the expedition, but no one was injured.
- Tibetan climber Lhaji was only 17 when she reached the summit.
- The 7,072-meter western summit was first climbed in 1995.
- The approximately 7,250-meter eastern summit remains without a confirmed ascent in major records reviewed through 2026.
- American climber Joe Puryear died during an exploratory expedition to the massif in 2010.
❓ Labuche Kang FAQ
How high is Labuche Kang?
Labuche Kang reaches approximately 7,367 meters (24,170 feet) above sea level.
Where is Labuche Kang?
Labuche Kang is located entirely within the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, between Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.
What mountain range is Labuche Kang in?
It belongs to the Himalayas and is the highest mountain of the group commonly called the Labuche Himal, Labchi Kang, Lapche Kang, or Pamari Himal.
Is Labuche Kang the same as Lobuche East?
No. Lobuche East is a much lower climbing peak in Nepal’s Khumbu region. Labuche Kang is a 7,367-meter mountain entirely within Tibet.
What is Labuche Kang’s Nearest Higher Neighbor?
The Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) is Cho Oyu, located southeast of Labuche Kang.
How prominent is Labuche Kang?
It has approximately 1,957 meters (6,421 feet) of topographic prominence.
Is Labuche Kang an ultra-prominent mountain?
Yes. Its prominence exceeds the 1,500-meter threshold required for classification as an Ultra.
Who first climbed Labuche Kang?
A joint expedition from the Tibet Mountaineering Association and Himalayan Association of Japan completed the first ascent.
Eight Tibetan and Japanese climbers reached the summit on October 26, 1987.
How many climbers summited during the first-ascent expedition?
Fifteen expedition members reached the summit over two days—eight on October 26 and seven on October 27.
What route was used for the first ascent?
The expedition climbed the mountain’s northwest side and hanging glacier before gaining the west ridge, which led toward the summit.
Was Labuche Kang reconnoitered before the first ascent?
Yes. A joint Chinese-Japanese reconnaissance expedition examined the mountain in 1986 and identified the west ridge as the most promising route.
What is Labuche Kang II?
Historical accounts generally use Labuche Kang II for a 7,072-meter summit west of the main mountain. A Swiss expedition completed its first ascent in 1995.
What is Labuche Kang III?
Labuche Kang III is an approximately 7,250-meter summit east of the main peak. It is also known as Labuche Kang East or, in some mountaineering literature, Lapche Kang II.
Has Labuche Kang III been climbed?
No confirmed ascent appears in the major mountaineering records reviewed through 2026.
Did Joe Puryear die on Labuche Kang?
American climber Joe Puryear died during a 2010 expedition exploring the Labuche Kang massif. He broke through a cornice while moving along a ridge and fell to the glacier below. His expedition was exploring the southern side of the massif and its numerous unclimbed peaks, so assigning the accident specifically to an attempt on the already-climbed main summit can be misleading.
Can you hike Labuche Kang?
No. Labuche Kang is an extreme expedition mountaineering objective requiring glacier travel, technical snow and ice skills, high-altitude acclimatization, specialized equipment, permits, logistical support, and substantial Himalayan climbing experience.
🔗 Related Articles
📚 Sources
- Peakbagger — Labuche Kang
- American Alpine Journal — Labuche Kang, 1987 First Ascent
- American Alpine Journal — Labuche Kang Reconnaissance, 1986
- Himalayan Journal — Labuche Kang First Ascent
- Himalayan Journal — First Ascent of Labuche Kang II
- American Alpine Journal — Lobuche Kang II, First Ascent
- American Alpine Journal — Labchi Kang Group, First Ascents
- Joe Puryear — 2010 Labuche Kang Expedition
- American Alpine Club — Joseph Nicholi Puryear
- U.S. Geological Survey — The Himalayas: Two Continents Collide
- Journal of Glaciology — Moraine-Dammed Lakes and Outburst Flood Risk in the Chinese Himalaya
- Frontiers in Earth Science — Modern Pollen Rain and Vegetation of the Tibetan Plateau
- Zoological Research — Snow Leopard Habitat in Qomolangma National Nature Reserve
