Chomo Lonzo: Elevation, First Ascent, Makalu Neighbor & Fast Facts

Chomo Lonzo (珠穆隆索峰, Zhūmùlóngsuǒ Fēng)

View of Makalu and surrounding mountains from Kongma La pass

Rising to approximately 7,790 meters (25,557 feet) in southern Tibet, Chomo Lonzo is one of the highest mountains on Earth and one of the great lesser-known giants of the Makalu region. The mountain stands only a few kilometers northeast of Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak, and lies entirely within the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

Chomo Lonzo is unusual because it is not a single simple summit. The massif contains three major tops: the 7,790-meter main or south summit, a 7,540-meter central summit, and a 7,199-meter north summit. From the Tibetan side, these peaks form an enormous multi-summited mountain wall overlooking the Kangshung region.

Its topographic prominence is comparatively modest—about 590 meters (1,936 feet)—because the mountain is closely connected to much higher Makalu. Its isolation is approximately 4.04 kilometers (2.51 miles), and Makalu is both its line parent and Nearest Higher Neighbor.

Despite that close relationship, Chomo Lonzo is a formidable mountain in its own right. Its northeastern side falls away in immense walls, while the western and southwestern sides connect to the high Makalu–Chomo Lonzo glacier system.

French climbers Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray made the first ascent on October 30, 1954, reaching the main summit by the southwest ridge from the high saddle separating Chomo Lonzo from Makalu. Their climb took place during the French reconnaissance expedition that would return the following year to make the first ascent of Makalu itself.

The mountain then saw remarkably little activity. A Japanese team finally completed the second ascent in 1993 by a new route from Tibet. More than a decade later, a strong French expedition made the first ascents of Chomo Lonzo’s north and central summits in 2005, adding some of the most impressive high-altitude alpine-style climbing in the mountain’s history.

⚡ Fast Facts

Fact	Details
Mountain	Chomo Lonzo
Alternate Names	Chomo Lönzo, Chomolonzo, Jomolönzo, Lhamalangcho
Chinese Name	珠穆隆索峰
Continent	Asia
Country	China
Region	Tibet Autonomous Region
Mountain Range	Himalayas
Subrange	Mahalangur Himal
Makalu Subsection	Yes
Main Summit Elevation	Approximately 7,790 m / 25,557 ft
Alternative Published Elevations	About 7,797–7,804 m
Central Summit	Approximately 7,540 m
North Summit	Approximately 7,199 m
Prominence	Approximately 590 m / 1,936 ft
Isolation	Approximately 4.04 km / 2.51 mi
Key Col	Approximately 7,200 m
Parent Peak	Makalu
Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN)	Makalu
Coordinates	Approximately 27.9306° N, 87.1080° E
Classification	Seven-thousander
Peakbagger 7,200 m Ranking	Approximately #25
First Ascent	October 30, 1954
First Ascenders	Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray
First-Ascent Route	Southwest Ridge from the Makalu-side saddle
Second Ascent	October 24, 1993
Second-Ascent Climbers	Hiroaki Takeishi and Katsumasa Takahashi
North Summit First Ascent	May 2005
Central Summit First Ascent	May 2005

📍 Where Is Chomo Lonzo?

Chomo Lonzo stands in southern Tibet, immediately northeast of Makalu and only a short distance from the Nepal–China border.

Unlike Makalu itself, whose summit lies on or immediately beside the international frontier, Chomo Lonzo is located entirely within Chinese territory.

The mountain belongs to the Mahalangur Himal, one of the most important sections of the central Himalayas.

This larger range contains:

Mount Everest
Lhotse
Makalu
Cho Oyu
Chomo Lonzo
Kangchungtse

The Himalayan Club places Chomo Lonzo within the Makalu subsection of the Mahalangur Himal.

From the Nepalese side, Makalu dominates the skyline so completely that Chomo Lonzo can seem almost like a subsidiary shoulder.

From Tibet, the situation is very different.

The mountain presents a dramatic collection of high summits and huge ice-covered faces above the Kangshung region.

🏔️ Chomo Lonzo and Makalu

No discussion of Chomo Lonzo makes sense without Makalu.

Makalu reaches approximately 8,485 meters (27,838 feet) and is the fifth-highest mountain on Earth.

Chomo Lonzo rises only about four kilometers from higher terrain on Makalu.

The two mountains are linked by a very high saddle commonly associated with the Sakietang La or Makalu-side col, around 7,200 meters.

This explains Chomo Lonzo’s relatively low prominence.

Although the mountain rises almost 7,800 meters above sea level, only about 590 meters of independent relief separate its summit from the connecting col toward Makalu.

In purely topographic terms, Chomo Lonzo is therefore closely subordinate to Makalu.

Visually and historically, however, it has always been treated as an individual mountain.

📏 How High Is Chomo Lonzo?

The elevation of Chomo Lonzo varies between sources.

Peakbagger currently uses:

7,790 meters / 25,557 feet

Older Himalayan and mountaineering sources have used:

7,797 meters
7,804 meters
Approximately 25,580 feet

These differences are not unusual for remote Himalayan summits.

Possible reasons include:

Historical survey methods
Different mapping datums
Snow and ice on the summit
Photogrammetric measurements
Satellite elevation models
Rounding between metric and imperial measurements

For Mountain Field Guide, 7,790 meters is a sensible primary figure because it aligns with Peakbagger and several mountaineering records.

The important point is that Chomo Lonzo remains one of the world’s roughly 25 highest summits above 7,200 meters when subsidiary peaks are included.

📐 Prominence and Isolation

Chomo Lonzo has approximately 590 meters (1,936 feet) of topographic prominence.

Its key col is around 7,200 meters.

That means the mountain does not qualify as an ultra-prominent peak, which would require at least 1,500 meters of prominence.

Its true topographic isolation is approximately:

4.04 kilometers / 2.51 miles

The isolation limit lies on Makalu.

This is extraordinarily short compared with isolated mountains such as Gongga Shan, Damavand, or Jengish Chokusu.

But in the Himalayas, closely packed 7,000- and 8,000-meter summits are common.

Chomo Lonzo is a perfect example of how extreme absolute elevation does not necessarily imply great topographic independence.

Milky way over Mt Chomo Lonzo in Tibet, China. | CHEN SHEN

🧭 Nearest Higher Neighbor: Makalu

Chomo Lonzo’s Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) is Makalu.

Makalu is also its line parent.

Higher terrain lies only a few kilometers to the south-southwest.

The two mountains are so closely connected that the first climbers of Chomo Lonzo actually reached it while exploring the high Makalu route.

This connection remains central to the mountain’s climbing history.

The original southwest-ridge route effectively began from the same high mountain system used to approach Makalu.

🏔️ Three Distinct Summits

One of the most interesting characteristics of Chomo Lonzo is its multi-summited form.

The massif contains three principal summits.

South or Main Summit

The main summit is the highest at approximately:

7,790 meters

This is the summit climbed by Couzy and Terray in 1954.

Central Summit

The central summit reaches approximately:

7,540 meters

It remained unclimbed until 2005.

North Summit

The north summit reaches approximately:

7,199 meters

It also remained unclimbed until the 2005 French expedition.

These summits are connected by extremely high, technical ridges.

The resulting massif is far more complex than a simple pyramid.

🦅 What Does Chomo Lonzo Mean?

The name Chomo Lonzo is commonly translated as “Bird Goddess” or “Goddess of the Birds.”

French climbers on the 2005 expedition also used this interpretation.

From the Tibetan side, the comparison feels particularly appropriate.

The three principal summits and long ridges can create the appearance of an enormous bird with outstretched wings.

As with many Tibetan mountain names, transliteration varies considerably.

Readers may encounter:

Chomo Lonzo
Chomo Lönzo
Chomolonzo
Jomolönzo
Lhamalangcho

These names generally refer to the same mountain massif.

🏔️ The Northeast Face

Chomo Lonzo’s northeast face is one of the most imposing features of the mountain.

It rises dramatically above the Tibetan side and has long attracted the attention of elite alpinists.

The face combines:

Steep snow
Ice
Rock
Seracs
Mixed terrain
Enormous vertical relief

French climbers exploring the mountain in 2005 initially considered routes on the northeastern side.

Heavy snow made conditions dangerously unstable, forcing them to abandon those plans and move toward the western side instead.

This decision ultimately led to the first ascents of the north and central summits.

🪨 Geology of Chomo Lonzo

Chomo Lonzo belongs to the enormously complex geological system of the Higher Himalayas.

Its history is tied directly to the collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

India moved northward after separating from Gondwana.

When the Indian continental margin reached Eurasia tens of millions of years ago, the remaining ocean between them closed.

The continental collision then compressed and thickened the crust.

Rocks were:

Folded
Faulted
Metamorphosed
Buried deeply
Partially melted
Uplifted
Exhumed through erosion

These processes created the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.

🪨 The Makalu Geological Region

Chomo Lonzo lies within the same broad geological region as Makalu.

Scientific studies of the Cho Oyu–Everest–Makalu area show that the region contains major exposures of the Higher Himalayan Crystalline rocks.

These include high-grade metamorphic rocks affected by multiple phases of deformation.

Typical rock types across the broader region include:

Gneiss
Schist
Migmatite
Granitic rocks
Metamorphosed sedimentary material

Later extensional structures overprinted some of the older compressional deformation.

The result is an exceptionally complicated mountain architecture.

🪨 Granite on the Upper Massif

Climbing accounts from Chomo Lonzo describe substantial granite terrain, particularly along ridges explored during the 2005 expedition.

That granite can form very steep and unstable high-altitude rock climbing.

During the first ascent of the central summit, the French climbers encountered a steep granite barrier above the saddle separating the north and central peaks.

One crux involved approximately 40 meters of difficult, unstable vertical rock at more than 7,000 meters.

At sea level, such climbing would already be serious.

At 7,100 meters, low oxygen and extreme cold magnify every technical difficulty.

❄️ Glaciers

Chomo Lonzo is surrounded by a complicated network of glaciers and permanent snowfields.

The mountain sits near the upper glacier systems associated with:

Makalu
Kangshung
Kharta
Upper Arun drainage

These glaciers have carved the enormous valleys and steep mountain faces surrounding the massif.

Ice plays several roles simultaneously.

It acts as:

A climbing route
An erosion mechanism
A water reservoir
A source of avalanche danger
A creator of crevasses and seracs

The mountain’s high elevation guarantees permanent snow and ice even though the Tibetan side of the Himalayas is considerably drier than Nepal’s southern slopes.

🌦️ Climate

Chomo Lonzo stands in a transitional climatic environment.

The Himalayan crest blocks much of the moisture moving northward from the South Asian monsoon.

Consequently, the Tibetan side is generally colder and drier than the valleys south of the main range.

However, the mountain rises almost 7,800 meters.

At those elevations, even limited precipitation falls primarily as snow.

Climbers may encounter:

Severe wind
Extreme cold
Blowing snow
Avalanches
Whiteouts
Rapid weather changes

High winds are particularly notable in the climbing history.

The 1993 Japanese expedition lost a high camp to wind.

The 2005 French expedition repeatedly reported winds strong enough to threaten tents and make climbing dangerous.

🌬️ Extreme Wind

Wind may be one of Chomo Lonzo’s defining high-altitude hazards.

During the 2005 French expedition, winds at high camp reportedly reached around 100 kilometers per hour.

Tents required extensive anchoring.

Even routine activities became difficult.

At extreme altitude, wind affects climbers in several ways:

Increases heat loss
Raises frostbite risk
Makes balance difficult
Blows snow into unstable deposits
Damages tents
Complicates communication
Increases exhaustion

A route that is technically possible in calm weather may become completely impractical in strong wind.

🔭 The French Makalu Reconnaissance of 1954

The first ascent of Chomo Lonzo emerged almost accidentally from another objective.

In autumn 1954, France sent a strong reconnaissance expedition to Makalu.

The team was organized under the leadership of Jean Franco.

Its purpose was to determine whether the mountain could be climbed during a larger expedition the following year.

The French established a route toward the Makalu Col.

Conditions were extremely cold and windy.

Despite that, expedition members realized that nearby high summits were accessible from the same upper camps.

This led to first ascents of both Kangchungtse, or Makalu II, and Chomo Lonzo.

🏆 First Ascent — October 30, 1954

On October 30, 1954, French climbers Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray reached the summit of Chomo Lonzo.

They climbed from the high saddle separating the mountain from Makalu and followed the southwest ridge toward the main summit.

The climb appears to have been relatively straightforward technically compared with many later Chomo Lonzo routes.

That description must be placed in context.

The climbers were operating near 7,800 meters in autumn Himalayan conditions with the equipment and forecasting available in the 1950s.

Even a moderate ridge at that altitude represented a major mountaineering achievement.

🧗 Lionel Terray

Lionel Terray was already one of the most accomplished climbers of his generation.

His career included participation in the historic 1950 French expedition to Annapurna, where Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal completed the first ascent of an 8,000-meter mountain.

Terray later made major first ascents around the world, including Fitz Roy in Patagonia.

The 1954 Chomo Lonzo ascent became another important achievement in his extraordinary career.

Only months later, he returned to the Makalu region.

🧗 Jean Couzy

Jean Couzy was another outstanding French alpinist.

He and Terray formed a formidable partnership.

In 1955, the pair became the first climbers to reach Makalu’s summit.

The rest of the French expedition subsequently followed, producing one of the most complete team successes in early 8,000-meter mountaineering.

Chomo Lonzo therefore occupies an unusual historical position.

It served almost as a rehearsal for one of the major achievements of the golden age of Himalayan exploration.

🏔️ Makalu First Ascent the Following Year

The French expedition returned in spring 1955.

On May 15, Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray reached Makalu’s summit.

Other team members followed on subsequent days.

The success was particularly notable because every climbing member of the expedition eventually reached the summit.

Their experience on Chomo Lonzo and Kangchungtse during the 1954 reconnaissance had provided valuable knowledge of:

High camps
Weather
Acclimatization
Glacier approaches
Makalu Col
Technical terrain

Chomo Lonzo therefore played a direct supporting role in the successful first ascent of Makalu.

🇯🇵 The 1993 Japanese Expedition

After 1954, the main summit remained unrepeated for nearly four decades.

In 1993, a nine-member expedition from Rikkyo University in Japan, led by Mitsumasa Ushikubo, approached the mountain from Tibet.

The team established Base Camp at approximately 4,750 meters on the Kangshung Glacier.

High camps followed at roughly:

5,300 m
5,800 m
6,300 m
6,950 m

The expedition attempted a new route rather than simply repeating the French line.

🌬️ High Winds in 1993

Weather created serious problems.

A summit attempt on October 19 ended at approximately 7,250 meters because of strong wind.

The following day, Camp III was destroyed.

The climbers rebuilt the camp and continued.

On October 24, 1993, four climbers left the highest camp.

Hiroaki Takeishi and Katsumasa Takahashi reached the summit.

Shuma Jimbo and Hideaki Watanabe turned around at approximately 7,500 meters.

This completed the second ascent of Chomo Lonzo and the first by the new Tibetan-side route.

🧗 A Rarely Climbed Main Summit

Even after the 1993 success, Chomo Lonzo did not become a frequently climbed 7,000-meter mountain.

Its main summit has seen remarkably little traffic compared with famous peaks of similar elevation.

Part of the reason is simple:

Makalu is next door.

Teams willing to organize a major expedition to this part of the Himalayas are often attracted to the 8,000-meter summit instead.

Chomo Lonzo also lacks a straightforward modern commercial route.

Its Tibetan approaches, extreme altitude, difficult faces, and small number of established lines keep it firmly within serious expedition mountaineering.

🧗 The 2005 French Expedition

The next great chapter in Chomo Lonzo’s history came in 2005.

An eight-person French expedition arrived with ambitious plans.

Team members included:

Stéphane Benoist
Yann Bonneville
Aymeric Clouet
Patrice Glairon-Rappaz
Yannick Graziani
Christophe Moulin
Christian Trommsdorff
Patrick Wagnon

The original goal involved the unclimbed central summit and potentially a much larger traverse.

Heavy snow on the eastern side forced the climbers to change their plans.

They shifted toward the west and northwest.

That decision led to an extraordinary series of climbs.

🏆 First Ascent of Chomo Lonzo North

In early May, Yannick Graziani, Christian Trommsdorff, and Patrick Wagnon climbed the northwest ridge of the 7,199-meter north summit.

Their climb ran from approximately May 3 to May 7.

The route involved around 1,500 meters of climbing and was rated TD in the expedition summary.

This was the first ascent of the north summit.

The achievement opened the possibility of continuing along the connecting ridge toward the central peak.

🧗 Unforgiven — West Face

A second French rope team found another solution to the north summit.

Stéphane Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz climbed a new route on its west face.

The route was named Unforgiven.

It involved:

Difficult mixed climbing
Steep ice
Serious high-altitude terrain

They reached the north summit before descending by the northwest ridge.

The 2005 expedition therefore completed two separate first routes on a summit that had never previously been climbed.

🏔️ The Central Summit

The expedition’s most ambitious achievement was the attempt on the 7,540-meter central summit.

Graziani, Trommsdorff, and Wagnon returned up the already climbed north summit.

From there, they began traversing the long ridge toward the central peak.

The terrain was significantly harder than expected.

The climbers had to descend toward a saddle near 7,050 meters before confronting steep granite barriers.

Cornices, towers, rotten rock, and exposed traverses made the route extremely committing.

🪨 Climbing Above 7,000 Meters

One of the most difficult sections involved steep rock beginning immediately above the saddle.

The team initially hoped to reach the central summit quickly.

Instead, progress became painfully slow.

They fixed or anchored short sections of rope through technical terrain.

One of the final barriers included approximately 40 meters of difficult unstable vertical rock.

Climbing rock this hard at more than 7,000 meters is extraordinarily demanding.

Low oxygen weakens physical performance while cold reduces dexterity.

Every technical move becomes slower.

🏆 First Ascent of the Central Summit

Late in the day, Yannick Graziani and Christian Trommsdorff finally reached the central summit.

Patrick Wagnon had stopped lower on the ridge to conserve enough strength for the descent.

The summiters reached the top at approximately 6:45 p.m.

Their climb was far from finished.

They still had to reverse the technical ridge, regain the north summit, and descend the entire route.

The first ascent of the central summit involved approximately eight days on the mountain.

The expedition summary records the climb between May 15 and May 22, 2005.

🌙 A Brutal Descent

The descent illustrates why high-altitude climbing is often more dangerous after the summit.

The climbers rappelled through darkness.

They returned to their small camp after an approximately 20-hour day.

But even then they were not safe.

To descend the massif, they had to climb back over the north summit.

Another long sequence of rappels followed.

Eventually they reached lower terrain.

The expedition became one of the standout Himalayan alpine-style achievements of 2005.

🥾 How Difficult Is Chomo Lonzo?

Chomo Lonzo is an extreme expedition mountaineering objective.

There is no ordinary hiking route.

Even the historically easiest line involves operating near 7,800 meters on glaciers, snow, and ice.

Other routes involve technical rock and mixed climbing at extreme altitude.

Hazards include:

Crevasses
Avalanches
Seracs
Extreme altitude
Hurricane-force winds
Cornices
Steep snow
Vertical ice
Technical rock
Mixed climbing
Severe cold
Difficult retreat

The northeast face and other major walls remain among the mountain’s most intimidating challenges.

🫁 Extreme Altitude

At 7,790 meters, Chomo Lonzo approaches the beginning of what mountaineers commonly call the death zone, generally considered to start around 8,000 meters.

The human body cannot permanently acclimatize to these elevations.

Atmospheric pressure is dramatically lower than at sea level.

Potential effects include:

Extreme fatigue
Breathlessness
Loss of appetite
Dehydration
Poor sleep
Reduced coordination
Impaired judgment

Severe altitude illness can cause fluid accumulation in the lungs or brain.

Rapid descent is essential when serious symptoms develop.

On Chomo Lonzo, retreat may involve technical ridges and multiple rappels, making emergency descent particularly difficult.

🌿 Flora and Fauna

There is effectively no conventional plant life on Chomo Lonzo’s upper slopes.

At elevations above roughly 6,000 meters, permanent snow, glacier ice, exposed rock, low temperatures, and powerful winds dominate.

Lower elevations of the wider Qomolangma protected landscape are much richer.

Research describes two broad ecological zones on the Tibetan side:

Semi-humid mountain forest
Semi-arid shrubland

Alpine steppe and meadow also occur in suitable high valleys.

The exact vegetation around Chomo Lonzo depends strongly on elevation, slope exposure, and moisture.

L-R: Lhotse, Everest, Makalu, Chomo Lonzo | Sahay Raunaq

🌱 Lower Alpine Vegetation

Below the permanent snowline, hardy high-altitude vegetation may include:

Grasses
Sedges
Low shrubs
Alpine herbs
Cushion plants

The growing season is short.

Plants must tolerate:

Frost
Intense ultraviolet radiation
Strong wind
Low precipitation
Thin soils

Vegetation becomes progressively sparse as elevation increases.

By the time climbers reach glacier approaches, the landscape is dominated by rock and ice.

🐆 Snow Leopards

The wider Qomolangma National Nature Reserve contains important habitat for snow leopards.

Scientific camera-trap and sign surveys have confirmed the species throughout suitable terrain in southern Tibet.

Researchers found that ruggedness, temperature, precipitation, and elevation strongly influenced habitat quality.

The best habitat was generally concentrated around approximately 4,000 meters, far below Chomo Lonzo’s summit.

Snow leopards rely on rocky slopes where prey remains abundant.

🐏 Blue Sheep

Blue sheep, or bharal, are among the most important large herbivores in the broader Everest–Makalu Tibetan landscape.

Their exceptional balance allows them to move across steep rocky slopes.

They also form one of the principal prey species for snow leopards.

Blue sheep live far below Chomo Lonzo’s glaciated summit but may occupy valleys and slopes associated with the mountain’s lower approaches.

🐺 Other Wildlife

The Qomolangma reserve supports a surprisingly rich mammal community.

Species documented in the wider region include:

Snow leopard
Gray wolf
Eurasian lynx
Brown bear
Blue sheep
Kiang
Tibetan gazelle
Himalayan tahr
Red fox

An American Alpine Journal account from the 2005 Chomo Lonzo expedition also described marmots, eagles, and deer-like ungulates around Base Camp.

That contrast is striking.

Base Camp can contain grass and wildlife.

Only a short vertical distance above lies an environment of bare ice, rock, and extreme cold.

🦅 Eagles

Large mountain eagles occur within the broader Himalayan and Tibetan landscape.

The 2005 French climbers specifically noted eagles visiting the vicinity of Base Camp.

Raptors benefit from open high-altitude terrain where small mammals such as marmots and pikas provide prey.

They are another reminder that the lower mountain landscape is biologically active even though Chomo Lonzo’s summit appears completely lifeless.

🐿️ Marmots

Marmots are common in many high Himalayan and Tibetan grasslands.

They live in burrows and feed intensively during the brief warmer season.

Winter is spent in hibernation.

The French expedition’s observations of golden-colored marmots around camp fit the broader ecology of the Tibetan plateau.

These relatively small mammals play an important role in alpine ecosystems as:

Herbivores
Soil engineers
Prey for raptors and carnivores

🌊 Drainage

Peakbagger places Chomo Lonzo within the drainage system of the:

Arun River
Kosi River
Ganges
Bay of Bengal
Indian Ocean

Snow and ice melting from the mountain therefore ultimately contribute water to one of South Asia’s great river systems.

This is an important reminder that political borders and watersheds do not necessarily align.

Chomo Lonzo lies in China.

Its water ultimately flows south toward Nepal and India.

🌏 Why Is Chomo Lonzo So Little Known?

Chomo Lonzo’s obscurity seems extraordinary.

At approximately 7,790 meters, it is higher than:

Every mountain in North America
Every mountain in South America
Every mountain in Europe
Every mountain in Africa
Every mountain in Antarctica
Every mountain in Oceania

Yet relatively few people have heard of it.

The explanation is largely Makalu.

Chomo Lonzo rises only a few kilometers from an 8,485-meter giant.

Its modest prominence further reduces its appearance on lists that require strong topographic independence.

It also lies entirely within Tibet, where access has historically been far more restricted than in Nepal.

All of these factors combined to keep a nearly 7,800-meter mountain remarkably obscure.

💡 Chomo Lonzo Fun Facts

Chomo Lonzo reaches approximately 7,790 meters (25,557 feet).
Some sources use elevations between approximately 7,797 and 7,804 meters.
It lies entirely within Tibet, China.
The mountain belongs to the Mahalangur Himal.
It stands immediately northeast of Makalu.
Peakbagger ranks it around #25 among the world’s 7,200-meter peaks.
Chomo Lonzo has approximately 590 meters of prominence.
Its isolation is approximately 4.04 kilometers.
Its Nearest Higher Neighbor is Makalu.
Its line parent is also Makalu.
Chomo Lonzo has three major summits.
The main summit reaches approximately 7,790 meters.
The central summit reaches approximately 7,540 meters.
The north summit reaches approximately 7,199 meters.
The name is commonly translated as “Bird Goddess.”
French climbers Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray made the first ascent.
The first ascent occurred on October 30, 1954.
They used the southwest ridge from the Makalu-side saddle.
Their climb took place during a reconnaissance expedition for Makalu.
Couzy and Terray made the first ascent of Makalu the following year.
Chomo Lonzo was not climbed again for nearly four decades.
Japanese climbers Hiroaki Takeishi and Katsumasa Takahashi made the second ascent in 1993.
Their expedition climbed a new route from the Tibetan side.
The north summit remained unclimbed until 2005.
Yannick Graziani, Christian Trommsdorff, and Patrick Wagnon made its first ascent.
Stéphane Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz opened another new route on the north summit’s west face.
The route was called Unforgiven.
Graziani and Trommsdorff reached the central summit later during the same expedition.
Patrick Wagnon stopped below the central summit to conserve strength for the descent.
The central-summit climb involved technical granite at more than 7,000 meters.
The wider Tibetan landscape supports snow leopards, blue sheep, wolves, lynx, marmots, and eagles.

❓ Chomo Lonzo FAQ

How high is Chomo Lonzo?

Peakbagger currently lists Chomo Lonzo at approximately 7,790 meters (25,557 feet).

Other published sources use elevations around 7,797 or 7,804 meters.

Where is Chomo Lonzo?

Chomo Lonzo is located entirely within the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, immediately northeast of Makalu and close to the Nepal border.

What mountain range is Chomo Lonzo in?

It belongs to the Mahalangur Himal, a major section of the Himalayas containing Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu.

Is Chomo Lonzo part of Makalu?

Chomo Lonzo is a separately named mountain, but it is closely connected topographically to Makalu.

Its relatively low prominence reflects the high saddle joining the two mountains.

What is Chomo Lonzo’s Nearest Higher Neighbor?

The Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) is Makalu.

What is Chomo Lonzo’s parent peak?

Its line parent is also Makalu.

How prominent is Chomo Lonzo?

The mountain has approximately 590 meters (1,936 feet) of topographic prominence.

Is Chomo Lonzo an ultra-prominent mountain?

No.

An ultra-prominent mountain requires at least 1,500 meters of prominence.

How isolated is Chomo Lonzo?

Its true topographic isolation is approximately 4.04 kilometers (2.51 miles).

What does Chomo Lonzo mean?

The name is commonly translated as “Bird Goddess” or “Goddess of the Birds.”

How many summits does Chomo Lonzo have?

The massif has three principal summits:

Main or south summit — approximately 7,790 m
Central summit — approximately 7,540 m
North summit — approximately 7,199 m

Who first climbed Chomo Lonzo?

French climbers Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray completed the first ascent.

When was Chomo Lonzo first climbed?

The first ascent took place on October 30, 1954.

What route did the first ascenders use?

Couzy and Terray climbed the southwest ridge, approaching from the high saddle separating Chomo Lonzo from Makalu.

Why were the first climbers in the area?

They were participating in a French reconnaissance expedition preparing for a later attempt on Makalu.

The French returned in 1955 and made Makalu’s first ascent.

Who made the second ascent?

Japanese climbers Hiroaki Takeishi and Katsumasa Takahashi made the second ascent on October 24, 1993.

When was the north summit first climbed?

Yannick Graziani, Christian Trommsdorff, and Patrick Wagnon made the first ascent of the 7,199-meter north summit in May 2005 via the northwest ridge.

When was the central summit first climbed?

The 7,540-meter central summit was first climbed later in May 2005 during a traverse from the north summit.

Yannick Graziani and Christian Trommsdorff reached the top.

Is Chomo Lonzo frequently climbed?

No.

The mountain has seen very few expeditions compared with better-known 7,000- and 8,000-meter peaks.

Is Chomo Lonzo difficult?

Yes.

Even the least technical historic route requires extreme-altitude glacier and snow climbing.

Other routes involve steep rock, ice, mixed climbing, cornices, and severe exposure above 7,000 meters.

Can ordinary hikers climb Chomo Lonzo?

No.

Chomo Lonzo is an extreme expedition mountaineering objective requiring advanced snow, ice, glacier, and high-altitude climbing skills as well as specialized equipment, permits, acclimatization, and substantial expedition experience.

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