Mountaineering Routes · Lhotse

The South Face is the classic and most famous route on Lhotse, a very large and serious Himalayan face with sustained steep snow and ice climbing. It is objectively hazardous because of avalanche danger, serac exposure, altitude, and the need for multiple high camps.

The West Face is a major alpine-style objective on Lhotse and is documented as a very difficult, serious line. It involves steep mixed climbing at extreme altitude, with objective hazards from icefall, avalanches, and severe weather.

The South Ridge is a documented route on Lhotse and is generally considered a very serious high-altitude ridge climb. It is less direct than the South Face but still exposed to extreme altitude, wind, and corniced ridge conditions.

This is the standard and best-known route to Lhotse, shared with the Everest approach up to the South Col. It is a very high-altitude snow and ice route with major objective hazards, especially in the Khumbu Icefall and on the Lhotse Face.