-by
At 8,188m, Cho Oyu is the sixth-highest mountain in the world. Located 20km west of Everest, it sits astride the border of Tibet and Nepal. We already wrote a brief climbing history of the mountain, and today we will look at climbing routes on the Tibetan side of this so-called Turquoise Goddess.
The various climbing routes on Cho Oyu include both the southern (Nepalese) and northern (Tibetan) sides of the peak. The normal route goes up the northwest side in Tibet. Of all the ascents of Cho Oyu, less than 100 have taken place on routes other than the normal one.
Several teams are already on Cho Oyu this autumn, as China reopens the mountain to foreign climbers. But climbers will need to stick to strict rules: You must use bottled oxygen from 7,000m up, and no solo climbers are allowed.
This autumn, one Russian team is climbing from the much more difficult south side. Click here to read more.
