Mahalangur Himal, Koshi Province

Nuptse

also नुप्त्से · Nubtse · Nup Tse

7,861 m25,791 ft27.966°N 86.890°E

At a glance

Elevation: 7,861 m · 25,791 ft^[1]
Prominence: 305 m^[1]
Range: Mahalangur Himal^[1]
Region: Solukhumbu District, Koshi Province^[2]
Coordinates: 27.9664° N, 86.8900° E^[1]
First ascent: 16 May 1961, Dennis Davis & Sherpa Tashi^[2]

Elevation is height above sea level; prominence is how far it rises above the lowest col connecting it to higher ground.

The mountain's story

Nuptse is Tibetan for 'west peak': it is the western segment of the Lhotse–Nuptse massif, two kilometres southwest of Everest in the Khumbu region of the Mahalangur Himal. Its main summit, Nuptse I, reaches 7,861 metres.^[2]

From much of the valley below, Nuptse's long crest is what you actually see. It blocks Everest's summit from much of the surrounding region. Dennis Davis and Sherpa Tashi made the first ascent on 16 May 1961. After a pause of almost twenty years, climbers returned to put up important routes on its west, south and north faces.^[3][2]

Little things worth knowing

1
The screen
Because of the shape of the massif, Nuptse hides Everest's summit from much of the region.^[3]
2
West peak
The name is Tibetan for 'west peak'.^[2]
3
Seen from Gokyo
Nuptse is visible from the summit of Gokyo Ri, along with Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu.^[4]

Where it lives

Summit coordinates from Wikidata; hollow dots are viewpoints from which this peak is documented as visible.

Open in OpenStreetMap Google Maps

Look closer

Nuptse, Nepal, Himalayas. Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Culture & meaning

Names and documented meaning
'Nuptse' means 'west peak' in Tibetan.^[2]

If you want to visit

Places from which Nuptse is documented as visible:

Kala Patthar^[3]
Gokyo Ri^[4]

Permits, fees and access rules change. Check current requirements with the Nepal Tourism Board before you travel. We don't list routes or logistics we can't keep current.

Sources & further reading

4 sources

[1]
Wikidata item Q1139538, Wikidata, retrieved 2026-10-23 · accessed 2026-10-23
[2]
Nuptse, Wikipedia · accessed 2026-10-23
[3]
Kala Patthar, Wikipedia · accessed 2026-10-23
[4]
Gokyo Ri, Wikipedia · accessed 2026-10-23

Structured values (elevation, coordinates, prominence) come from Wikidata, which aggregates survey sources. Wikipedia articles are used as secondary references; we prefer primary survey and expedition records as we add them. Last verified 2026-10-23.