Zemu Gap Peak

Zemu Gap Peak or Zemu Peak (7,780 m or 25,520 ft) is a peak on a high ridge running east of the south summit of Kangchenjunga in the Himalayas. It is located in Sikkim, India^[4]

Zemu Gap Peak
Zemu Gap Peak (bottom right) below Kangchenjunga
Highest point
Elevation	7,780 m (25,520 ft)[1]
Prominence	140 m (460 ft)[2]
Coordinates	27°41′14″N 88°10′26″E
Geography
30km 19miles Bhutan Nepal Pakistan India China 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1     The major peaks (not mountains) above 7,500 m (24,600 ft) height in Himalayas, rank identified in Himalayas alone (not the world).[3] Legend 1：Mount Everest 2：Kangchenjunga 3：Lhotse 4：Yalung Kang, Kanchenjunga West 5：Makalu 6：Kangchenjunga South 7：Kangchenjunga Central 8：Cho Oyu 9：Dhaulagiri 10：Manaslu (Kutang) 11：Nanga Parbat (Diamer) 12：Annapurna 13：Shishapangma (Shishasbangma, Xixiabangma) 14：Manaslu East 15：Annapurna East Peak 16： Gyachung Kang 17：Annapurna II 18：Tenzing Peak (Ngojumba Kang, Ngozumpa Kang, Ngojumba Ri) 19：Kangbachen 20：Himalchuli (Himal Chuli) 21：Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29, Dakura, Dakum, Dunapurna) 22：Nuptse (Nubtse) 23：Nanda Devi 24：Chomo Lonzo (Chomolonzo, Chomolönzo, Chomo Lönzo, Jomolönzo, Lhamalangcho) 25：Namcha Barwa (Namchabarwa) 26：Zemu Kang (Zemu Gap Peak) 27：Kamet 28：Dhaulagiri II 29：Ngojumba Kang II 30：Dhaulagiri III 31：Kumbhakarna Mountain (Mount Kumbhakarna, Jannu) 32：Gurla Mandhata (Naimona'nyi, Namu Nan) 33：Hillary Peak (Ngojumba Kang III) 34：Molamenqing (Phola Gangchen) 35：Dhaulagiri IV 36：Annapurna Fang 37：Silver Crag 38：Kangbachen Southwest 39：Gangkhar Puensum (Gangkar Punsum) 40：Annapurna III 41：Himalchuli West 42：Annapurna IV 43：Kula Kangri 44：Liankang Kangri (Gangkhar Puensum North, Liangkang Kangri) 45：Ngadi Chuli South
Location	Sikkim, India
Parent range	Himalayas
Climbing
First ascent	unclimbed

It is one of the highest unclimbed named peaks of the world.^[4] There have been no known attempts to climb this peak.^[5][6]

A number of expeditions in the 1920s and 1930s investigated the peak and made early, ascent attempts.^[6][7] In 1925, N. Tombazi, a Greek photographer, claimed to have reached the summit via the South, but as no photographs were taken at the summit, the attempt was disputed. At the same time, Tombazi also claimed to have made some early sightings of the Yeti while climbing in the region.^[8] British explorer Bill Tilman made a traverse of the Zemu Gap in 1938.^[9]

Mountaineering in Sikkim was abundant during the time of British India, with most climbing activity in the region taking place between 1929-1939.^[10] In the years since, the saddle Zemu Gap (5,861 m or 19,229 ft) has been rarely attempted by climbers, partly due to its remoteness and difficult approach, with wide crevasses preventing passage.^[11][6]

In 2008, a British team consisting of Adrian O’Connor, Colin Knowles and Jerzy Wieczorek from attempting to reach the saddle Zemu Gap from the south was prevented by icefall and poor weather.^[12][13]

In December 2011, an Indian expedition consisting of Thendup Sherpa, Anindya Mukherjee, Pemba Sherpa, Phurtemba Sherpa and Gyalzen Sherpa made the first documented successful ascent of the saddle Zemu Gap over the course of a 16-day expedition. On 15 December, Thendup Sherpa, Anindya Mukherjee and Pemba Sherpa summitted Zemu Gap after a six hour climb from camp 3.^[14]

In 2012, The Himalayan Club awarded the inaugural Jagdish Nanavati Award for Excellence in Mountaineering for the achievement.^[15]

See also

• Zemu Glacier
• Bill Tilman