It's Not the Highest Mountain in the World, Yet No One Has Ever Reached Its Summit

Climbing this mountain was prohibited for a long time, and even though it was later allowed for several years, no one was able to conquer its peak.

Everyone has heard of the highest mountain in the world: Mount Everest. It is the ultimate goal of many mountaineers, but only a few thousand have actually managed to reach the summit of this Himalayan peak. To date, just under 7,000 people have climbed its summit throughout history. But did you know that there's a mountain that has never been summited by any climber?

This elusive mountain is Gangkhar Puensum, located 300 kilometers east of Everest on the border between Bhutan and China. Standing at 7,570 meters, Gangkhar Puensum ranks as the 40th highest mountain globally, making it 1,278 meters shorter than Everest.

In Bhutan's Dzongkha language, "Gangkhar Puensum" translates to "White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers." Mountains dominate Bhutan's landscape and hold deep spiritual significance for its people. Because of this, all mountaineering above 6,000m was banned in Bhutan until the early 1980s. When the ban was lifted in 1983 to encourage tourism, several expeditions tried to reach Gangkhar Puensum's summit, but all failed. Heavy snowfall and wind, technical problems, and sudden illnesses among the expedition members forced climbers to turn back. It seems the gods are still protecting their home.

The growing number of foreign climbers soon caused unrest among the locals, leading the Bhutanese government to reintroduce restrictions. In 1994, climbing above 6,000 meters was prohibited, and by 2003, mountaineering was entirely banned in Bhutan. As a result, Gangkhar Puensum remains an unattainable dream for climbers.

There are other unclimbed mountains in the world, often referred to as "virgin peaks." Other higher mountains that have yet to be climbed by humans include Kabru Peak on the Nepal-India border and the Labuche Kang III and Karjiang peaks in the Tibet Autonomous Region. All of these have an altitude of just over 7,000 meters.

Currently the highest unclimbed, non-prohibited peak is Muchu Chhish (7,452m) in the Karakoram range of Pakistan. Muchu Chhish is an extremely challenging peak due to its remote location, technical difficulties, and harsh weather conditions, which have so far deterred successful attempts to reach its summit.