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]
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]
- ^ "2011: Zemu Gap (5,861m), first documented ascent from the south. By Anindya Mukherjee, India" Archived 5 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. AmericanAlpineClub.org. Retrieved 2014-05-25. Note: This AAJ article documents the first ascent of the Zemu Gap (the gap, not the peak!), from the south. Zemu Gap Peak lies near the Zemu Gap (from which it gets its unofficial name) on a high ridge running east of Kangchenjunga's south summit. The captions of two photos in this article mention the peak's unclimbed status and its elevation of 7780m.
- ^ "Zemu Kang, India". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ "Peak Bagger:Himalaya, Central Nepal Himalaya, Khumbu, Ghurka Himal, Annapurna Himal, Xishapangma Area, Sikkim-Eastern Nepal Himalaya, Western Nepal Himalaya, Assam Himalaya, Punjab Himalaya, Bhutan Himalaya, Garwhal Himalaya, Ganesh Himal". Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Zemu Gap Peak". Peakware.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ The Mountains of Northern India and Sikkim’, Alpine Journal 26 (1912) Pp. 113-142. - A.M. Kellas
- ^ a b c "Zemu Gap from south: the first documented ascent".
- ^ "The HJ/9/9: THE ZEMU GAP". www.himalayanclub.org. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "AAC Publications - Asia, India, Sikkim, Kangchenjunga Himal, Zemu Gap (5,861m), First Documented Ascent from the South". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "LACHSI AND THE ZEMU GAP". Himalayan Journal/11/12. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "AAC Publications - The Sikkim Himalaya". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ The Mountains of Northern India and Sikkim’, Alpine Journal 26 (1912) Pp. 113-142. - A.M. Kellas
- ^ "AAC Publications - India, Overview". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "British Zemu Gap 2008". Mount Everest Foundation. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "The HJ/68/5: Zemu Gap from South". www.himalayanclub.org. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "JCN Award". Retrieved 14 July 2024.