Gangkhar Puensum is the highest mountain in Bhutan and the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, with an elevation of 7,570 m and a prominence of over 2,990 m. The book of the 1986 British expedition gives the mountain's height as 24,770 feet and states that Gangkhar Puensum is completely inside Bhutan, whereas the nearby Kula Kangri is completely inside Tibet. Gangkhar Puensum is the highest mountain in Bhutan and a strong candidate for the highest unclimbed mountain in the world with an elevation of 7570 metres and a prominence of over 2990 metres[1]. It lies on the border with Tibet[2] (however, see below for disputes about its exact location). After Bhutan was opened for mountaineering in 1983 there were four expeditions that made failed summit attempts in 1985 and 1986. However, in 1998, a team successfully climbed a subsidiary peak of the mountain from Tibet. Gangkhar Puensum, alternative transliteration Gangkar Punsum or Gankar Punzum (meaning 3 mountain siblings"), had its altitude first measured in 1922 but, until recent years, maps of the region were not at all accurate and the mountain had been shown in different locations and with markedly different heights. Indeed, because of inadequate mapping, the first team to attempt the summit was unable to find the mountain at all. The book of the 1986 British expedition gives the mountain's height as 24,770 feet and states that Gangkhar Puensum is completely inside Bhutan, whereas the nearby Kula Kangri is completely inside Tibet. Kula Kangri, 7554 metres, is a separate mountain 30 km to the northeast which was first climbed in 1986. It is variously mapped and described as being in Tibet or Bhutan. Since 1994 climbing of mountains in Bhutan higher than 6000 metres has been prohibited out of respect for local spiritual beliefs and since 2003 mountaineering has been forbidden completely. Gangkhar Puensum may keep its unique status for some time: Any higher unclimbed peaks in the world are likely to be subsidiary tops, not separate mountains.
Gangkhar Puensum had its altitude first measured in 1922 but, until recent years, maps of the region were not at all accurate and the mountain had been shown in different locations and with markedly different heights. Indeed, because of inadequate mapping, the first team to attempt the summit was unable to find the mountain at all. The book of the 1986 British expedition gives the mountain's height as 24,770 feet and states that Gangkhar Puensum is completely inside Bhutan, whereas the nearby Kula Kangri is completely inside Tibet. Kula Kangri, 7554 metres, is a separate mountain 30 km to the northeast which was first climbed in 1986. It is variously mapped and described as being in Tibet or Bhutan. Since 1994 climbing of mountains in Bhutan higher than 6000 metres has been prohibited out of respect for local spiritual beliefs and since 2003 mountaineering has been forbidden completely. Gangkhar Puensum may keep its unique status for some time: Any higher unclimbed peaks in the world are likely to be subsidiary tops, not separate mountains. In 1998 a Japanese expedition secured permission from the Chinese Mountaineering Association to climb the mountain, but permission was withdrawn because of a political issue with Bhutan. Instead, in 1999, the team set off from Tibet and successfully climbed the 7535 meter subsidiary peak, Liankang Kangri. Unlike most maps, the expedition's report shows this summit as being in Tibet and the Tibet-Bhutan border is shown crossing the summit of Gangkhar Puensum, described as "the highest peak in Bhutan," at 7570 meters. This elevation is supported by Japanese sources, in turn based on Chinese sources. It has not been surveyed by Bhutan.
Gangkhar Puensum lies on the border of Bhutan and Tibet, although the exact boundary line is disputed. Chinese maps put the peak squarely on the border whereas other sources put it wholly in Bhutan. The mountain was first mapped and surveyed in 1922. Subsequent surveys have placed the mountain in different places with differing heights. Bhutan itself has not surveyed the peak. Gangkhar Puensum was attempted by four expeditions in 1985 and 1986 after Bhutan opened its mountains for mountaineering in 1983. In 1994, however, climbing mountains higher than 6,000 meters was prohibited out of respect for spiritual beliefs and customs. In 2004, all mountaineering was banned in Bhutan so Gangkhar Puensum will likely remain unclimbed for the foreseeable future. In 1998, a Japanese expedition was granted permission by the Chinese Mountaineering Association to climb Gangkhar Puensum north of Bhutan from the Tibetan side. Due to a border dispute with Bhutan, however, the permit was revoked, so in 1999 the expedition climbed Liankang Kangri or Gangkhar Puensum North, a previously unclimbed 24,413-foot subsidiary peak of Gangkhar Puensum in Tibet. The Japanese Liankang Kangri Expedition described Gangkhar Puensum from the summit of Liankang Kangri in an expedition report: “In front, the glorious Gankarpunzum, remaining as the highest unclimbed peak but now a forbidding mountain because of a political barrier pertaining to a border problem, was glittering immaculate. The eastern face precipitously falls down to a glacier. A climbing route from Liankang Kangri to Gankarpunzum seemed viable although difficult knife-edged ridge with unstable snow and ice continued and finally spiky pinnacles guarded the summit. Unless the border problem took place, the party could have traced the ridge toward the summit.”
