Jannu was first climbed on 27 and 28 April 1962 by a French expedition led by Lionel Terray. The huge north face was climbed later, first in 1976 by a Japanese team, and it remains one of the great walls of the Himalaya.
Before the first ascent
Jannu was reconnoitred in 1957 by the French climber Guido Magnone, and a French team led by Jean Franco tried it in 1959. They learned the difficult approach and the line that later climbers followed.
The 1962 ascent
Lionel Terray led a French team up from the Yamatari Glacier, across a hanging glacier called the Throne to the south of the summit, and up the southeast ridge. On 27 April, four climbers reached the top, including René Desmaison, Paul Keller, Robert Paragot and Gyalzen Mitchung Sherpa. Seven more reached the summit on 28 April.
The north face
The north face is a huge wall of ice and rock, nicknamed the Wall of Shadows. A New Zealand team tried it in 1975 without reaching the top. In 1976 a Japanese team led by Masatsugu Konishi made the first ascent by the left side of the face and the east ridge.
Later climbs
In 1987 a Dutch team reached the summit, but only one of three climbers returned. In 2004 a Russian team climbed the direct line through the headwall using heavy aid-climbing techniques, and won the Piolet d'Or, though some debated their style. In October 2023 three climbers, Alan Rousseau, Matt Cornell and Jackson Marvell, reached the summit without extra oxygen, fixed ropes or porters beyond base camp.
Jannu East
Jannu East, at about 7,468 m, is a lower summit on the east face. It stayed unclimbed for many years. A fatal fall in 2024 ended one attempt, and in October 2025 two French climbers made the first ascent by a new route, in alpine style.
Plan it
Back to Jannu facts. To see the wall from the trail, read seeing Jannu and Kabru.
