Jannu, whose official name is Kumbhakarna, is a 7,710 m (25,300 ft) mountain in eastern Nepal. It is the 32nd highest mountain in the world and a western outlier of Kanchenjunga, and it is famous for its steep north face.
Key facts
- Height: 7,710 m (25,300 ft)
- World rank: 32nd highest
- Prominence: about 1,035 m
- Country: Nepal; the peak is wholly within Nepal
- Range: the Kumbhakarna section of the Kangchenjunga Himal
- Parent peak: Kanchenjunga, joined by a long ridge
- First ascent: April 1962, by a French expedition
Names
The official Nepali name is Kumbhakarna, but the peak is better known worldwide as Jannu. In the language of the Limbu people it is called Phoktanglungma, "mountain with shoulders", and it is sacred in the Yuma religion of the Limbu.
Where it stands
Jannu is the highest peak of the Kumbhakarna section, which straddles the Nepal and Sikkim border, although the peak itself lies fully inside Nepal. It stands west of Kanchenjunga above the Ghunsa valley, and it is a highlight of the north Kanchenjunga trek.
Why climbers care
Jannu is much lower than the 8,000 m giants, yet it has a reputation as one of the hardest big mountains. Its north face, a huge wall of rock and ice, has been called the Wall of Shadows. Read the first ascent and north face story.
Jannu and Kanchenjunga
Jannu is joined to Kanchenjunga by a long ridge and is counted as its parent peak. It stands apart from the main massif and looks like a separate mountain from the Ghunsa valley, which is why many climbers treat it as a goal of its own.
Plan it
Read first ascent and the north face and how to see Jannu and Kabru.
