Cho Oyu was first climbed by
Austrians in 1954. It is about 30 km west of Everest
at the head of the Gokyo Valley. The mountain was
reconnoitred during the 1951 Everest Reconnaissance,
and a British team led by Eric Shipton attempted the
peak in 1952. The first ascent was made in 1954 via
the north-west ridge using a route through Tibet from
the Nangpa La - not strictly a legal route. By 2002 a
total of 125 expeditions had been made on Cho Oyo.
The approach to the mountain from both Nepal and
Tibet is easy, and the ascent through Tibet is not
particularly difficult. Of all Nepal's 8000m peaks
Cho Oyo is second only to Everest in the number of
expeditions and successful ascents. In 2002 the
record stood at 710 climbers reaching the summit, 342
expeditions and 25 deaths.