Three Spanish climbers have made the first recorded ascent of Jugal II, a 6,518 metre peak in Sindhupalchok district that nobody had climbed before. They reached the summit on Monday, October 26, 2026 and were back at base camp the next day.
Mikel Zabalza, Rubén Pérez Blázquez and Mikel Sáez de Urabain climbed the mountain’s steep east-southeast side. Their base camp is about 4,500 metres. Local tourism officials have confirmed the ascent. Jugal I was first climbed in 2024 and both peaks are different to each other.
Who the climbers are
Zabalza, 56, is from Pamplona. He is a certified high-mountain guide and has directed Spain's national alpinism team under the Spanish mountaineering federation since 2010. His record includes more than 100 new routes in the Pyrenees and 39 expeditions outside Europe, among them, Dorje Lhakpa, Gasherbrum IV, Nuptse, Chamlang and Baruntse.
Pérez Blázquez is from La Rioja and Sáez de Urabain is from Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country.
Zabalza and Sáez de Urabain had been to the area before. In spring 2024 they went to explore Jugal II, but bad weather stopped any attempt, and they climbed Jugal V and Gyaltsen instead. The 2026 summit followed that earlier look at the mountain.
Why it stayed unclimbed
Jugal II was not undiscovered. Nepal opened several peaks in the Jugal Himal to expeditions in 2023 and the Department of Tourism's mountaineering publication lists Jugal II at 6,518 metres. It gives the approach as Kathmandu, Tembathang, Chhendang, Nepemachhal and then base camp.
The area gets few visitors. The approach is long and remote, with little infrastructure, and the peaks have steep ridges, glacier sections and rock and snow faces. Weather can end an attempt after weeks of preparation.
Earlier attempts, and another team this autumn
In spring 2024, a Korean-Nepali expedition led by Um Hong-gil climbed Jugal I on May 3. The first summit group was Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, Lama Babu Sherpa and Um. The team held a permit for Jugal II but did not attempt it. From high on Jugal I, they could see that the ground between the two peaks was complex, so they treated Jugal II as a separate objective.
This autumn another international team also had Jugal II as a goal. Italians Nives Meroi and Romano Benet and Slovenian Tine Cuder had planned to climb Tilicho Peak, but floods and washed-out bridges forced them to change plans. Cuder left on October 19 because of illness. Meroi has said she and Benet tried Jugal II and turned back the day before the Spanish team summited. She confirmed the Spaniards’ success and said the two teams were travelling back to Kathmandu together.
What it could mean for Jugal
Jugal Rural Municipality has been promoting the area as a new mountain destination under a campaign it calls Jugal Visit Year 2083. On October 17, three groups with 11 climbers had reached the base-camp area as part of it. Local tourism committee chair Milan Tamang welcomed the ascent and said it could introduce the range to international climbers. Rural municipality chair Resham Syangbo also congratulated the team and said he hoped it would raise the area’s profile.
