# Western Cwm

_Valley at the foot of Mount Everest_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/places/western-cwm
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> The Western Cwm () is a broad, flat, gently undulating glacial valley basin terminating at the foot of the Lhotse Face of Mount Everest. It was named by George Mallory when he saw it in 1921 as part of the British Reconnaissance Expedition that was the first to explore the upper sections of Everest, searching for routes for future summit attempts; a cwm is a valley fully enclosed by mountains, from the Welsh word for "valley".

## Quick facts

- **Type:** cirque ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2389798#P31))
- **Elevation:** 6,000 m ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2389798#P2044))
- **Coordinates:** 27.9808, 86.8981

## About

The Western Cwm is traversed by climbers using the southeast route to the summit of Everest and is typically accessed by climbing through the Khumbu Icefall. The central section is cut by massive lateral crevasses which bar entrance to the upper Western Cwm. In this section, climbers must cross to the far right, over to the base of Nuptse, to a narrow passageway known as the Nuptse corner. From there, climbers can see the upper 2,400 m (7,900 ft) of Everest—the first glimpse of Everest's upper slopes since arriving at Base Camp.

The snow-covered, bowl-shaped slopes surrounding the Western Cwm reflect and amplify solar radiation, warming the valley basin despite its high elevation of 6,000 m (20,000 ft) through 6,800 m (22,300 ft).

## Questions

**What is the elevation of Western Cwm?**  
Western Cwm is at an elevation of 6,000 m above sea level.

## Related

- [Mount Everest](https://diginpl.com/places/mount-everest)
- [Himalayas](https://diginpl.com/places/himalayas)
- [Kathmandu](https://diginpl.com/places/kathmandu)
- [Kangchenjunga](https://diginpl.com/places/kangchenjunga)
- [Annapurna (mountain range)](https://diginpl.com/places/annapurna-mountain-range)
- [Dhaulagiri](https://diginpl.com/places/dhaulagiri)
- [Makalu](https://diginpl.com/places/makalu)
- [Lhotse](https://diginpl.com/places/lhotse)
- [Cho Oyu](https://diginpl.com/places/cho-oyu)
- [Manaslu](https://diginpl.com/places/manaslu)
- [Pokhara](https://diginpl.com/places/pokhara)
- [Lumbini](https://diginpl.com/places/lumbini)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Western Cwm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Cwm) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q2389798](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2389798) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Western Cwm and Lhotse.jpg (CC BY 2.5)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Cwm_and_Lhotse.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Western Cwm, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Western Cwm and Lhotse.jpg, CC BY 2.5.

## Cite this page

"Western Cwm". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/places/western-cwm. Retrieved 4 November 2026.