East of the Himalaya - Alps of Tibet

Tamotsu Nakamura recounts the story of an expedition he made in autumn 2009 across a 4800 km stretch of mountains in eastern Tibet, an area of majestic peaks that had never been explored or climbed. Nakamura’s exploration will enable a generation of mountaineers to pit themselves against new challenges in this stunning area of enormous potential, despite the Chinese government’s strict entrance policy.

Tamotsu Nakamura was born in Tokyo in 1934. During his studies at the Hitotsubashi University, he joined its mountaineering club and went climbing in the Japanese Alps. In 1961, he took part in an expedition to Peru and Bolivia, on which he made a first ascent of Pucahirca Norte (6046 m) in the Cordillera Blanca, as well as ascents in the Cordillera Apolobamba and Pupuya. After years of work on a number of continents, Nakamura devoted himself to the mountains of Tibet and western China. Over last 18 years, he has embarked on 30 expeditions in these regions, where he has discovered, documented and mapped a countless number of virgin peaks. Nakamura has received recognition for this work throughout the world, including from the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) and the Royal Geographical Society. He is also a writer and photographer; his writings have been published in major mountain magazines including The American Alpine Journal, The Alpine Journal, The Himalayan Journal, Japanese Alpine News, Altitudes, Vertical, and Alpinist. Nakamura was also invited to Italy by magazine Stile Alpino, which also published the world exclusive accounts of his latest journeys.