Lhotse (8516) was climbed by a Swiss expedition in 1956. Its lower peak, Lhotse Shar, 8383m, sometimes considered a separate 8000m peak, Lhotse, which means "South peak" is part of the Everest massif, just to the south of Everest. The primary route on Lhotse is via Everest's South Col. but by 1955, despite the activity on Everest Lhotse was the highest unclimbed peak in the world. The first attempt on Lhotse was by an international team in 1955. One member of the party was Erwin Schneider; during this expedition he began work on the first of the series of high-quality "Schneider maps of the Everest region.

The same Swiss party that made the second ascent of Everest in 1956 made the first ascent of Lhotse from a camp just below the South Col. Lhotse Shar was first climbed by an Austrian expedition in 1970. Japanese, South Koreans, and Germans attempted various routes on the main peak. Poles and Italians before the summit was reached again by German expeditions in 1977.