Kanchanjunga situated at 8598m, is the third-highest peak in the world and the second-highest in Nepal. It was first climbed by a British team in 1956. The peak consists of four summits. The west summit, Yalung Kang, is 8420m high and some people classify it as a separate 8000m peak.Exploration continued, mostly from the Sikkim side, with expeditions starting from Darjeeling in British India.Three first Westerner to explore Kanchanjunga was the British botanist JD Hooker, who visited the area twice in 1848 and 1849. Exploration of the Sikkim, side of the peak continued with both British and pundit explorers mapping and photographing until 1899. In that year a party led by Douglas fresh field made a circuit of Kanchanjunga and produced what is still one of the most authoritative maps of the region.