Lhotse Shar forms the eastern highpoint of Lhotse’s central ridge, far from the main summit's standard route of ascent via the Reiss Couloir.

As the ridge and Lhotse's central summits are themselves extremely difficult climbs, a traverse to the Shar along the main ridge is impractical and prospective climbers must instead ascend Lhotse’s huge vertical rise from outside the Western Cwm.

Most opt for the southeastern flank of the Shar itself, or the most direct route, up Lhotse's South Face.

The steep pyramid of the Shar inevitably forces climbers across exposed rock bands and avalanche-prone slopes in all directions, and these routes have consequently seen many fatalities; indeed, of Lhotse's documented deaths as of 2021, a third (11 of 31) have occurred on Lhotse Shar.

[1] The mountain's extreme height further compounds the danger: At 8,383 meters above sea level, it is 292 meters (958 feet) higher than Annapurna I Main, the next-deadliest summit of the eight-thousanders, and well into the Death zone, greatly increasing the risk of altitude sickness for climbers.