Ama Dablam
Encyclopedia
Ama Dablam is a mountain
in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal
. The main peak is 6812 metres (22,349 ft), the lower western peak is 5563 metres (18,251 ft). Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (ama) protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional double-pendant containing pictures of the gods, worn by Sherpa women. For several days, Ama Dablam dominates the eastern sky for anyone trekking to Mount Everest
basecamp.
Ama Dablam was first climbed on 13 March 1961 by Mike Gill (NZ), Barry Bishop
(USA), Mike Ward (UK) and Wally Romanes (NZ) via the Southwest Ridge. They were well-acclimatised to altitude, having wintered over at 5800 metres near the base of the peak as part of the Silver Hut Scientific Expedition of 1960-61, led by Sir Edmund Hillary.
Ama Dablam is the third most popular Himalayan peak for permitted expeditions. The most popular route by far is the Southwest Ridge (right skyline in the photo). Climbers typically set up three camps along the ridge with camp 3 just below and to the right of the hanging glacier
, the Dablam. Any ice that calves off the glacier typically goes left, away from the camp. However, a 2006 avalanche proved otherwise. A climbing permit and a liaison officer are required when attempting Ama Dablam. As with Mt. Everest, the best climbing months are April-May (before the monsoon
) and September-October.
On the night of 13/14 November 2006, a large serac
collapse occurred from the hanging glacier, which swept away several tents at Camp 3, killing six climbers (3 European, 3 Sherpa). Eyewitness testimony indicates that Camp 3 had not been sited in an unusual or abnormally dangerous spot, and that the serac fall was of such magnitude as to render the specific placing of the tents at Camp 3 irrelevant.
as its branding logo within UK. It has since been adopted by the INVESCO group of companies as its worldwide signature.
For its soaring ridges and steep faces Ama Dablam is sometimes referred as the "Matterhorn
of the Himalayas."
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. The main peak is 6812 metres (22,349 ft), the lower western peak is 5563 metres (18,251 ft). Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (ama) protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional double-pendant containing pictures of the gods, worn by Sherpa women. For several days, Ama Dablam dominates the eastern sky for anyone trekking to Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
basecamp.
Ama Dablam was first climbed on 13 March 1961 by Mike Gill (NZ), Barry Bishop
Barry Bishop (mountaineer)
Barry Chapman Bishop was an American mountaineer, scientist, photographer and scholar. With teammates Jim Whittaker, Lute Jerstad, Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein, he was a member of the first American team to summit Mount Everest, on May 22, 1963...
(USA), Mike Ward (UK) and Wally Romanes (NZ) via the Southwest Ridge. They were well-acclimatised to altitude, having wintered over at 5800 metres near the base of the peak as part of the Silver Hut Scientific Expedition of 1960-61, led by Sir Edmund Hillary.
Ama Dablam is the third most popular Himalayan peak for permitted expeditions. The most popular route by far is the Southwest Ridge (right skyline in the photo). Climbers typically set up three camps along the ridge with camp 3 just below and to the right of the hanging glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
, the Dablam. Any ice that calves off the glacier typically goes left, away from the camp. However, a 2006 avalanche proved otherwise. A climbing permit and a liaison officer are required when attempting Ama Dablam. As with Mt. Everest, the best climbing months are April-May (before the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
) and September-October.
Notable ascents
- 1961 Southwest Ridge (VI 5.9 60deg 1500m) FA by Mike Gill (NZ), Barry BishopBarry Bishop (mountaineer)Barry Chapman Bishop was an American mountaineer, scientist, photographer and scholar. With teammates Jim Whittaker, Lute Jerstad, Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein, he was a member of the first American team to summit Mount Everest, on May 22, 1963...
(USA), Mike Ward (UK) and Wally Romanes (NZ). - 1979 Southwest Ridge SA by Martin Boysen (UK); Tom FrostTom FrostTom Frost is a rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment manufacturer.-Rock climbing and mountaineering:...
, David BreashearsDavid BreashearsDavid Breashears is an American mountaineer and filmmaker. In 1985, he became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice...
, Greg Lowe, Jeff LoweJeff Lowe (climber)Jeff Lowe is an American alpinist from Ogden, Utah. He is known for his visionary climbs and first ascents established in the US and Canadian Rockies, Alps and Himalayas. He is a proponent of the "Alpine style" philosophy of climbing, where small teams travel fast with minimal gear...
, Peter Pilafian, Jonathan Wright (all USA), and Lhakpa Dorje (Nepal) reached the summit on 22 April in blizzard conditions, as part of a well-financed climb-and-film expedition. Doug Robertson and John Wasson (both USA) reached the summit the next day. - 1979 Lowe Route on the South Face (VI AI4 M5 1200m), FA Solo by Jeff LoweJeff Lowe (climber)Jeff Lowe is an American alpinist from Ogden, Utah. He is known for his visionary climbs and first ascents established in the US and Canadian Rockies, Alps and Himalayas. He is a proponent of the "Alpine style" philosophy of climbing, where small teams travel fast with minimal gear...
, 30 April 1979. - 1979 North Ridge (VI 5.7 70deg 1600m) by a large French expedition led by Louis Audoubert placed 14 frenchmen and 4 Nepalese Sherpa in three groups on the summit over three days, 21-23 Oct 1979.
- 1981 Northeast Spur to North Ridge (VI 5.7 70deg 1500m) by Tim McCartney-Snape, Lincoln HallLincoln Hall (climber)Lincoln Hall is a veteran Australian mountain climber and author. Hall is the author of White Limbo, the story of the first Australian team to climb Mount Everest. While others in the team made it to the top, Hall was forced to turn back close to the summit due to illness...
, and Andrew Henderson (AUS). - 1983 East Ridge (VI 80deg 1500m) by Alain Hubert (Belgium) and Andre Georges (Switzerland).
- 1984 Southwest Ridge solo by Naoe Sakashita (JP).
- 1985 Ariaki-Sakashita on the west face (VI 5.7 65deg 1400m) by Masayuki Ariaki and Naoe Sakashita (both JP).
- 1985 Northeast Face (VI mixed 90deg 1400m) winter ascent by Michael Kennedy and Carlos BuhlerCarlos BuhlerCarlos Buhler is one of America's leading high altitude mountaineers. Buhler's specialty is high-standard mountaineering characterized by small teams, no oxygen, minimal gear and equipment, and relatively low amounts of funding; yielding first ascents of difficult routes in challenging...
(both USA). - 1996 Stane Belak Šrauf Memorial Route on the northwest face (VI 5.7 AI5 A2+ 1650m) by Vanja Furlan and Tomaž HumarTomaž HumarTomaž Humar , nicknamed Gozdni Joža , was a Slovenian mountaineer. A father of two, Humar lived in Kamnik, Slovenia...
(both from Slovenia), which earned them the 1996 Piolet d'OrPiolet d'OrThe Piolet d'Or is an annual mountaineering award given by the French magazine Montagnes and The Groupe de Haute Montagne since 1991...
prize. - 1996 North Ridge Austro-German alpine-style ascent by Friedl Huber, Max Berger, Louis Badengruber, and Roman Dirnbok.
- 2001 Northwest Ridge (VI Scottish 7, 2000m) by Jules Cartwright and Rich Cross (both UK).
- 2011 Southwest Ridge, first successful Indian expedition led by Ameet Singh (34, Pune India) and team mate Ved Parkash (36, Gurgaon India), They summitted on 6 November 2011.
2006 Avalanche
Serac
A serac is a block or column of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Often house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers since they may topple with little warning...
collapse occurred from the hanging glacier, which swept away several tents at Camp 3, killing six climbers (3 European, 3 Sherpa). Eyewitness testimony indicates that Camp 3 had not been sited in an unusual or abnormally dangerous spot, and that the serac fall was of such magnitude as to render the specific placing of the tents at Camp 3 irrelevant.
In popular culture
A representation of Ama Dablam was originally used by Invesco PerpetualInvesco Perpetual
Invesco Perpetual is an investment company based in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England.-Description and history:It was originally founded by Sir Martyn Arbib as Perpetual Mutual and then Perpetual plc...
as its branding logo within UK. It has since been adopted by the INVESCO group of companies as its worldwide signature.
For its soaring ridges and steep faces Ama Dablam is sometimes referred as the "Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
of the Himalayas."