Himalchuli
Encyclopedia
Himalchuli is the second highest mountain
in the Mansiri Himal
, part of the Nepal
ese Himalayas
. It lies south of Manaslu
, one of the Eight-thousander
s. Himalchuli has three main peaks: East (7893 m), West (7540 m) and North (7371 m). It is also often written as two words, "Himal Chuli".
(using a cutoff of 500m prominence
, or re-ascent). Himalchuli is also notable for its large vertical relief over local terrain. For example, it rises 7000m over the Marsyangdi River to the southwest in about 27 km (17 mi) horizontal distance.
The first ascent was made in 1960, by Hisashi Tanabe and Masahiro Harada, of Japan. The route followed the "Sickle Ridge" from the southwest. They first climbed to the saddle between the West and Main peaks, where they placed the last of six camps. This ascent was somewhat unusual for a sub-8000m peak in using bottled oxygen
.
The Himalayan Index lists five other ascents of this peak, and 10 additional unsuccessful attempts. The ascents were by various routes on the south, southwest, ans southeast sides of the mountain.
The West Peak was first climbed in 1978 by two members of a Japanese expedition to the main peak of Himalchuli. They climbed from the south (the Dordi Khola) and approached the summit of the West Peak from the east.
The North Peak was first climbed in 1985 by a Korea
n expedition, via the North Face.
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 Mansiri Himal
Mansiri Himal
Mansiri Himal is a small, high subrange. of the Himalaya in north-central Nepal, about 100km northwest of Kathmandu. The Marsyangdi River separates the Mansiri from the Annapurnas to the southwest, then an upper tributary Dudh Khola separates Peri Himal to the northwest...
, part of the 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...
ese Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. It lies south of Manaslu
Manaslu
Manaslu , also known as Kutang) is the eighth highest mountain in the world, and is located in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. Its name, which means "Mountain of the Spirit", comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa, meaning "intellect" or "soul"...
, one of the Eight-thousander
Eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia....
s. Himalchuli has three main peaks: East (7893 m), West (7540 m) and North (7371 m). It is also often written as two words, "Himal Chuli".
Notable Features
Himalchuli is the 18th highest mountain in the world(using a cutoff of 500m prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
, or re-ascent). Himalchuli is also notable for its large vertical relief over local terrain. For example, it rises 7000m over the Marsyangdi River to the southwest in about 27 km (17 mi) horizontal distance.
Climbing History
Exploratory visits to the peak were made in 1950 and 1954, and a first attempt in 1955 failed early on. Further reconnaissance and attempts followed in 1958 and 1959.The first ascent was made in 1960, by Hisashi Tanabe and Masahiro Harada, of Japan. The route followed the "Sickle Ridge" from the southwest. They first climbed to the saddle between the West and Main peaks, where they placed the last of six camps. This ascent was somewhat unusual for a sub-8000m peak in using bottled oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
.
The Himalayan Index lists five other ascents of this peak, and 10 additional unsuccessful attempts. The ascents were by various routes on the south, southwest, ans southeast sides of the mountain.
The West Peak was first climbed in 1978 by two members of a Japanese expedition to the main peak of Himalchuli. They climbed from the south (the Dordi Khola) and approached the summit of the West Peak from the east.
The North Peak was first climbed in 1985 by a Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n expedition, via the North Face.
Sources
- High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks by Jill Neate, ISBN 0-89886-238-8
- Himalayan Index
- DEM files for the Himalaya (Corrected versions of SRTM data)