Kusum Kangguru
Encyclopedia
Kusum Kanguru is a mountain
in the Khumbu Region
of the Himalaya
in Nepal
. Its name, Kusum Kanguru, means "Three Snow-White Gods" in the Sherpa language
, which refers to the triple summit of the mountain.
The main north-south ridge of Kusum Kanguru forms the border between the Dudh Khosi to the west and the Hinku Valley to the east. The mountain is the main source of the Kusum Khola (or Thado Koshi Khola) which flows westward to merge into the Dudh Khosi at the village of Thado Koshi. Kusum Kanguru is one of the first high snowy mountains that is seen when trekking from Jiri
to Mount Everest
base camp.
, but it is considered one of the most difficult to climb. Out of twenty two attempts between 1978 and 1998, nine successful expeditions have been reported.
After four previously unsuccessful attempts by British, Japanese and two prior New Zealand expeditions, a Japanese expedition lead by Ken Kanazawa reached the subsidiary northeast summit on 9 October 1979.
The first successful ascent of the main summit was made by Bill Denz of New Zeeland on 7 October 1981, climbing the southwest buttress (west face), and descending the northwest flank. Denz did not only realise the first ascent, but also the first solo ascent and the first traverse of Kusum Kanguru. Five days later, on 12 October 1981, a Japanese team made the second ascent via the southeast face.
In the subsequent years, new routes have been opened, all of them technically very challenging.
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 Khumbu Region
Khumbu
Khumbu is located in northeastern Nepal on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest. It is part of the Solukhumbu District, which in turn is part of the Sagarmatha Zone. Khumbu is one of three subregions of the main Khambu and Sherpa settlement of the Himalaya, the other two being Solu and Pharak...
of the Himalaya
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...
in 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...
. Its name, Kusum Kanguru, means "Three Snow-White Gods" in the Sherpa language
Sherpa language
Sherpa is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim mainly by the Sherpa community. About 130,000 speakers live in Nepal , some 20,000 in India , and some 800 in Tibet ....
, which refers to the triple summit of the mountain.
The main north-south ridge of Kusum Kanguru forms the border between the Dudh Khosi to the west and the Hinku Valley to the east. The mountain is the main source of the Kusum Khola (or Thado Koshi Khola) which flows westward to merge into the Dudh Khosi at the village of Thado Koshi. Kusum Kanguru is one of the first high snowy mountains that is seen when trekking from Jiri
Jiri
Jiri is a village development committee in Dolakha District in the Janakpur Zone of north-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 7,138 people living in 1,508 individual households....
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...
base camp.
Climbing history
With an altitude of 6,367 metres (6,369m or 6,370m according to other map sources), the mountain is classified as a trekking peakTrekking peak
The Nepal Mountaineering Association has categorized the mountains of Nepal into various classifications, one of these being called trekking peak or Group B Climbing Peak as per the NMA. A trekking peak is a mountain under that is considered climbable by anyone with a moderate amount of...
, but it is considered one of the most difficult to climb. Out of twenty two attempts between 1978 and 1998, nine successful expeditions have been reported.
After four previously unsuccessful attempts by British, Japanese and two prior New Zealand expeditions, a Japanese expedition lead by Ken Kanazawa reached the subsidiary northeast summit on 9 October 1979.
The first successful ascent of the main summit was made by Bill Denz of New Zeeland on 7 October 1981, climbing the southwest buttress (west face), and descending the northwest flank. Denz did not only realise the first ascent, but also the first solo ascent and the first traverse of Kusum Kanguru. Five days later, on 12 October 1981, a Japanese team made the second ascent via the southeast face.
In the subsequent years, new routes have been opened, all of them technically very challenging.