Shishapangma
Encyclopedia
Xixabangma, frequently spelled Shishapangma or Shisha Pangma , also called Gosainthān , is the fourteenth-highest mountain
in the world and, at 8,013 m (26,289 ft), the lowest of the eight-thousander
s. It was the last 8,000 metre peak to be climbed, due to its location entirely within Tibet
and the restrictions on visits by foreigners to the region imposed by Tibetan and Chinese authorities.
, who worked in Nepal
for many years, explained the name as meaning a "grassy plain" or "meadow" (pangma) above a "comb" or a "range" (shisha or chisa) in the local Tibetan
dialect, thereby signifying the "crest above the grassy plains". On the other hand, Tibetologist Guntram Hazod records a local story that explains the mountain's name in terms of its literal meaning in the Standard Tibetan
language: shisha, which means "meat of an animal that died of natural causes"; and sbangma which means "malt dregs left over from brewing beer". According to the story, one year a heavy snowfall killed most of the animals at pasture, and all that the people living near the mountain had to eat was the meat of the dead animals and the malt dregs left over from brewing beer, and so the mountain was named Shisha Pangma (shisha sbangma), signifiying "meat of dead animals and malty dregs". The Sanskrit name of the mountain, Gosainthan, means "place of the saint" or "Abode of God".
, a few kilometres from the border with Nepal
. It is the only eight-thousander entirely within Chinese territory. It is also the highest peak in the Jugal Himal which is contiguous with and often considered part of Langtang
Himal. The Jugal/Langtang Himal straddles the Tibet/Nepal border. Since Xixabangma is on the dry north side of the Himalayan crest and further from the lower terrain of Nepal, it has less dramatic vertical relief than most major Himalayan peaks.
expedition led by Xǔ Jìng 许竞. In addition to Xǔ Jìng, the summit team consisted of Zhāng Jùnyán 张俊岩, Wang Fuzhou
(Wáng Fùzhōu 王富洲), Wū Zōngyuè 邬宗岳, Chén Sān 陈三, Soinam Dorjê (Suǒnán Duōjí 索南多吉), Chéng Tiānliàng 程天亮, Migmar Zhaxi (Mǐmǎ Zháxī 米马扎西), Dorjê (Duōjí 多吉) and Yún Dēng 云登.
Approximately 22 people have died climbing Xixabangma, including Alex Lowe
and Dave Bridges (both USA) in 1999, and veteran Portuguese climber Bruno Carvalho. Nevertheless, Xixabangma is one of the easier eight-thousanders to climb. The standard route ascends from the north side, and boasts relatively easy access, with vehicle travel possible to base camp at 5000 m (16,404.2 ft). Routes on the steeper southwest face are more technically demanding and involve 2,200 metres (7,218 feet) of ascent on a 50-degree slope.
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 world and, at 8,013 m (26,289 ft), the lowest 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. It was the last 8,000 metre peak to be climbed, due to its location entirely within Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and the restrictions on visits by foreigners to the region imposed by Tibetan and Chinese authorities.
Name
There are several different theories about the meaning of the mountain's name. Geologist Toni HagenToni Hagen
Toni Hagen was a Swiss geologist and a pioneer of Swiss development assistance. After taking a diploma in engineering and geology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, he took a doctorate in the geology of the Welsh mountains and then became a research assistant at the Zurich...
, who worked 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...
for many years, explained the name as meaning a "grassy plain" or "meadow" (pangma) above a "comb" or a "range" (shisha or chisa) in the local Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
dialect, thereby signifying the "crest above the grassy plains". On the other hand, Tibetologist Guntram Hazod records a local story that explains the mountain's name in terms of its literal meaning in the Standard Tibetan
Standard Tibetan
Standard Tibetan is the most widely used spoken form of the Tibetan languages. It is based on the speech of Lhasa, an Ü-Tsang dialect belonging to the Central Tibetan languages. For this reason, Standard Tibetan is often called Central Tibetan...
language: shisha, which means "meat of an animal that died of natural causes"; and sbangma which means "malt dregs left over from brewing beer". According to the story, one year a heavy snowfall killed most of the animals at pasture, and all that the people living near the mountain had to eat was the meat of the dead animals and the malt dregs left over from brewing beer, and so the mountain was named Shisha Pangma (shisha sbangma), signifiying "meat of dead animals and malty dregs". The Sanskrit name of the mountain, Gosainthan, means "place of the saint" or "Abode of God".
Geography
Xixabangma is located in south-central TibetTibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, a few kilometres from the border with 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...
. It is the only eight-thousander entirely within Chinese territory. It is also the highest peak in the Jugal Himal which is contiguous with and often considered part of Langtang
Langtang
Langtang is a region in Nepal to the north of Kathmandu and bordering Tibet. It is protected as Langtang National Park and has a number of high peaks including Langtang Lirung . As of 2010, the entrance ticket to the park cost 2400 Nepali Rupees for foreigners.About 4,500 people live inside the...
Himal. The Jugal/Langtang Himal straddles the Tibet/Nepal border. Since Xixabangma is on the dry north side of the Himalayan crest and further from the lower terrain of Nepal, it has less dramatic vertical relief than most major Himalayan peaks.
First ascent
Xixabangma was first climbed via the northwest face and northeast ridge and face ("Northern Route") on 2 May 1964 by a ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
expedition led by Xǔ Jìng 许竞. In addition to Xǔ Jìng, the summit team consisted of Zhāng Jùnyán 张俊岩, Wang Fuzhou
Wang Fuzhou
Wang Fuzhou is a Chinese mountain climber.Fuzhou graduated from the Beijing Institute of Geology in 1958. He was elected to the Chinese Mountaineering Team...
(Wáng Fùzhōu 王富洲), Wū Zōngyuè 邬宗岳, Chén Sān 陈三, Soinam Dorjê (Suǒnán Duōjí 索南多吉), Chéng Tiānliàng 程天亮, Migmar Zhaxi (Mǐmǎ Zháxī 米马扎西), Dorjê (Duōjí 多吉) and Yún Dēng 云登.
Notable ascents and attempts
- 1980 7 May, "Northern Route", (2nd ascent) by Michl Dacher, Wolfgang Schaffert, Gunter Sturm and Fritz Zintl; Sigi Hupfauer and Manfred Sturm (12 May); as part of a German expedition.
- 1980: 13 October, "Northern Route", (3rd ascent) by Ewald Putz and Egon Obojes, as part of an Austrian expedition.
- 1981: 30 April, "Northern Route", (4th ascent) by Junko Tabei, Rinzing Phinzo and Gyalbu Jiabu, as part of a Japanese women's expedition.
- 1981: 28 May, "Northern Route", (5th ascent) by Reinhold MessnerReinhold MessnerReinhold Messner is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol "whose astonishing feats on Everest and on peaks throughout the world have earned him the status of the greatest climber in history." He is renowned for making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without...
and Friedl Mutschlechner, as part of an Austrian expedition. - 1982: 28 May, "British Route", southwest face (alpine styleAlpine styleAlpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter, equipment etc. as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked camps on the mountain which can be accessed at one's leisure...
), FA by Doug ScottDoug ScottDouglas Keith Scott CBE, known as Doug Scott , is an English mountaineer noted for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to climb Everest during this expedition...
, Alex Macintyre and Roger Baxter-Jones (all UK). Route follows the right-hand couloir on the southwest face. - 1987: 18 July, Elsa Ávila and Carlos CarsolioCarlos CarsolioCarlos Carsolio Larrea is a Mexican mountain climber. Carsolio is known for being the fourth man and the second youngest to climb the world's 14 eight-thousander mountain peaks, all of them without supplementary oxygen .- Early years :Carsolio, the eldest of...
become the first Mexicans to summit Shishapangma. For Ávila, her first eight-thousander and for Carsolio, his second, via the northern face/ridge to the central summit, then along the arete to the main summit, with Wanda RutkiewiczWanda RutkiewiczWanda Rutkiewicz was a Polish mountain climber. She was the first woman to successfully summit K2.-Early life:Rutkiewicz was born in Plungė, Lithuania...
, Ramiro Navarrete, and Ryszard Warecki. - 1987: 18 September, west ridge, FA by Jerzy KukuczkaJerzy KukuczkaJerzy Kukuczka , born in Katowice, Poland, was a Polish alpine and high-altitude climber. On 18 September 1987, he became the second man, after Reinhold Messner, to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world....
and Artur Hajzer (both Poland). Kukuczka skied down from near the summit on this his fourteenth eight-thousander. - 1987: 19 September, central couloir, north face, FA by Alan Hinkes (UK) and Steve Untch (USA).
- 1989: Central buttress, southwest face, Andrej Stemfelj and Pavle Kozjek.
- 1990: Left-hand couloir, southwest face, Wojciech KurtykaWojciech KurtykaWojciech Kurtyka is a Polish mountaineer and rock climber, one of the pioneers of the alpine style of climbing the biggest walls in the Greater Ranges....
(Poland), Erhard LoretanErhard LoretanErhard Loretan was a Swiss mountain climber.Loretan was born in Bulle in the canton of Fribourg. He trained as a cabinet-maker and mountain guide and began his climbing career at the age of 11...
(Switzerland) and Jean TroilletJean TroilletJean Troillet was born 10 March 1948 at Orsieres and lives at La Fouly in Valais.Of Swiss and Canadian nationality, he obtained his mountain guide qualifications in 1969. He has climbed ten peaks of more than 8000 metres, all in alpine style and without oxygen.Troillet climbed Everest in 1986...
(Switzerland) - 1993: Far-right couloir, southwest face, solo by Krzysztof WielickiKrzysztof WielickiKrzysztof Wielicki is a Polish retired alpine and high-altitude climber. He is the fifth man to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders and the first ever to climb Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotse in the winter. He is a member of The Explorers Club...
(Poland). - 2002: 5 May, "Korean Route" on southwest face, Park Jun Hun and Kang Yeon Ryoung (both South Korea).
- 2004: 11 December, Jean-Christophe LafailleJean-Christophe LafailleJean-Christophe Lafaille was a French mountaineer noted for a number of difficult ascents in the Alps and Himalaya, and for what has been described as "perhaps the finest self-rescue ever performed in the Himalaya", when he was forced to descend the mile-high south face of Annapurna alone with a...
(France) provokes controversy when he climbs the "British Route" on the southwest face, solo, and claims a winter ascent. Since this was not calendar winter, he changes his claim to an ascent "in winter conditions." - 2005: 14 January, first (calendar) winter ascent by Piotr MorawskiPiotr MorawskiPiotr Morawski was a Polish mountaineer. He was best known for making the first successful winter ascent together with Simone Moro of Shisha Pangma on January 14, 2005. Morawski died aged 32 during an international Dhaulagiri/Manaslu expedition in Nepal...
(Poland) and Simone MoroSimone MoroSimone Moro is an Italian alpinist. He has climbed several 8000m peaks without using supplementary oxygen. - Early life :...
(Italy). - 2011: 16–17 April, Ueli SteckUeli SteckUeli Steck is a Swiss climber. He is also a skilled carpenter and lives in Ringgenberg in Interlaken.- Career :...
(Switzerland) solos the southwest face in 10.5 hours, leaving base camp (5,306m) at 10:30 pm on 16 April and returning to base camp 20 hours later.
Approximately 22 people have died climbing Xixabangma, including Alex Lowe
Alex Lowe
Stuart Alexander "Alex" Lowe , was widely considered one of his generation's finest all-around mountaineers...
and Dave Bridges (both USA) in 1999, and veteran Portuguese climber Bruno Carvalho. Nevertheless, Xixabangma is one of the easier eight-thousanders to climb. The standard route ascends from the north side, and boasts relatively easy access, with vehicle travel possible to base camp at 5000 m (16,404.2 ft). Routes on the steeper southwest face are more technically demanding and involve 2,200 metres (7,218 feet) of ascent on a 50-degree slope.