Makalu
Nepali: मकालु
Chinese: 马卡鲁峰
Makalu from the southwest
Highest point
Elevation[1][2][notes 1]
Ranked 5th
Prominence2,386 m (7,828 ft)
ListingEight-thousander
Ultra
Coordinates27°53′23″N 87°05′20″E / 27.88972°N 87.08889°E / 27.88972; 87.08889[1]
Geography
Location in Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region
LocationKoshi Province (Khumbu), Nepal / Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Parent rangeMahalangur Himalayas
Climbing
First ascentMay 15, 1955, by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy
Easiest routesnow/ice climb

Makalu[4] (Nepali: मकालु हिमाल, romanized: Makālu himāl; Chinese: 马卡鲁峰; pinyin: Mǎkǎlǔ Fēng) is the fifth-highest mountain on Earth, with a summit at an elevation of 8,485 metres (27,838 ft) AMSL. It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas 19 km (12 mi) southeast of Mount Everest, on the China–Nepal border. One of the eight-thousanders, Makalu is an isolated peak shaped like a four-sided pyramid.

Makalu has two notable subsidiary peaks. Kangchungtse, or Makalu II (7,678 m (25,190 ft)), lies about three kilometres (two miles) north-northwest of the main summit. Rising about 5 km (3 mi) north-northeast of the main summit across a broad plateau, and connected to Kangchungtse by a narrow, 7,200 m (23,600 ft) saddle, is Chomo Lonzo (7,804 m (25,604 ft)).

Climbing history

The first climb on Makalu was made by an American team led by Riley Keegan in the spring of 1954. The expedition was composed of Sierra Club members including Bill Long and Allen Steck, and was called the California Himalayan Expedition to Makalu.[5] They attempted the southeast ridge but were forced to turn back at 7,100 metres (23,300 ft) by a constant barrage of storms. A New Zealand team including Sir Edmund Hillary was also active in the spring, but did not get very high due to injury and illness. In the fall of 1954, a French reconnaissance expedition made the first ascents of the subsidiary summits Kangchungtse (October 22: Jean Franco, Lionel Terray, sirdar Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa and Pa Norbu) and Chomo Lonzo (likely on October 30: Jean Couzy and Terray).[6]

First ascent

Makalu was first summited on May 15, 1955, by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy of a French expedition led by Jean Franco. Franco, Guido Magnone and Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa summitted the next day, followed by Jean Bouvier, Serge Coupé, Pierre Leroux and André Vialatte on the 17th. This was an amazing achievement at the time, to have the vast majority of expedition members summit, especially on such a difficult peak. Prior to this, summits were reached by one to two expedition members at most, with the rest of teams providing logistical support before turning around and heading home. The French team climbed Makalu by the north face and northeast ridge, via the saddle between Makalu and Kangchungtse (the Makalu-La), establishing the standard route.[6][7]

An ascent without oxygen was attempted by the 1960–61 Silver Hut expedition but neither of the two attempts succeeded.

Notable ascents

Makalu-Barun Valley

Makalu-Barun Valley is a Himalayan glacier valley situated at the base of Makalu in the Sankhuwasabha district of Nepal. This valley lies entirely inside the Makalu Barun National Park.

View

In other media

The Makalu area has been a focus for yeti expeditions.[27]

See also

Notes

  1. The elevation given in this article has depended upon source and when measured. The current sources used are recent and are generally accepted for heights in the area.

References

  1. "Mountaineering in Nepal Facts and Figures 2018" (PDF). Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation. Nepal in Data. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal. June 2018. p. 145. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-12-23.
  2. "Makalu, China/Nepal". Peakbagger.com.
  3. "Peak Bagger:Himalaya, Central Nepal Himalaya, Khumbu, Ghurka Himal, Annapurna Himal, Xishapangma Area, Sikkim-Eastern Nepal Himalaya, Western Nepal Himalaya, Assam Himalaya, Punjab Himalaya, Bhutan Himalaya, Garwhal Himalaya, Ganesh Himal".
  4. Searle, Mike (March 2013). "Mapping the Geology of Everest and Makalu". Colliding Continents. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780199653003.003.0013. ISBN 978-0-19-965300-3.
  5. Daniel Duane (September–October 2005). "Career Climber". Sierra Magazine. Sierra Club. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007.
  6. Baume, Louis C. (1979). Sivalaya. Seattle, WA, USA: The Mountaineers. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0-916890-71-6.
  7. Franco, Jean (1956). "Makalu" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #61: 13–28. ISSN 0065-6569.
  8. Isserman, Maurice; Weaver, Stewart (2008). Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes. Yale University Press. pp. 326–327. ISBN 9780300164206.
  9. Dunmire, William W.; Unsoeld, William (1955). "Makalu, 1954, California Himalayan Expedition". American Alpine Journal. 9 (2). New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club: 7–24.
  10. Hara, Makoto; Asami, Masao (1971). "Makalu's South Ridge". American Alpine Journal. 17 (2). American Alpine Club: 234–240.
  11. "Slovenski alpinisti kot postavljalci skrajnih meja" [Slovenian alpinists as setters of extreme limits] (in Slovenian). April 11, 2008. Archived from the original on 2018-09-21.
  12. Roskelley, John (1993). Stories Off The Wall. Seattle, WA, USA: The Mountaineers. pp. 137–152. ISBN 0-89886-609-X.
  13. Kurtyka, Voytek (1983). "Makalu West Face Attempt and Solo Ascent of the Unclimbed North Ridge of Makalu". The Himalayan Journal. 39. The Himalayan Club.
  14. Bilczewski, Adam (1984). "Makalu West Face". The Himalayan Journal. 40. The Himalayan Club.
  15. "Asia, Nepal, Makalu, West Face". American Alpine Journal. 25 (57). American Alpine Club: 220. 1983.
  16. Batard, Marc (1989). "Makalu West Buttress, One-Day Solo Ascent". American Alpine Journal. 31 (63). American Alpine Club: 188. ISBN 0-930410-39-4.
  17. Beghin, Pierre (1990). "Cold Sweat on Makalu". American Alpine Journal. 32 (64). American Alpine Club: 1–6. ISBN 0-930410-43-2.
  18. Krakauer, Jon (June 1993). "What's a Nice Southern Girl Doing in a Place Like This?". Outside.
  19. Efimov, Sergei (1998). "The West Face of Makalu". American Alpine Journal. 40 (72). Translated by Nekhai, Sergei. American Alpine Club: 11–20.
  20. "Jean-Christophe Lafaille obituary". The Independent. 2006-02-09. Archived from the original on 2008-01-20.
  21. Moro, Simone (2009). "Roar of the Wind, The First Winter Ascent of Makalu". Feature Article. American Alpine Journal. 51 (83). American Alpine Club: 72–77.
  22. "Simone Moro and Denis Urubko: Makalu first winter ascent". PlanetMountain.com.
  23. "Simone Moro and Denis Urubko make winter history on Makalu". MountEverest.net. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12.
  24. Morawski, Piotr (2004). "Shishapangma (Xixabangma), Attempt in Winter and First Winter Ascent of the Southwest Face". Climbs and Expeditions: Tibet. American Alpine Journal. 46 (78). American Alpine Club: 423–425. ISSN 0065-6925.
  25. "Makalu FKT: Ecuadorians Climb in 17h 18m". explorersweb.com. 10 May 2022.
  26. MacDonald, Dougald (2023). "Makalu, First Ski Descent". Climbs and expeditions. American Alpine Journal. 65 (97). American Alpine Club: 342.
  27. Delhi, Hugh Tomlinson (May 2019). "Blizzard of ridicule greets Indian army's yeti footprint claims". The Times.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Makalu.