Makalu
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Makalu (in Nepal officially मकालु;in China officially Makaru; Chinese: 马卡鲁山, Pinyin: Mǎkǎlǔ Shān) is the fifth highest mountain in the world and is located Template:Km to mi east of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China. One of the eight-thousanders, Makalu is an isolated peak whose shape is a four-sided pyramid.
Makalu has two notable subsidiary peaks. Kangchungtse, or Makalu II, 7,678 m (25,190 ft), lies about 3 km (2 mi) north-northwest of the main summit. Rising about 5 km (3.1 mi) north-northeast of the main summit across a broad plateau, and connected to Kangchungtse by a narrow, 7,200 m saddle, is Chomo Lonzo, 7,804 m (25,604 ft).
Climbing history
The first attempt on Makalu was made by an American team led by William Siri in the spring of 1954. The expedition was composed of members of the Sierra Club including Allen Steck, and was called the California Himalayan Expedition to Makalu. This was the first American mountaineering expedition to the Himalaya. [2] They attempted the southeast ridge but were turned back at 7,100 m (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 Gyaltsen Norbu and Pa Norbu) and Chomo Lonzo (October 30(?): Jean Couzy and Terray).[3]
Makalu was first climbed on May 15, 1955 by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy of a French expedition led by Jean Franco. Franco, G. Magnone and Sirdar Gyaltsen Norbu summitted the next day, followed by Bouvier, S. Coupe, Leroux and A. Vialatte on the 17th. 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.[3]
Notable ascents
- 1970: The first ascent of the southeast ridge route attempted by the Americans was made by Y. Ozaki and A. Tanaka from a Japanese expedition on May 23, 1970.
- 1971: The very technical West Pillar route was climbed in May, 1971 by Frenchmen B. Mellet and Y. Seigneur.[3].
- 1980: The second ascent of the West Pillar was completed in May, 1980 by John Roskelley (summit), Chris Kopczynski, James States and Kim Momb, without Sherpa support and without bottled oxygen.[4]
- 1981: On 15 October 1981 renowned Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka ascended Makalu via a new route up the north-western side and north crest. Kukuczka climbed solo, in alpine style, without supplemental oxygen.
- 1988: Frenchman Marc Batard climbed in one day (after camps were set up) to the summit via the West Buttress on April 27th, 1988.[5]
- 2006: On or about January 27, 2006, the French mountaineer Jean-Christophe Lafaille disappeared on Makalu while trying to make the first winter ascent.[6]
- 2009: Makalu was first climbed in winter on February 9th 2009 by Italian Simone Moro and Kazakh Denis Urubko.[7][8] It was the final Nepali eight-thousander to be climbed in winter conditions. Moro had previously made the first winter ascent of Shishapangma in winter 2005 with Pole Piotr Morawski.
Makalu is one of the harder eight-thousanders, and is considered one of the most difficult mountains in the world to climb. The mountain is notorious for its steep pitches and knife-edged ridges that are completely open to the elements. The final ascent of the summit pyramid involves technical rock/ice climbing.
References
- ^ The height is often given as 8,481 m or 8,485 m.
- ^ http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200509/climber.asp%7CSierra Magazine, Career Climber, September/October, 2005
- ^ a b c Baume, Louis C. (1979). Sivalaya. Seattle, WA, USA: The Mountaineers. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0916890716.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Roskelley, John (1993). Stories Off The Wall. Seattle, WA, USA: The Mountaineers. pp. 137–152. ISBN 0-89886-609-X.
- ^ Batard, Marc (1989). "Makalu West buttress, One-Day Solo Ascent". American Alpine Journal 1989. 31 (63). New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club: 188. ISBN 0930410394.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Jean-Christophe Lafaille obituary". The Independent. 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- ^ "Simone Moro and Denis Urubko: Makalu first winter ascent". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ "Simone Moro and Denis Urubko make winter history on Makalu". MountEverest.net. Retrieved 2009-03-01.