Himalchuli
Mountain in Nepal
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Features
Lying south-southeast of Manaslu and Ngadi Chuli, Himalchuli is the second-highest and southernmost of the three mountains that form the heart of the Mansiri Himal. It is a complex massif with a vast horizontal sprawl, connected to shorter satellite peaks such as Baudha (6,672 m (21,890 ft)) by numerous steep, winding ridges. A central plateau situated entirely above an elevation of 7000 metres is ringed by its three main peaks: East (7,893 m (25,896 ft)), West (7,540 m (24,740 ft)) and North (7,371 m (24,183 ft)). The main pyramid of the East summit is considered the eighteenth highest independent mountain on earth.
Himalchuli is also notable for its large vertical relief over local terrain. For example, it rises 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) over the Marshyangdi River to the southwest in about 27 km (17 mi) horizontal distance.
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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 on May 24, 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 Archived 2017-07-17 at the Wayback Machine lists five other ascents of this peak, and 10 additional unsuccessful attempts. The ascents were by various routes on the south, southwest, and 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 Korean expedition, via the North Face.