Himalchuli

Himalchuli
Himalchuli from south
Highest point
Elevation	7,893 m (25,896 ft) [1] Ranked 18th
Prominence	1,633 m (5,358 ft) [1]
Listing	Mountains of Nepal Ultra
Coordinates	28°26′03″N84°38′15″E / 28.43417°N 84.63750°E / 28.43417; 84.63750 [1]
Geography
60km 37miles Bhutan Nepal Pakistan India China 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1     The major peaks (not mountains) above 7,500 m (24,600 ft) height in Himalayas, rank identified in Himalayas alone (not the world). [2] Legend 1：Mount Everest 2：Kangchenjunga 3：Lhotse 4：Yalung Kang, Kanchenjunga West 5：Makalu 6：Kangchenjunga South 7：Kangchenjunga Central 8：Cho Oyu 9：Dhaulagiri 10：Manaslu (Kutang) 11：Nanga Parbat (Diamer) 12：Annapurna 13：Shishapangma (Shishasbangma, Xixiabangma) 14：Manaslu East 15：Annapurna East Peak 16： Gyachung Kang 17：Annapurna II 18：Tenzing Peak (Ngojumba Kang, Ngozumpa Kang, Ngojumba Ri) 19：Kangbachen 20：Himalchuli (Himal Chuli) 21：Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29, Dakura, Dakum, Dunapurna) 22：Nuptse (Nubtse) 23：Nanda Devi 24：Chomo Lonzo (Chomolonzo, Chomolönzo, Chomo Lönzo, Jomolönzo, Lhamalangcho) 25：Namcha Barwa (Namchabarwa) 26：Zemu Kang (Zemu Gap Peak) 27：Kamet 28：Dhaulagiri II 29：Ngojumba Kang II 30：Dhaulagiri III 31：Kumbhakarna Mountain (Mount Kumbhakarna, Jannu) 32：Gurla Mandhata (Naimona'nyi, Namu Nan) 33：Hillary Peak (Ngojumba Kang III) 34：Molamenqing (Phola Gangchen) 35：Dhaulagiri IV 36：Annapurna Fang 37：Silver Crag 38：Kangbachen Southwest 39：Gangkhar Puensum (Gangkar Punsum) 40：Annapurna III 41：Himalchuli West 42：Annapurna IV 43：Kula Kangri 44：Liankang Kangri (Gangkhar Puensum North, Liangkang Kangri) 45：Ngadi Chuli South Location in Nepal
Location	Lamjung, Gorkha-Gandaki Province, Nepal
Parent range	Mansiri Himal, Himalayas
Climbing
First ascent	May 24, 1960 by Hisashi Tanabe, Masahiro Harada
Easiest route	glacier/snow/ice climb

Himalchuli (also sometimes written as two words, Himal Chuli) is the second-highest mountain in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, and the 18th-highest mountain in the world.

Black and white image of Mount Himalchuli from the premise of Gorkha Durbar.

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.

Climbing history

Exploratory visits to the peak were made in 1950 and 1954, and a first attempt in 1955 failed early on. ^[3] 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. ^[4] This ascent was somewhat unusual for a sub-8000m peak in using bottled oxygen.

The Himalayan Index 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.

Aerial view of Himalchuli

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. ^[5]

The North Peak was first climbed in 1985 by a Korean expedition, via the North Face. ^[6]

References

1. "High Asia II: Himalaya of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and adjoining region of Tibet". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
2. "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" . Retrieved 22 October 2024.
3. "Asia, Nepal, Himal Chuli". Climbs And Expeditions. American Alpine Journal . 10 (1). American Alpine Club: 140. 1956. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
4. "Japanese Himalayan Expeditions". Climbs And Expeditions. American Alpine Journal. 12 (2). American Alpine Club: 275. 1961. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
5. "Asia, Nepal, Himalchuli, South Face". Climbs And Expeditions. American Alpine Journal. 22 (1). American Alpine Club: 270. 1979. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
6. "Asia, Nepal, Himalchuli North, First Ascent". Climbs And Expeditions. American Alpine Journal. 28 (60). American Alpine Club: 241. 1986. Retrieved 2025-06-09.

Sources

• Neate, Jill (1989). High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks. Seattle: The Mountaineers. ISBN   0-89886-238-8.
• "Himalayan Index". The Alpine Club. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
• DEM files for the Himalaya (Corrected versions of SRTM data)