Makalu

For other uses, see Makalu (disambiguation).

"Makaru" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Makaru, Iran.

Makalu
Nepali: मकालु Chinese: 马卡鲁峰
Makalu from the southwest
Highest point
Elevation	8,485 m (27,838 ft) [1] [2] [notes 1] Ranked 5th
Prominence	2,386 m (7,828 ft)
Listing	Eight-thousander Ultra
Coordinates	27°53′23″N87°05′20″E / 27.88972°N 87.08889°E / 27.88972; 87.08889 [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). [3] 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 and Tibet Autonomous Region
Location	Koshi Province (Khumbu), Nepal / Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Parent range	Mahalangur Himalayas
Climbing
First ascent	May 15, 1955, by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy
Easiest route	snow/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

Main article: 1955 French Makalu expedition

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  [ fr ] 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

Glacier on Makalu

Makalu

Makalu 3D

• 1955 North Face to Northeast Ridge FA by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy of France. ^{[6] [7] [8]}
• 1970: Southeast Ridge FA of ridge attempted by the Americans in 1954, ^[9] was made by Y. Ozaki and A. Tanaka from Japan on May 23. ^[10]
• 1971: The very technical West Pillar route was climbed in May by Frenchmen B. Mellet and Y. Seigneur. ^[6]
• 1975: South Face – an expedition led by Aleš Kunaver reached the top of Makalu up its steep southern side, becoming the first Slovenes to summit an eight-thousander. The first amongst them was Stane Belak. This was the third ascent of an eight-thousand meter peak by a great mountain face and the highest peak successfully summitted without supplementary oxygen (Marjan Manfreda). ^[11]
• 1976 – South pillar route completed by Czechoslovak expedition (first attempt in 1973 ended shortly before Makalu South at 8010m due to the fatal fall of Jan Kounický). Route goes via south buttress to Makalu South and then via southeast ridge. Makalu South was climbed by 11 expedition members. Two of them – Karel Schubert and Milan Kriššák summited main summit together with Jorge Camprubi from Spanish expedition which climbed southeast ridge. Karel Schubert died after bivouac near the summit.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 1980: The second ascent of the West Pillar was completed in May by John Roskelley (summit), Chris Kopczynski, James States and Kim Momb, without Sherpa support and without bottled oxygen. ^[12]
• 1981: On 15 October 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. ^[13]
• 1982 : On 10 October Polish climber Andrzej Czok ascended Makalu via West face till 8000m and north-western ridge. Camp IV was reached by two more climbers, Janusz Skorek and Andrzej Machnik, but when their first summit attempt failed, Czok decided to try one more time solo. ^{[14] [15]}
• 1988: Frenchman Marc Batard climbed in one day (after camps were set up) to the summit via the West Buttress on April 27. ^[16]
• 1989: Direct South Face, solo new start by Frenchman Pierre Beghin to 1975 Yugoslav route. ^[17]
• 1990: First female ascent, Kitty Calhoun via the West Pillar route. ^[18]
• 1994: On May 15, the anniversary of the first summit (1955), Anatoli Boukreev and Neal Beidleman. Anatoli has planned a record speed ascent, but gave up that idea after realising his tent in camp III was destroyed by strong wind. He made an ascent in 46 hours.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 1997: After seven failed attempts between 1977 and 1996, the West face was finally ascended. A Russian expedition led by Sergey Efimov brought Alexei Bolotov, Yuri Ermachek, Dmitri Pavlenko, Igor Bugachevski and Nikolai Jiline to the summit. ^[19] This ascent won the 1998 Piolet d'Or.
• 2006: On or about January 27 the French mountaineer Jean-Christophe Lafaille disappeared on Makalu while trying to make the first winter ascent. ^[20]
• 2009: Makalu was first climbed in winter on February 9, 2009, by Italian Simone Moro and Kazakh Denis Urubko. ^{[21] [22] [23]} It was the final Nepali eight-thousander to be climbed in winter. Moro had previously made the first winter ascent of Shishapangma in winter 2005 with Pole Piotr Morawski. ^[24]
• 2022: Ecuadorian Karl Egloff set a new speed record by ascending in 17 hours 18 minutes on May 8, 2022. He climbed without sherpa support and without bottled oxygen. ^[25]
• 2022: Adrian Ballinger made the first ski descent, skiing from 15m below the summit to the foot of the glacier. ^[26]

2004 photo mosaic: the Himalayas with Makalu and Mount Everest from the International Space Station, Expedition 8.

Makalu-Barun Valley

Makalu-Barun Valley – A glacier valley starting from the foot of the Makalu.

Main article: 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

Makalu area – including Everest southern and northern climbing routes – as seen from the International Space Station. (The names on the photo are links to corresponding pages.)

In other media

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

See also

• List of deaths on Makalu
• List of ultras of the Himalayas

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

Annotated closeup of Space Station image

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. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
2. "Makalu, China/Nepal". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
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" . Retrieved 22 October 2024.
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 . Retrieved 2021-01-29.
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 . Retrieved 3 July 2025.
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 . Retrieved 3 July 2025.
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. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
10. Hara, Makoto; Asami, Masao (1971). "Makalu's South Ridge". American Alpine Journal. 17 (2). American Alpine Club: 234–240. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
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. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
14. Bilczewski, Adam (1984). "Makalu West Face". The Himalayan Journal . 40. The Himalayan Club. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
15. "Asia, Nepal, Makalu, West Face". American Alpine Journal. 25 (57). American Alpine Club: 220. 1983. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
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 . Retrieved 2020-08-01.
17. Beghin, Pierre (1990). "Cold Sweat on Makalu". American Alpine Journal. 32 (64). American Alpine Club: 1–6. ISBN   0-930410-43-2 . Retrieved 2016-12-26.
18. Krakauer, Jon (June 1993). "What's a Nice Southern Girl Doing in a Place Like This?". Outside . Retrieved 2016-04-06.
19. Efimov, Sergei (1998). "The West Face of Makalu". American Alpine Journal. 40 (72). Translated by Nekhai, Sergei. American Alpine Club: 11–20. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
20. "Jean-Christophe Lafaille obituary". The Independent. 2006-02-09. Archived from the original on 2008-01-20. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
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. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
22. "Simone Moro and Denis Urubko: Makalu first winter ascent". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
23. "Simone Moro and Denis Urubko make winter history on Makalu". MountEverest.net. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
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 . Retrieved 2025-05-15.
25. "Makalu FKT: Ecuadorians Climb in 17h 18m". explorersweb.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
26. MacDonald, Dougald (2023). "Makalu, First Ski Descent". Climbs and expeditions. American Alpine Journal. 65 (97). American Alpine Club: 342. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
27. Delhi, Hugh Tomlinson (May 2019). "Blizzard of ridicule greets Indian army's yeti footprint claims". The Times.

Further reading

• Franco, Jean, Makalu : 8470 metres (27,790 feet) : the highest peak yet conquered by an entire team, J. Cape, 1957.
• Terray, Lionel (2001) [1963]. Conquistadors of the Useless. Victor Gollancz Ltd. pp. 323–335. ISBN   0-89886-778-9.

External links

• Makalu on SummitPost
• Makalu on Himalaya-Info.org (German)
• "Makalu". Peakware.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
• Ascents and fatalities statistics