Annapurna is a massif in the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes one peak over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft), thirteen peaks over 7,000 metres (23,000 ft), and sixteen more over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). The massif is 55 kilometres (34 mi) long, and is bounded by the Kali Gandaki Gorge on the west, the Marshyangdi River on the north and east, and by Pokhara Valley on the south. At the western end the massif encloses a high basin called the Annapurna Sanctuary. Annapurna I Main is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres (26,545 ft) above sea level, and was the first of the Eight-thousanders to be climbed.
Anatoli Nikolaevich Boukreev was a Russian Kazakhstani mountaineer who made ascents of 10 of the 14 eight-thousander peaks—those above 8,000 m (26,247 ft)—without supplemental oxygen. From 1989 through 1997, he made 18 successful ascents of peaks above 8000 m.
The Czech hedgehog is a static anti-tank obstacle defense made of metal angle beams or I-beams. The hedgehog is very effective in keeping light to medium tanks and vehicles from penetrating a line of defense; it maintains its function even when tipped over by a nearby explosion. Although Czech hedgehogs may provide some scant cover for infantry, infantry forces are generally much less effective against fortified defensive positions than mechanized units.
Edmund Viesturs is a high-altitude mountaineer and corporate speaker. He is the only American to have climbed all 14 of the world's eight-thousander mountain peaks, and the fifth person to do so without using supplemental oxygen. Along with Apa Sherpa, he has summitted peaks of over 8,000 meters on 21 occasions, including Mount Everest seven times; only four other climbers, Phurba Tashi Sherpa Mendewa, Juanito Oiarzabal, Namgyal Sherpa, and Ang Dorje Sherpa, have more high-altitude ascents.
Louis Lachenal, a French climber born in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, was one of the first two mountaineers to climb a summit of more than 8,000 meters. On 3 June 1950 on the 1950 French Annapurna expedition, along with Maurice Herzog, he reached the summit of Annapurna I in Nepal at a height of 8,091 m (26,545 ft). Previously he had made the second ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in 1947, with Lionel Terray. He died falling into a snow-covered crevasse while skiing the Vallee Blanche in Chamonix. The mountain Pointe Lachenal in the Mont Blanc massif was named after him.
Maurice Herzog was a French mountaineer and administrator who was born in Lyon, France. He led the 1950 French Annapurna expedition that first climbed a peak over 8000m, Annapurna, in 1950, and reached the summit with Louis Lachenal. Upon his return, he wrote a best-selling book about the expedition.
Jean-Christophe Lafaille was a French mountaineer noted for a number of difficult ascents in the Alps and Himalaya, and for what has been described as "perhaps the finest self-rescue ever performed in the Himalaya", when he was forced to descend the mile-high south face of Annapurna alone with a broken arm, after his climbing partner had been killed in a fall. He climbed eleven of the fourteen eight-thousand-metre peaks, many of them alone or by previously unclimbed routes, but disappeared during a solo attempt to make the first winter ascent of Makalu, the world's fifth highest mountain.
Lionel Terray was a French climber who made many first ascents, including Makalu in the Himalaya and Cerro Fitzroy in the Patagonian Andes.
Ian Clough (1937-1970) was a British mountaineer who was killed on an expedition led by Sir Chris Bonington to climb the south face of the Himalayan massif Annapurna. He was later described by Bonnington as "the most modest man I ever had the good luck to climb with" and "the kindest and most selfless partner I ever had."
Machapuchare, Machhapuchchhre or Machhapuchhre, Tamu: कतासुँ क्लिको, is a mountain in the Annapurna Himalayas of north central Nepal. It is revered by the local population as particularly sacred to the god Shiva, and hence is off limits to climbing.
Tomaž Humar, nicknamed Gozdni Joža, was a Slovenian mountaineer. A father of two, Humar lived in Kamnik, Slovenia. He completed over 1500 ascents, and won a number of mountaineering and other awards, including the Piolet d'Or in 1996 for his Ama Dablam ascent.
Květoslav Minařík (1908–1974) was a Czech yogi and mystic.
Iñaki Ochoa de Olza was a Spanish mountaineer, alpinist and climber. Ochoa de Olza took part in more than thirty separate climbing expeditions in the Himalayas over the course of his career, and he was involved in more than 200 expeditions as a guide. His records included climbing 12 of the world's 14 tallest mountains without the aid of oxygen. Ochoa went on record as saying that he did not believe in using oxygen to climb mountains, claiming "if you use oxygen, you are not an alpinist, you are more of an astronaut or a scuba diver.". He died of pulmonary edema in May 2008 while attempting to climb Annapurna.
Ueli Steck was a Swiss rock climber and mountaineer.
Pavel Kalný was a Czech psychiatrist and mountaineer. He climbed on Mount Elbrus in 1992 and also on several mountains in the USSR. In 2005 he climbed the entire massif of Mount Logan. In 2006, together with Martin Minařík, he participated in an expedition to the fourth highest mountain in the world, Lhotse. On 9 May 2006 he survived a fall of about 200 meters, but died the following day. In April 2007, Martin Minařík placed a commemorative plaque on Lhotse.
Radek Jaroš is a Czech mountaineer and author. In 1998 he climbed his first eight-thousander Mount Everest in the second attempt via its north face. In 2001, 2003 and 2005 he unsuccessfully tried to climb the K2. In 2002, along with Martin Minařík he climbed Kanchenjunga as the first Czech. In 2006 announced he planned to conquer all the eight-thousand peaks of the world. As of 2014, he is the only Czech climber to conquer all 14 eight-thousanders and thereby complete the "Crown of the Himalaya". Moreover, he was able to ascend all of these mountains without the use of supplemental oxygen, which made him the world's 15th person to accomplish this feat.
Vera Komarkova was a mountaineer and botanist who was the first woman to summit Annapurna and Cho Oyu.
The 1950 French Annapurna expedition, led by Maurice Herzog, successfully reached the summit of Annapurna I at 8,091 metres (26,545 ft), the highest peak in the Annapurna Massif. The mountain is located in Nepal and the government had given permission for the expedition, the first time it had permitted mountaineering in over a century. After failing to climb Dhaulagiri I at 8,167 metres (26,795 ft), the higher peak nearby to the west, the team attempted Annapurna with Herzog and Louis Lachenal reaching the summit on 3 June 1950. It was only with considerable help from their team that they were able to return alive, though with very severe injuries following frostbite.
Marek Minarik is a Czech professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
