Makalu
Eight-thousander and 5th-highest mountain on Earth, located in Nepal and China From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eight-thousander and 5th-highest mountain on Earth, located in Nepal and China From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Makalu[2] (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 as a four-sided pyramid.
Makalu | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 8,485 m (27,838 ft)[1][notes 1] Ranked 5th |
Prominence | 2,386 m (7,828 ft) |
Listing | Eight-thousander Ultra |
Coordinates | 27°53′23″N 87°05′20″E[1] |
Geography | |
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 has two notable subsidiary peaks. Kangchungtse, or Makalu II (7,678 m), 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 saddle, is Chomo Lonzo (7,804 m).
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.[3] 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).[4]
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 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.[4]
An ascent without oxygen was attempted by the 1960-61 Silver Hut expedition but neither of the two attempts succeeded.
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.
In the Inspector Gadget episode "Weather in Tibet," the criminal organization MAD has built a weather control machine atop Mount Makalu.[citation needed]
Makalu Peak is referenced in the animated X-Men: Evolution series episode titled "Dark Horizon – Part 2". It is the burial place of the villain Apocalypse.[citation needed]
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