Dhaulagiri
The Dhaulagiri massif in Nepal extends from the Kaligandaki River west to the Bheri. This massif is bounded on the north and southwest by tributaries of the Bheri River and on the southeast by the Myagdi Khola. Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world at above sea level, and the highest mountain within the borders of a single country. It was first climbed on 13 May 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian/Nepali expedition.
धौलागिरी is the Nepali name for the mountain which comes from Sanskrit where धवल means dazzling, white, beautiful and गिरि means mountain. Dhaulagiri 1 is also the highest point of the Gandaki river basin.
Annapurna I is 34 km. east of Dhaulagiri. The Kali Gandaki River flows between the two in the Kaligandaki Gorge, said to be the world's deepest. The town of Pokhara is south of the Annapurnas, an important regional center and the gateway for climbers and trekkers visiting both ranges as well as a tourist destination in its own right.
Geography
Looking north from the plains of India, most 8,000-metre peaks are obscured by nearer mountains, but in clear weather Dhaulagiri is conspicuous from northern Bihar and as far south as Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. In 1808, survey computations showed it to be the highest mountain yet surveyed. This lasted until 1838 when Kangchenjunga took its place, followed by Mount Everest in 1858.Dhaulagiri I's sudden rise from lower terrain is almost unequaled. It rises from the Kali Gandaki River 30 km to the southeast. The south and west faces rise precipitously over. The south face of Gurja Himal in the same massif is also notably immense.
Dhaulagiri I climbing history
Most ascents have followed the northeast ridge route of the first ascent, but climbs have been made from most directions. As of 2007 there had been 358 successful ascents and 58 fatalities, which is a summit to fatality rate of 16.2%.Between 1950 and 2006, 2.88% of 2,016 expedition members and staff going above base camp on Dhaulagiri I died. On all 8,000 metre peaks in Nepal the death rate was 1.63%, ranging from 0.65% on Cho Oyu to 4.04% on Annapurna I and 3.05% on Manaslu.
Partial timeline
- 1950 – Dhaulagiri I reconnoitered by a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog. They do not see a feasible route and switch to Annapurna, where they make the first ascent of an 8000 m peak.
- 1953–1958 – Five expeditions attempt the north face, or "Pear Buttress", route.
- 1959 – Austrian expedition led by Fritz Moravec makes the first attempt on the northeast ridge.
- 1960 – Swiss-Austrian expedition led by Max Eiselin, successful ascent by Kurt Diemberger, Peter Diener, Ernst Forrer, Albin Schelbert, Nyima Dorje Sherpa, Nawang Dorje Sherpa on 13 May. First Himalayan climb supported by a fixed-wing aircraft, which eventually crashed in Hidden Valley north of the mountain during takeoff and was abandoned.
- 1969 – American team led by Boyd Everett attempt southeast ridge; seven team members, including Everett, were killed in an avalanche.
- 1970 – second ascent, via the northeast ridge by a Japanese expedition led by Tokufu Ohta and Shoji Imanari. Tetsuji Kawada and Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa reach the summit.
- 1973 – American team led by James D. Morrissey makes third ascent via the northeast ridge. Summit team: John Roskelley, Louis Reichardt, and Nawang Samden Sherpa.
- 1975 – Japanese team led by Takashi Amemiya attempts southwest ridge. Six are killed in an avalanche.
- 1976 – Italian expedition makes the fourth ascent.
- 1977 – International team led by Reinhold Messner attempts the south face.
- 1978, spring: Amemiya returns with an expedition that puts five members on the summit via the southwest ridge—the first ascent not using the northeast ridge. One team member dies during the ascent.
- 1978, autumn – Seiko Tanaka of Japan leads successful climb of the very difficult southeast ridge. Four are killed during the ascent. French team attempts the southwest buttress, only reaches 7,200 m.
- 1980 – A four-man team consisting of Polish climbers Voytek Kurtyka, Ludwik Wiczyczynski, Frenchman René Ghilini and Scotsman Alex MacIntyre climb the east face, topping out at 7,500 m on the northeast ridge. After a bivouac they descend back to base camp in a storm. One week later they climb the mountain via the northeast ridge reaching the summit on 18 May.
- 1981 – Yugoslav team reaches 7,950 m after putting up the first route on the true south face of the mountain, on the right side, connecting with the southeast ridge. They climb in alpine style but suffer four days of open bivouacs and six days without food before returning. Hironobu Kamuro of Japan reaches the summit alone, via the normal route.
- 1982, 5 May – Three members – Philip Cornelissen, Rudi Van Snick and Ang Rita Sherpa – of a Belgian-Nepali team reach the summit via the north-east ridge. A day later, four more climbers – Ang Jangbu Sherpa, Marnix Lefever, Lut Vivijs and Jan Vanhees – summit also. Vivijs becomes the first woman to reach the summit.
- 1982, 13 December – Two members of Japanese team led by Jun Arima of the Academic Alpine Club of Hokkaido University reach the summit. By the world calendar, winter begins 21 December, so this was not a winter but a very-late-autumn-climb. However the climb was done under a winter climbing permit, which the Nepali government issues for climbs beginning on or after 1 December.
- 1984 – Three members of the Czechoslovakian expedition climb the west face to the summit. Simon died during the descent.
- 1985 – Polish expedition led by Adam Bilczewski set out to conquer Dhaulagiri for the first time in winter. After seven weeks of dramatic struggle against hurricane-force winds and temperatures below −40c°, Andrzej Czok and Jerzy Kukuczka successfully made first winter ascent on 21 January.
- 1986 – A mostly Polish expedition puts up a second south face route, on the left side of the face connecting with the southwest ridge route. They go above 7,500 m but do not reach the summit.
- 1988 – Soviet mountaineers Yuri Moiseev and Kazbek Valiev, in cooperation with Zoltan Demján of Czechoslovakia, succeed in climbing the southwest buttress. This 3,000-metre ascent, with difficult technical climbing at 6,800–7,300 m, was acknowledged as the year's best achievement at the UIAA Expedition Commission Conference.
- 1993 – Russian-British team puts up the direct north face route.
- 1995 — Anatoli Boukreev, speed ascent, record time 17 hours 15 mins, base camp to summit.
- 1998 – French climber Chantal Mauduit and Sherpa Ang Tshering die when an avalanche strikes their tent on the Northeast Ridge. On 1 May the Greek climber Nikolaos Papandreou is killed falling in a gorge. On 2 October, the Greek Babis Tsoupras reaches the summit but does not return. The bodies of the Greek climbers were not found.
- 1999 – On 24 October, British climber Ginette Harrison dies in an avalanche on Dhaulagiri. Days later, Slovenian Tomaž Humar climbs the south face solo but does not reach the summit. His ascent ended at 7,300 m due to a 300 m band of rotten rock. Humar traverses to the dangerous southeast ridge, re-enters the face briefly and exits at 8000 m for a descent on the northeast ridge. Dhaulagiri's south face is still unclimbed, making it one of the greatest remaining challenges in alpinism.
Other peaks in the Dhaulagiri Himalaya
‡ The status of Churen Himal's three peaks is unclear and sources differ on their heights.
The coordinates, heights and prominence values above are derived from the Finnmap. The first ascent data is from Neate, but it is unclear if the first ascent of Churen Himal East was actually an ascent of the highest of the three peaks, as Neate lists Churen Himal Central as a 7,320 m subpeak of Churen Himal East.
Most of the named 7,000 metre peaks are on a ridge extending WNW, separated from Dhaulagiri I by 5,355m French Pass at 28°46'55"N, 83°31'54"E. In order they are Dhaulagiri II, III, V, IV, Junction Peak, Churens East, Central and West, Putha Hiunchuli and Hiunchuli Patan. False Junction Peak, Dhaulagiri VI and Gurja are on a ridge extending south from Junction Peak.
The British Alpine Club's Himalayan Index lists 37 more peaks over 6,000 m.
6,182m Pota Himal stands north of the main ridge between Churen and Putha Hiunchuli. Pota has been informally renamed Peak Hawley after Elizabeth Hawley, a notable expedition chronicler and Kathmandu-based reporter.
Hiunchuli Patan at the western end nearest the Bheri River is locally called Sisne or Murkatta Himal. It was an iconic landmark to insurgents based in Rukum and Rolpa districts during the 1996–2006 Nepal Civil War.
Climbing history
- 1954 – J. O. M. Roberts and Ang Nyima Sherpa climb Putha Hiunchuli, first major summit ascent in the range.
- 1955 – Dh.II attempted by J. O. M. Roberts and others
- 1959
- Pre-monsoon and post-monsoon reconnaissances of Dh.II by Japanese expeditions.
- Hangde 6556m in Mukut section attempted.
- 1962
- Churen attempt from north by Japanese Nihon University expedition. Climbed Hangde, Tongu, P6265 during approach/acclimation through Hidden Valley; also Kantokal north of Putha Hiunchili.
- Churen and Dh.VI attempt from south by J. O. M. Roberts, thinking he was on Dh.IV due to inaccurate maps. Climbed a lower peak near Gurja, naming it Ghustang after the stream draining the cirque they climbed in.
- 1963
- Dh.II attempt by Austrian expedition, reaching 7,000m
- Dh.III attempt
- 1965
- Japanese expedition to Dh.II delayed two months by heavy snow in approach passes. Lost two porters to avalanche, then another porter was injured in a fall and needed evacuation. This left too little food to continue.
- J. O. M. Roberts leads British R.A.F. expedition to Dh.VI, still believing it was Dh.IV. Defeated by late monsoon, then early winter storms creating excessive avalanche risk.
- 1969
- Dh.IV attempt by Austrian Alpine Club. Five Austrians and one Nepali disappear, may have summited.
- Gurja climbed by Japanese expedition.
- First authorized ascents of Tukuche 6920m and Tukuche West 6800m.
- 1970
- Japan's Kansai Mountaineering Club unsuccessful on Dh.IV in April but climbed Dh.VI and False Junction Peak.
- Korean expedition claims they summited Churen East on 29 April. Questioned by same year Japanese expedition, see next.
- Japanese expedition climbs Churen Central and Churen West on 24 October.
- 1971
- First ascent of Dh.II on 18 May by German expedition.
- Dh.IV attempt
- Dh.V attempted by pre- and post-monsoon Japanese expeditions. Both ended by fatal accidents.
- 1972 – Dh.IV attempted twice by Japanese expeditions. First attempt abandoned when a climber fell ill and died at 6200m. Second expedition climbed via crest from west, found route too long at high elevation. Climbed Dh.VI and Junction Peak.
- 1973
- first ascent of Dh.III on 20 October by German expedition.
- Dh.IV attempted by Austrians who reached 7250m on N face, then by British who quit after two deaths.
- 1974
- Dh.IV attempt by British R.A.F. expedition abandoned after three Sherpas killed by falling ice.
- In Mukut section: ascents of Parbat Rinchen 6200m, Parbat Talpari 6248m, West Himparkhal 6248m, East Himparkhal 6227m, Tashi Kang III 6157m
- 1975
- Dh.IV climbed 9 May by S. Kawazu and E. Yusuda, who died on descent, bringing death toll on Dh.IV to 14. Another Japanese expedition in October puts ten on summit without loss of life.
- Dh.V climbed by M. Morioka and Pembu Tsering Sherpa on Japanese expedition.
- 1979 – Japanese traverse Dh.II, III and V along 7,150m+ crest. Expedition led by a woman.
- 2008 – First ascent of Peak Hawley. Solo climb by :fr:François Damilano|François Damilano following expedition climb of Putha Hiunchuli.
- 2013 – First ascent of Hiunchuli Patan. Nepalese expedition led by Man Bahadur Khatri.