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MAKALU - THE NAME

In 1884, the survey of India explorer Rinzin Namgyal gave the name Khamba Lung to the Mountain on his panorama. The name is derived from the adjoining Khamba District of Tibet, with Kamalung being the name of the valley to the north of the massif. Just when the mountain became known as Makalu is unclear, but an opinion is that it is a local corruption of the Sanskrit Maha-kala meaning "Great Weather". In Tibetan, and this would seem to be the most probable origin, Maha-kala means "The Great Black One" - aptly descriptive of the mountain's dark granite formation.

MAKALU - RECONNAISSANCE

The first recorded photographs of Makalu were taken by a British expedition in 1921 during a reconnaissance of the eastern approaches to Everest. Lt Col Howard-Bury, G H Bullock and G H L Mallory explored the area of the Kama Valley. Further pictures were obtained from the air in 1933, mainly of the south and west sides, but it was not until 1952 that the area received a visit by western mountaineers.

MAKALU - CLIMBING HISTORY

The first attempt to climb Makalu was made in 1954 by an American expedition. Establishing Base Camp on April 5th at 4725m the team examined 2 routes: the SE Ridge and the NW Ridge; the former was selected. The team reached a height of 7100m before being defeated by continuous storms. The following year a French team made the first ascent of the mountain by climbing via the N Face and NE Ridge but it was not until 1970 that the SE Ridge was finally climbed. On this occasion a 16 strong Japanese team with the support of 25 locally employed high altitude porters succeeded in forcing a route up the ridge, with 2 climbers reaching the summit on 23 May.

Since the first ascent the SE Ridge has received many attempts from teams of all nationalities, but with little success. To date only 4 successful ascents have been made.

BARUNTSE - HISTORY

Members of Edmund Hillary's Makalu SE Ridge Reconnaissance Expedition first climbed this remote peak in 1954 but the next recorded ascent did not take place until 30 years later when Baruntse was climbed by Doug Scott. Since then it has become one of Nepal's most coveted 7000m peaks and has received the attention of a number of expeditions although many have not been successful in reaching the summit. The original line follows the SE Ridge, which is essentially a steep snow ridge with areas of technical difficulty high up on the mountain. This combined with extreme altitude makes an ascent of Baruntse a most challenging objective.


MAKALU - THE NAME In 1884, the survey of India explorer Rinzin Namgyal gave the name Khamba Lung to the Mountain on his panorama. The name is derived from the adjoining Khamba District of Tibet, with Kamalung being the name of the valley to the north of the massif. Just when the mountain became known as Makalu is unclear, but an opinion is that it is a local corruption of the Sanskrit Maha-kala meaning "Great Weather". In Tibetan, and this would seem to be the most probable origin, Maha-kala means "The Great Black One" - aptly descriptive of the mountain's dark granite formation. MAKALU - RECONNAISSANCE The first recorded photographs of Makalu were taken by a British expedition in 1921 during a reconnaissance of the eastern approaches to Everest. Lt Col Howard-Bury, G H Bullock and G H L Mallory explored the area of the Kama Valley. Further pictures were obtained from the air in 1933, mainly of the south and west sides, but it was not until 1952 that the area received a visit by western mountaineers. MAKALU - CLIMBING HISTORY The first attempt to climb Makalu was made in 1954 by an American expedition. Establishing Base Camp on April 5th at 4725m the team examined 2 routes: the SE Ridge and the NW Ridge; the former was selected. The team reached a height of 7100m before being defeated by continuous storms. The following year a French team made the first ascent of the mountain by climbing via the N Face and NE Ridge but it was not until 1970 that the SE Ridge was finally climbed. On this occasion a 16 strong Japanese team with the support of 25 locally employed high altitude porters succeeded in forcing a route up the ridge, with 2 climbers reaching the summit on 23 May. Since the first ascent the SE Ridge has received many attempts from teams of all nationalities, but with little success. To date only 4 successful ascents have been made. BARUNTSE - HISTORY Members of Edmund Hillary's Makalu SE Ridge Reconnaissance Expedition first climbed this remote peak in 1954 but the next recorded ascent did not take place until 30 years later when Baruntse was climbed by Doug Scott. Since then it has become one of Nepal's most coveted 7000m peaks and has received the attention of a number of expeditions although many have not been successful in reaching the summit. The original line follows the SE Ridge, which is essentially a steep snow ridge with areas of technical difficulty high up on the mountain. This combined with extreme altitude makes an ascent of Baruntse a most challenging objective.