Tours and Trekking

Annapurna (Sanskrit,

Nepali,
Nepal
Bhasa: अन्नपूर्ण) is a series of
peaks in
the

Himalaya, a 55 km (34 mi)-long
massif whose
highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8,091 m (26,538 ft), making it the
10th-highest summit in the world and one of the 14 "eight-thousanders".
It is located east of a great

gorge cut through the Himalaya by the

Kali Gandaki River, which separates it from the
Dhaulagiri
massif. (Dhaulagiri I lies 34 km/21 mi west of Annapurna I.) Annapurna is a
Sanskrit
name which is translated as Goddess of the Harvests. In
Hinduism,
Annapurna is a goddess of fertility and

agriculture and an
avatar of
Durga.

 Geography

The Annapurna massif contains six major peaks over 7,200 m:

The Annapurna Himal from the northeast. Left to right: Annapurna II and

IV (close together); a major

col; Annapurna III and Gangapurna; Annapurna I.

Climbing expeditions

Annapurna I

The south face of Annapurna I, as rendered by

Google Earth, simulating the view from near Base Camp

Annapurna I was the first 8,000-metre (26,200 ft) peak to be climbed.

Maurice Herzog and

Louis Lachenal, of a
French
expedition (including

Lionel Terray,

Gaston Rébuffat,
Marcel
Ichac,
Jean Couzy,

Marcel Schatz,

Jacques Oudot,

Francis de Noyelle), reached the summit on
3 June
1950. (See the
documentary of the expedition "Victoire sur l'Annapurna" by
Marcel
Ichac).

The south face of Annapurna was first climbed in
1970 by
Don
Whillans and

Dougal Haston, members of a

British expedition led by

Chris Bonington which included the

alpinist

Ian Clough, who was killed by a falling
ice-pillar during the
descent.

In 1978, The

American Women's Annapurna Expedition, a team led by
Arlene
Blum, became the first

American team to climb Annapurna I. The expedition was also remarkable for
being composed entirely of women. Sadly, Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz and Vera
Watson died during this climb. (Vera Watson was the wife of

computer scientist

John McCarthy.)

On 3
February 1987,
Polish
climbers

Jerzy Kukuczka and
Artur
Hajzer made the first winter ascent of Annapurna I. The Annapurna peaks are
among the world's most dangerous mountains to climb, with a fatality rate of
40%.^[1]
As of 2005, only 103 successful summits have been made, for the loss of 56
lives, many to the avalanches for which the mountain is known. Climbers killed
on the peak include famed Russian climber

Anatoli Boukreev in 1997 and

Christian Kuntner in 2005.

 The other peaks

Annapurna II, the eastern anchor of the range, was first climbed in 1960 by a
British/Indian/Nepalese team led by Jimmy Roberts, via the West Ridge,
approached from the north. The summit party comprised Richard Grant, Chris
Bonington, and Sherpa Ang Nyima. In terms of elevation, isolation (distance to a
higher summit, namely Annapurna I, 30.5 km/19.0 mi) and

prominence (2,437 m/8,000 ft), Annapurna II does not rank far behind
Annapurna I. It is a fully independent peak, despite the close association with
Annapurna I which its name seems to imply.

Annapurna III was first climbed in 1961 by an Indian expedition led by Mohan
Kohli, via the Northeast Face. The summit party comprised

Mohan Kohli, Sonam Gyatso, and Sonam Girmi.

Annapurna IV, near Annapurna II, was first climbed in 1955 by a German
expedition led by Heinz Steinmetz, via the North Face and Northwest Ridge. The
summit party comprised Steinmetz, Harald Biller, and Jürgen Wellenkamp.

Gangapurna was first climbed in 1965 by a German expedition led by Günther
Hauser, via the East Ridge. The summit party comprised 11 members of the
expedition.

Annapurna South (also known as Annapurna Dakshin, or Moditse) was first
climbed in 1964 by a Japanese expedition, via the North Ridge. The summit party
comprised S. Uyeo and Mingma Tsering.

Machapuchare (6,993 m/22,943 ft) is another important peak of the Annapurna
Himal, though it just misses the 7,000 metre mark.

Trekking

There are three major trekking routes in Annapurna Region: to Jomsom
Muktinath , to Annapurna Sanctuary ( Annapurna Base Camp), and a circuit of the
Annapurna Himal itself. Pokhara is also a good starting place for short treks of
one to four days, such as Ghorepani Trekking, Ghandruk Trekking and others.
Mustang is also geographically a part of the Annapurna region, but because treks
to Mustang are subject to special restrictions. About two-thirds of the trekkers
in Nepal visit the Annapurna region. The area is easily accessible, hotels in
the hills are plentiful, and treks here offer good scenery of both high
mountains and lowland villages.

Dhaulagiri

Dhaulagiri
Dhaulagiri I in October 2002

Dhaulagiri (धौलागिरी) is the seventh highest
mountain
in the world. It forms the eastern anchor of the Dhaulagiri Himal, a

subrange of the

Himalaya in the

Dhawalagiri Zone of north central
Nepal. It lies
northwest of
Pokhara, an important regional town and tourist center. Across the deep
gorge of the

Kali Gandaki to the east lies the
Annapurna
Himal, home to Annapurna I, one of the other

eight-thousanders. Dhaulagiri means "White Mountain".

 Notable Features

After its discovery in
1808 by the
western world, Dhaulagiri was

thought to be the highest mountain in the world. This lasted for 30 years
before Dhaulagiri's place was taken by

Kangchenjunga.

 

Dhaulagiri from

Poon Hill

In terms of rise above local terrain, Dhaulagiri is, in fact, almost
unparalleled in the world. For example, it rises 7000m over the Kali Gandaki
gorge to the southeast in about 30km of horizontal distance. The

Kali Gandaki is especially dramatic since Dhaulagiri and Annapurna both
stand near the river, giving a unique example of two

Eight-thousanders facing each other over a deep valley.

The South and West faces of Dhaulagiri both feature massive drops; each
rises over 4000 meters from its base, and each has been the site of epic
climbs (see the Timeline).

Among the subsidiary peaks in the range, Gurja Himal also boasts a large,
precipitous drop on its south face.

 Climbing History

Dhaulagiri was first climbed on
May 13,
1960 by

Kurt Diemberger, Peter Diener, Ernst Forrer, Albin Schelbert, Nyima Dorji
and Nawang Dorji, members of a Swiss/Austrian expedition. The expedition
leader was Max Eiselin; they used the Northeast Ridge route which had been
reconnoitered one year earlier by an Austrian expedition led by

Fritz Moravec. This was also the first Himalayan climb supported by a
fixed-wing aircraft. The aircraft, a

Pilatus PC-6, crashed during the approach and was later abandoned on the
mountain.

The vast majority of ascents to date have been via the first ascent route,
which is the "Normal Route" on the mountain. However ascents have been made
from almost every direction.