Mighty Makalu(8481m) from Island Peak

Posted in: 7th Jul, 2013 Post Category: Blog of Nepal

The name is derived from the Sanskrit Maha Kala, a name for the Hindu god Shiva that translates “Big Black.” Mt. Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world and is located 22 km (14 mi) east of Mount Everest. It is in Nepal’s Makalu-Barun National Park and Conservation Area and is an isolated peak whose shape is a four-sided pyramid. Rising just north of the higher summit, separated by a narrow saddle, is Chomo Lonzo (7,818m/25,650′) a subsidiary peak of Makalu.
Makula is a double peak with its twin subsidiary peak Chomolonzo (25,650 feet) to the north. The summit ridge is the border between Nepal and Tibet.One of the most challenging 8,000-meter peaks, with steep climbing, exposed ridges, and rock climbing on the summit pyramid. Only five of the first 16 attempts successfully reached Makalu’s summit.

Makalu was first climbed on May 15, 1955 by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy of a French expedition led by Jean Franco, after the team’s first attempt failed in 1954. Franco and two other climbers summitted the next day. The French team climbed Makalu by the north face and NE ridge. The first attempt on Makalu was made by an American team in the spring of 1954. They attempted to reach the top via the SE ridge but were turned back at 7,100 metres by a constant barrage of storms. The first ascent by the SE ridge was made by two climbers from a Japanese expedition on May 23, 1970. Makalu is considered as one of the most difficult mountains in the world to climb. The mountain is notorious for it’s steep pitches and knife-edged ridges that are completely open to the elements