Changabang

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Changabang
Kalanka and Changbang peaks from Bagini glacier DSCN0066.jpg
height 6864  m
location Uttarakhand ( India )
Mountains Nanda Devi Group ( Garhwal Himalayas )
Dominance 1.37 km →  Kalanka
Notch height 260 m
Coordinates 30 ° 30 '0 "  N , 79 ° 55' 37"  E Coordinates: 30 ° 30 '0 "  N , 79 ° 55' 37"  E
Changabang (Uttarakhand)
Changabang
First ascent June 4th 1974 by Tashi Chewang, Balwant Sandhu, Chris Bonington , Martin Boysen , Dougal Haston , Doug Scott
f6
fd2

The Changabang is a 6864  m high mountain in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand ( India ).

It is located along with other six-thousanders in the immediate vicinity of the second highest mountain in India, the Nanda Devi . The Changabang is not a particularly high mountain compared to its surroundings, but it has a special role due to its extraordinary steepness and is a popular destination for extreme mountaineers because of the great difficulty in climbing it . As early as 1937, Frank Smythe described it as "a peak that falls from crest to glacier in a wall that might have been sliced ​​in a single cut of a knife" .

Ascension story

  • In 1883, WW Graham claimed the first ascent of Changabang for himself, but from today's perspective this seems very unlikely.
  • The Changabang was first climbed on June 4, 1974 by Doug Scott , Dougal Haston , the expedition leader Chris Bonington and a few other climbers over the easiest possible line, the east face and the northeast ridge.

Other routes that have been climbed on the Changabang are among the most difficult that has ever been accomplished in the Himalayan mountaineering. B .:

  • The West Face Route ( VI / A2 ) by Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker from 1976, which was carried out in a 25-day big wall - style marathon ascent and represents a landmark in the history of Himalayan mountaineering.
  • Also in 1976 a Japanese group under Naoki Toda climbed the Changabang over the southwest ridge using fixed ropes .
  • In 1978 the south pillar ( VI / A3 ) was first climbed in eight days by Alex McIntyre , John Porter , Wojciech Kurtyka and Krzysztof Żurek . The descent took place over the east ridge in two days.
  • In 1981 an eight-person Italian expedition climbed the Changabang over the south ridge using fixed ropes, Ugo Manera and Lino Castiglia reached the summit.
  • from 1982 to 1995 the summit was blocked by the Indian government.
  • In 1997 Andy Cave , Mick Fowler , Steve Sustad and Brendan Murphy opened a new extreme route through the 1600 m high north face of the mountain. During the descent, Murphy was caught in an avalanche and died.
  • In 1998, a five-person American-Russian group led by Carlos Buhler climbed the central north face in 16 days.
  • Another tragedy occurred on October 12, 2006, when the two Mexican climbers Andrés Delgado and Alfonso de la Parra climbed the Changabang via a new route and were caught in a storm while descending. You have been missing since then.
  • Numerous expeditions fail due to the great difficulties on the Changabang. For example, the German mountain guide David Göttler , who has twice been unsuccessful on this mountain (including during the DAV training expedition in 2002).

literature

  • Peter Boardman: The Shining Mountain. Two men on Changabang's West Wall . Hodder & Stoughton, London 1978, ISBN 0-340-22375-8 .

Web links