The Dhaulagiri
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
extends from the
Kaligandaki River west to the
Bheri. This massif is bounded on the north and southwest by tributaries of the
Bheri River
The Bheri River is a major tributary of the ''Karnali River'' draining the western Dhaulagiri range in western Nepal. It has three important upper tributaries. Sani Bheri River drains southern slopes of this range while Thuli Bheri River drain ...
and on the southeast by the
Myagdi Khola.
Toponymy
Dhaulagiri (धौलागिरी) is the
Nepali name for the mountain which comes from
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
where धवल (dhawala) means dazzling, white, beautiful and गिरि (giri) means mountain.
Peaks
† Only peaks above 7,200 m with more than of
topographic prominence
In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
are
ranked
A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second.
In mathematics, this is known as a weak order or total preorder of ...
.
‡ The status of Churen Himal's three peaks is unclear and sources differ on their heights.
[Neate "High Asia"][Finnmap (topographic map) of Dhaulagiri Himal] 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'' (FinnMap sheet 2883-01 "Chhedhul Gumba") stands north of the main ridge between Churen and Putha Hiunchuli. Pota has been informally renamed ''Peak Hawley'' after
Elizabeth Hawley
Elizabeth Hawley (9 November 1923 – 26 January 2018) was an American journalist, author, and chronicler of Himalayan mountaineering expeditions. Hawley's ''The Himalayan Database'' became the unofficial record for climbs in the Nepalese Himal ...
, 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
Rukum District ( ne, रुकुम जिल्ला) was a "hill" and "mountain" district some west of Kathmandu partially belonging to Lumbini Province and partially to Karnali Province before split into two districts Western Rukum and E ...
and
Rolpa districts during the 1996–2006
Nepal Civil War
The Nepalese Civil War was a protracted armed conflict that took place in the former Kingdom of Nepal from 1996 to 2006. It saw fighting between the Nepalese royal government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) throughout the country. ...
.
Climbing history
* 1954 –
J. O. M. Roberts and Ang Nyima
Sherpa Sherpa may refer to:
Ethnography
* Sherpa people, an ethnic group in north eastern Nepal
* Sherpa language
Organizations and companies
* Sherpa (association), a French network of jurists dedicated to promoting corporate social responsibility
* ...
climb
Putha Hiunchuli
Putha Hiunchuli (Dhaulagiri VII) is a mountain in Nepal and part of the Dhaulagiri (mountain range), Dhaulagiri Range. It lies at the west end of the Dhaulagiri II chain and is 7246 meters high, making it the 95th highest mountain in the world. It ...
, the 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 (~6600m), Tongu (~6250m), P6265 during approach/acclimation through Hidden Valley; also Kantokal (~6500m) 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 (6,529m) 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 Austrian 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 (7,000m+). 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. (Compared with 13
deaths on Mount Everest before it was successfully climbed in 1953.) 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 (AKA Pota Himal; named after
Elizabeth Hawley
Elizabeth Hawley (9 November 1923 – 26 January 2018) was an American journalist, author, and chronicler of Himalayan mountaineering expeditions. Hawley's ''The Himalayan Database'' became the unofficial record for climbs in the Nepalese Himal ...
). Solo climb by
François Damilano following expedition climb of Putha Hiunchuli.
* 2013 – First ascent of Hiunchuli Patan (known locally as Sisne or Murkatta Himal). Nepalese expedition led by Man Bahadur Khatri.
References
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Nepal