Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third
highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the
Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the
Tamur River, in the north by the
Lhonak River
The Lhonak River is a tributary of the Teesta River in the Indian state of Sikkim.
Course
The Lhonak originates as a small stream from a glacier in the snowy wastes of northern Sikkim. It generally flows south till it joins the Teesta. The main ...
and
Jongsang La, and in the east by the
Teesta River.
It lies in the border region between
Nepal and
Sikkim state of
India, with three of the five peaks, namely Main, Central and South, directly on the border, and the peaks West and Kangbachen in Nepal's
Taplejung District.
Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the
highest mountain in the world, but calculations and measurements by the
Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1849 showed that
Mount Everest, known as Peak XV at the time, is actually higher. After allowing for further verification of all calculations, it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga was the third highest mountain.
The Kangchenjunga is a sacred mountain in Sikkim and was first climbed on 25 May 1955 by
Joe Brown and
George Band, who were part of the
1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition
The 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition succeeded in climbing the Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, for the first time. The expedition complied with a request from the Sikkim authorities that the summit should not be tr ...
. They stopped just short of the true summit, keeping a promise given to
Tashi Namgyal
Tashi Namgyal ( Sikkimese: ; Wylie: ''Bkra-shis Rnam-rgyal'') (26 October 1893 – 2 December 1963) was the ruling Chogyal (King) of Sikkim from 1914 to 1963. He was the son of Thutob Namgyal. He was the first independent king of Sikkim.
Bi ...
, the
Chogyal
The Chogyal ("Dharma Kings", ) were the monarchs of the former Kingdom of Sikkim, which belonged to the Namgyal dynasty. The Chogyal was the absolute monarch of Sikkim from 1642 to 1975, when the monarchy was abolished and the Sikkimese people ...
of
Sikkim, that the top of the mountain would remain inviolate.
The Indian side of the mountain is off-limits to climbers. In 2016, the adjoining
Khangchendzonga National Park was declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Etymology
''Kangchenjunga'' is the official spelling adopted by
Douglas Freshfield,
Alexander Mitchell Kellas and the
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
that gives the best indication of the
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
pronunciation. Freshfield referred to the spelling used by the Indian Government since the late 19th century.
Alternative spellings include Kanchenjunga, Khangchendzonga and Kangchendzönga.
The brothers
Hermann,
Adolf and
Robert Schlagintweit
Robert Schlagintweit (24 October 1833 – 6 June 1885) was a German explorer of Central Asia who also wrote about travels in America. Brothers Hermann, Adolf and Robert Schlagintweit were commissioned by the British East India Company to stud ...
explained the local name 'Kanchinjínga' meaning “The five treasures of the high snow” as originating from the
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
word "gangs" meaning snow, ice; "chen" meaning great; "mzod" meaning treasure; "lnga" meaning five.
Local Lhopo people believe that the treasures are hidden but reveal themselves to the devout when the world is in peril; the treasures comprise
salt,
gold,
turquoise and
precious stones, sacred scriptures, invincible armor or ammunition, grain and medicine.
Protected areas
The Kangchenjunga landscape is a complex of three distinct
ecoregions: the
eastern Himalayan broad-leaved and
coniferous forests
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant ...
, the
Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows and the
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands.
The Kangchenjunga transboundary landscape is shared by Nepal, India,
Bhutan and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and comprises 14
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
s with a total of :
* Nepal:
Kanchenjunga Conservation Area
Kanchenjunga Conservation Area is a protected area in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that was established in 1997. It covers in the Taplejung District and comprises two peaks of Kanchenjunga. In the north it adjoins the Qomolangma National Natur ...
* Sikkim, India:
Khangchendzonga National Park,
Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary,
Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary
Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary (Devanagari: फाम्बोन्ग ल्हो) is a large wildlife sanctuary in Gangtok district of the state of Sikkim in India. It is contiguous with Khangchendzonga National Park and located around wes ...
,
Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary
Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary is a nature reserve in Gangtok district, Sikkim, India. It is situated around the area adjoining the Tsomgo (Changu) lake along the Nathula Road. Located about east of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, this sanctuary ...
,
Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary
Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife reserve in the Namchi district of the Indian state of Sikkim covering an area of around . The literal meaning of ''maenam-la'' is "treasure-house of medicines", and the flora of the sanctuary is rich in a ...
,
Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary
Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary is a nature park in the Indian state of Sikkim. It has forty species of rhododendron trees. It is located in the Yumthang Valley of Flowers north of Lachung in North Sikkim district. Bird species found in the pa ...
and
Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary
*
Darjeeling, India:
Jore Pokhri Wildlife Sanctuary
Jore Pokhri Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Darjeeling District, West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a pop ...
,
Singalila National Park
Singalila National Park is a National park of India located on the Singalila Ridge at an elevation of more than 2300 metres above sea level, in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It is well known for the trekking route to Sandakphu that ru ...
,
Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary,
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and
Neora Valley National Park
Neora Valley National Park is a national park in Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India that was established in 1986. It spreads over an area of , and is a rich biological zone in eastern India. It is the land of the red panda in the pristine und ...
* Bhutan:
Torsa Strict Nature Reserve
__NOTOC__
The Torsa Strict Nature Reserve
(officially Jigme Khesar Strict Nature Reserve)
in Bhutan covers 609.51 square kilometres in Haa District, occupying most of its area. Founded along with other national parks in 1993 by decision of the ...
These protected areas are habitats for many globally significant
plant species such as
rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
s and
orchids and many
endangered flagship species such as
snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''),
Asian black bear
The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, sout ...
(''Ursus thibetanus''),
red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''),
white-bellied musk deer (''Moschus leucogaster''),
blood pheasant
The blood pheasant (''Ithaginis cruentus''), also known as blood partridge, is the only species in genus ''Ithaginis'' of the pheasant family. It is a relatively small, short-tailed pheasant that is widespread and is fairly common in eastern Him ...
(''Ithaginis cruentus'') and
chestnut-breasted partridge
The chestnut-breasted partridge (''Arborophila mandellii'') is a partridge species endemic to the eastern Himalayas north of the Brahmaputra, and occurs in Bhutan, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and south-eastern Tibet at elevations from . ...
(''Arborophila mandellii'').
[
]
Geography
The ''Kangchenjunga Himal'' section of the Himalayas lies both in Nepal and India and encompasses 16 peaks over . In the north, it is limited by the Lhonak Chu, Goma Chu, and Jongsang La, and in the east by the Teesta River. The western limit runs from the Jongsang La down the Gingsang and Kangchenjunga glaciers and the rivers of Ghunsa and Tamur. Kanchenjunga rises about south of the general alignment of the Great Himalayan range about east-southeast of Mount Everest as the crow flies. South of the southern face of Kanchenjunga runs the high Singalila Ridge that separates Sikkim from Nepal and northern West Bengal.
Kangchenjunga and its satellite peaks form a huge mountain massif.[Smythe, F. S. (1930)]
''The Kangchenjunga adventure''
Victor Gollancz Ltd., London The massif's five highest peaks are listed in the following table.
The main ridge of the massif runs from north-northeast to south-southwest and forms a watershed to several rivers.[ Together with ridges running roughly from east to west they form a giant cross.] These ridges contain a host of peaks between . The northern section includes Yalung Kang, Kangchenjunga Central and South, Kangbachen, Kirat Chuli
Kirat Chuli or Tent Peak is a mountain in the Himalayas. It lies on the border between Nepal and India.
Location
The peak is located at above sea level n the extreme northeast of Nepal and northwest of Sikkim.
Climbing history
The first as ...
, and Gimmigela Chuli
Gimmigela Chuli, or The Twins, are two-peak mountains in the Himalayas, located on the border between Taplejung, Mechi, Nepal and Sikkim, India.
Location
It has an elevation of above sea level and prominence is at . It is situated approxi ...
, and runs up to the Jongsang La. The eastern ridge in Sikkim includes Siniolchu
Siniolchu is one of the tallest mountains of the Indian state of Sikkim. The mountain is considered to be particularly aesthetically attractive, having been described by Douglas Freshfield as "the most superb triumph of mountain architecture an ...
. The southern section runs along the Nepal-Sikkim border and includes Kabru
Kabru is a mountain in the Himalayas on the border of eastern Nepal and India. It is part of a ridge that extends south from Kangchenjunga and is the southernmost peak in the world.
The main features of this ridge are as follows (north to sou ...
I to III. This ridge extends southwards to the Singalila Ridge. The western ridge culminates in the Kumbhakarna, also known as Jannu
Mount Kumbhakarna or Jannu ( Limbu: ''Phoktanglungma'') is the 32nd-highest mountain in the world. It is an important western outlier of Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak. Kumbhakarna is a large and steep peak in its own right, and h ...
.
Four main glaciers radiate from the peak, pointing roughly to the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest. The '' Zemu'' glacier in the northeast and the ''Talung'' glacier in the southeast drain to the Teesta River; the ''Yalung'' glacier in the southwest and the ''Kangchen'' glacier in the northwest drain to the Arun and Kosi river
The Kosi or Koshi ( ne, कोशी, , hi, कोसी, ) is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence o ...
s.[Freshfield, D. W. (1902)]
''The Glaciers of Kangchenjunga''
The Geographical Journal 19: 453–475.
The glaciers spread over the area above approximately , and the glacialized area covers about in total. There are 120 glaciers in the Kanchenjunga Himal, of which 17 are debris-covered. Between 1958 and 1992, more than half of 57 examined glaciers had retreated, possibly due to rising of air temperature.
Kangchenjunga Main is the highest elevation of the Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...
basin, which forms part of the southeast Asian monsoon regime and is among the globally largest river basins.
Kangchenjunga is one of six peaks above located in the basin of the Kosi River
The Kosi or Koshi ( ne, कोशी, , hi, कोसी, ) is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence o ...
, which is among the largest tributaries of the Ganges.
The Kangchenjunga massif forms also part of the Ganges Basin.
Although it is the third highest peak in the world, Kangchenjunga is only ranked 29th by topographic prominence, a measure of a mountain's independent stature. The key col for Kangchenjunga lies at a height of , along the watershed boundary between Arun and Brahmaputra rivers in Tibet. It is however, the 4th most prominent peak in the Himalaya, after Everest, and the western and eastern anchors of the Himalaya, Nanga Parbat, and Namcha Barwa
Namcha Barwa or Namchabarwa (; Chinese: 南迦巴瓦峰, Pinyin: ''Nánjiābāwǎ Fēng'') is a mountain peak lying in Tibet in the region of Pemako. The traditional definition of the Himalaya extending from the Indus River to the Brahmaputra ...
, respectively.
Climbing routes
There are four climbing routes to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga, three of which are in Nepal from the southwest, northwest, and northeast, and one from northeastern Sikkim in India. To date, the northeastern route from Sikkim has been successfully used only three times. The Indian government has banned expeditions to Kanchenjunga; therefore, this route has been closed since 2000.
Climbing history
Early reconnaissances and attempts
* Between April 1848 and February 1849, Joseph Dalton Hooker explored parts of northern Sikkim and eastern Nepal, mainly to collect plants and study the distribution of Himalayan flora. He was based in Darjeeling, and made repeated excursions in the river valleys and into the foothills of Kangchenjunga up to an altitude of .
* In spring 1855, the German explorer Hermann Schlagintweit
Hermann Schlagintweit, Sakünlünski (13 May 1826 – 19 January 1882), also known as Hermann Rudolph Alfred von Schlagintweit-Sakünlünski, was a German explorer of Central Asia. Brothers Hermann, Adolph and Robert Schlagintweit were comm ...
travelled to Darjeeling but was not allowed to proceed further north due to the Third Nepal–Tibet War
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
. In May, he explored the Singalila Ridge up to the peak of Tonglo for a meteorological survey.
* In 1879, Sarat Chandra Das and Lama Ugyen-gyatso crossed into Tibet west of "Kanchanjinga" via eastern Nepal and the Tashilhunpo Monastery en route to Lhasa. They returned along the same route in 1881.
* In 1883, a party of William Woodman Graham
William Woodman Graham (1859 – ) was a British mountaineer who led the first pure mountaineering expedition to the Himalayas and may have set a world altitude record on Kabru.Willy Blaser and Glyn HughesKabru 1883, a reassessment The Alpine J ...
together with two Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
mountaineers climbed in the area of Kangchenjunga. They were the first who ascended Kabru
Kabru is a mountain in the Himalayas on the border of eastern Nepal and India. It is part of a ridge that extends south from Kangchenjunga and is the southernmost peak in the world.
The main features of this ridge are as follows (north to sou ...
within below the summit. They crossed the Kang La pass and climbed a peak of nearly from which they examined Jannu. They concluded it was too late in the year for an attempt and returned once again to Darjeeling.
* Between October 1885 and January 1886, Rinzin Namgyal surveyed the unexplored north and west sides of Kangchenjunga. He was the first native surveyor to map the circuit of Kangchenjunga and provided sketches of each side of the peak and the adjoining valleys. He also defined the frontiers of Nepal, Tibet, and Sikkim in this area.
* In 1899, British mountaineer Douglas Freshfield set out with his party comprising the Italian photographer Vittorio Sella
Vittorio Sella (28 August 1859 – 12 August 1943) was an Italian photographer and mountaineer, whose photographs of mountains are regarded as some of the finest ever made.
Life and career
Sella was born in Biella in the foothills of the Alps an ...
. They were the first mountaineers to examine the lower and upper ramparts, and the great western face of Kangchenjunga, rising from the Kangchenjunga Glacier.
* In 1905, a party headed by Aleister Crowley made the first attempt at climbing the mountain. Aleister Crowley had been part of the team attempting the 1902 ascent of K2. The team reached an estimated altitude of on the southwest side of the mountain before turning back. The exact height reached is somewhat unclear; Crowley stated that on 31 August, "We were certainly over and possibly over ", when the team was forced to retreat to Camp 5 by the risk of avalanche. On 1 September, they evidently went further; some members of the team, Reymond, Pache, and Salama, "got over the bad patch" that had forced them to return to Camp 5 the day before, and progressed "out of sight and hearing" before returning to Crowley and the men with packs, who could not cross the dangerous section unassisted with their burdens. It is not clear how far Reymond, Pache, and Salama had ascended – but in summarizing, Crowley ventured "We had reached a height of approximately ." Attempting a "mutinous" late-in-the-day descent from Camp 5 to Camp 3, climber Alexis Pache (who earlier that day had been one of three to ascend possibly higher than any before), and three local porters, were killed in an avalanche. Despite the insistence of one of the men that "the demon of Kangchenjunga was propitiated with the sacrifice", Crowley decided the accident and its ramifications made it impossible to continue the expedition.
* In 1907, two Norwegians set about climbing ''Jongri'' via the Kabru glacier to the south, an approach apparently rejected by Graham's party. Progress was very slow, partly because of problems with supplies and porters, and presumably also lack of fitness and acclimatisation. However, from a high camp at about they were eventually able to reach a point below the summit before they were turned back by strong winds.[
* In 1929, the ]German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
Paul Bauer
Paul Bauer (29 December 1896 – 9 January 1990) was a German poet and mountaineer.
Biography
Bauer was born at Kusel in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate region of Germany. As a schoolboy, he first visited the Alps on a cycling tour through t ...
led an expedition team that reached on the northeast spur before being turned back by a five-day storm.[Bauer, P. (1955). ''Kangchenjunga Challenge''. William Kimber, London.]
* In May 1929, the American E. F. Farmer left Darjeeling with native porters, crossed the Kang La into Nepal and climbed up towards the ''Talung Saddle''. When his porters refused to go any further, he climbed alone further upwards through drifting mists but did not return.[
* In 1930, Günter Dyhrenfurth led an international expedition comprising the German Uli Wieland, Austrian Erwin Schneider, and Englishman Frank Smythe who attempted to climb Kangchenjunga. They failed because of poor weather and snow conditions.][
* In 1931, Paul Bauer led a second German expedition team who attempted the northeast spur before being turned back by bad weather, illnesses, and deaths. The team, including Peter Aufschnaiter, retreated after climbing 300 m higher than the 1929 attempt.][
* In 1954, John Kempe led a party comprising J. W. Tucker, S. R. Jackson, G. C. Lewis, T. H. Braham and medical officer D. S. Mathews. They explored the upper Yalung glacier with the intention to discover a practicable route to the great ice-shelf that runs across the southwest face of Kangchenjunga. This reconnaissance led to the route used by the successful 1955 expedition.
]
First ascent
In 1955, Joe Brown and George Band made the first ascent on 25 May, followed by Norman Hardie
Norman David Hardie (28 December 1924 – 31 October 2017) was a New Zealand climber who was one of the climbers on the 1955 British Kangchenjunga expedition who first reached the summit of the 8,586-metre (28,169 ft) mountain, the third- ...
and Tony Streather
Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Reginald Antony Streather (24 March 1926 – 31 October 2018) was a British Army officer who served in the Gloucestershire Regiment, and mountaineer who first-ascended the third-highest mountain in the world, on the ...
on 26 May. The full team also included John Clegg (team doctor), Charles Evans (team leader), John Angelo Jackson
John Angelo Jackson (24 March 1921 – 2 July 2005) was an English mountaineer, explorer and educationalist.
Early life
He was brought up and educated in Nelson, Lancashire. Before World War II, he was apprenticed in pharmacy. However, at t ...
, Neil Mather, and Tom Mackinnon.[
The ascent proved that Aleister Crowley's 1905 route (also investigated by the 1954 reconnaissance) was viable. The route starts on the Yalung Glacier to the southwest of the peak, and climbs the Yalung Face, which is high. The main feature of this face is the "Great Shelf", a large sloping plateau at around , covered by a hanging glacier. The route is almost entirely on snow, glacier, and one icefall; the summit ridge itself can involve a small amount of travel on rock. The first ascent expedition made six camps above their base camp, two below the Shelf, two on it, and two above it. They started on 18 April, and everyone was back to base camp by 28 May.] Other members of this expedition included John Angelo Jackson and Tom Mackinnon.
Other notable ascents
* 1973 Yutaka Ageta and Takeo Matsuda of the Japanese expedition summited Kangchenjunga West, also called Yalung Kang, by climbing the southwestern ridge. Matsuda never returned to camp and his body was never found. The expedition concluded that he had fallen during descent when he was separated from Ageta.
* 1977 The second ascent of Kangchenjunga, by an Indian Army team led by Colonel Narendra Kumar
Colonel (India), Colonel Narendra Kumar, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, PVSM, Kirti Chakra, KC, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, AVSM, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, FRGS (8 December 1933 – 31 December 2020) was an Indian soldier and mountaineer ...
. They completed the northeast spur, the difficult ridge that defeated German expeditions in 1929 and 1931.
* 1978 Polish teams made the first successful ascents of the summits Kangchenjunga South (Wojciech Wróż
Wojciech () is a Polish language, Polish name, equivalent to Czech language, Czech Vojtěch , Slovak language, Slovak Vojtech, and German language, German Woitke. The name is formed from two components in archaic Polish:
* ''wój'' (Slavic: ''voj ...
and Eugeniusz Chrobak, 19 May) and Kangchenjunga Central (Wojciech Brański, Zygmunt Andrzej Heinrich
Zygmunt Andrzej Heinrich (21 July 1937 in Łbowo, central Poland – 27 May 1989 on Mount Everest) was a Polish mountaineer who made several ascents of eight-thousanders. He died in an avalanche on the northwest slopes of Mount Everest in ...
, Kazimierz Olech, 22 May).
* 1979 The third ascent, on 16 May, and the first without oxygen, by Doug Scott, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker, establishing a new route on the North Ridge.
* 1992 Carlos Carsolio made the only summit that year. It was in a solo climb without supplementary oxygen.
* 1995 Benoît Chamoux
Benoît Chamoux (19 February 1961 – 6 October 1995) was a French people, French Mountaineering, Alpinist, who claimed to have summited 13 of the Eight-thousanders in the Himalayas.
Three of these climbs are disputed and are not formally rec ...
, Pierre Royer
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French language, French form of the name Peter (given name), Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via ...
and their Sherpa guide Riku disappeared on 6 October near the summit.
* 1998 Ginette Harrison
Ginette Harrison (28 February 1958 – 24 October 1999) was a professional climber of British origin. She also lived in Australia and the United States.
She studied medicine at the University of Bristol and later specialized in high altitu ...
was the first woman to climb Kangchenjunga's North Face.
* 2009 Edurne Pasaban, a Spanish mountaineer, reached the summit, becoming the first woman to summit twelve eight-thousanders.
* In May 2009, Kinga Baranowska
Kinga Baranowska (born 17 November 1975 in Wejherowo) is a Polish mountaineer. She made ascents of nine eight-thousanders and is the first Polish woman to have climbed Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Kangchenjunga. She currently lives in Warsaw.
Climbing ...
was the first Polish woman to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga.
* In 2011, Tunç Fındık
Tunç Fındık (born 1972, Ankara) is a Turkish professional climber, mountaineer, mountain guide, author, and motivational speaker.
Life
He is the first Turkish climber who climbed Mount Everest twice and from different routes. He summited man ...
became the first Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
man to reach the peak of Kangchenjunga, his seventh eight thousander, with Swiss partner Guntis Brandts via the British 1955 SW Face route.
* In 2011, Indian mountaineers Basanta Singha Roy and Debasish Biswas of Mountaineers' Association of Krishnanagar (MAK), West Bengal, India, successfully scaled Kangchenjunga Main on 20 May 2011.
* In May 2013, five climbers including Hungarian Zsolt Erőss
Zsolt Erőss (March 7, 1968 – May 21, 2013) was the most successful Hungarian high-altitude mountaineer, summiting 10 out of the 14 eight-thousanders. He was also the first Hungarian citizen to have climbed Mount Everest.
In 2010, he lost h ...
and Péter Kiss reached the summit, but disappeared during the descent.
* In May 2014, Bulgarian Boyan Petrov reached the peak without the use of supplemental oxygen. Petrov is a diabetic.
* In May 2014, Chhanda Gayen became the first Indian woman to summit. She was killed by an avalanche on the descent.
* In May 2022, Indian climber Narayanan Iyer died during a summit push on the mountain.
Despite improved climbing gear the fatality rate of climbers attempting to summit Kanchenjunga is high. Since the 1990s, more than 20% of people died while climbing Kanchenjunga's main peak.
Tourism
Because of its remote location in Nepal and the difficulty involved in accessing it from India, the Kangchenjunga region is not much explored by trekkers. It has, therefore, retained much of its pristine beauty. In Sikkim too, trekking into the Kangchenjunga region has just recently been permitted. The Goecha La
Goecha La (el. 4940 mt or 16,207 ft) is a high mountain pass in Gyalshing district, Sikkim, India in the Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent fr ...
trek is gaining popularity amongst tourists. It goes to the Goecha La Pass, located right in front of the huge southeast face of Kangchenjunga. Another trek to Green Lake Basin has recently been opened for trekking. This trek goes to the Northeast side of Kangchenjunga along the famous Zemu Glacier. The film Singalila in the Himalaya
George Thengummoottil (born 10 January 1985) is wildlife filmmaker, documentary editor,http://www.lalithkala.org/sites/default/files/Photography%20Selection%20List%20%28Website%29.pdf from India who is the founder of Moundain Films, a visual ar ...
is journey around Kangchenjunga.
In myth
The area around Kangchenjunga is said to be home to a mountain deity, called ''Dzö-nga'' or "Kangchenjunga Demon", a type of yeti or rakshasa. A British geological expedition in 1925 spotted a bipedal creature which they asked the locals about, who referred to it as the "Kangchenjunga Demon".
For generations, there have been legends recounted by the inhabitants of the areas surrounding Kanchenjunga, both in Sikkim and in Nepal, that there is a valley of immortality hidden on its slopes. These stories are well known to both the original inhabitants of the area, the Lepcha people, and Limbu people and those of the Tibetan Buddhist cultural tradition. In Tibetan, this valley is known as Beyul Demoshong. In 1962, a Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
Lama
Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...
by the name of Tulshuk Lingpa led over 300 followers into the high snow slopes of Kanchenjunga, to ‘open the way’ to Beyul Demoshong. The story of this expedition is recounted in the 2011 book ''A Step Away from Paradise''.
In literature
* In the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of books by Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childre ...
, a high mountain (unnamed in the books) is given the name "Kanchenjunga" by the children when they climb it in 1931.
* In ''The Epic of Mount Everest
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'', first published in 1926, Sir Francis Younghusband: " For natural beauty Darjiling ( Darjeeling) is surely unsurpassed in the world. From all countries travellers come there to see the famous view of Kangchenjunga, in height, and only distant. Darjiling (Darjeeling) itself is above sea-level and is set in a forest of oaks, magnolia, rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
s, laurels and sycamores. And through these forests, the observer looks down the steep mountain-sides to the Rangeet River only above sea-level, and then up and up through tier after tier of forest-clad ranges, each bathed in a haze of deeper and deeper purple, till the line of snow is reached; and then still up to the summit of Kangchenjunga, now so pure and ethereal we can scarcely believe it is part of the solid earth on which we stand; and so high it seems part of the very sky itself."
* In 1999, official James Bond author Raymond Benson
Raymond Benson (born September 6, 1955) is an American author best known for being the author of the James Bond novels from 1997 to 2003. Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973. In primary scho ...
published '' High Time to Kill''. In this story, a microdot containing a secret formula for aviation technology is stolen by a society called the Union. During their escape, their plane crashes on the slopes of Kangchenjunga. James Bond becomes part of a climbing expedition in order to retrieve the formula.
* '' The Inheritance of Loss'' by Kiran Desai, which won the 2006 Man Booker Prize
The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
, is set partly in Kalimpong
Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The re ...
, a hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
situated near Kangchenjunga.
*In '' Legend of the Galactic Heroes'' by Yoshiki Tanaka, which won the Seiun Award for "Best Novel of the Year" in 1988 and was adapted into an anime series by Kitty Films
Kitty Films (キティフィルム ''Kiti Firumu'') was a production company established in 1972 in Japan.
History
The company was first established in 1972 as Kitty Music Corporation under Hidenori Taga. It was a subsidiary of Polydor and MC ...
, the capital and holiest temple of the Terraist Cult is on Earth beneath the rubble of Kangchenjunga.
*Michelle Paver
Michelle Paver (born 7 September 1960) is a British novelist and children's writer, known for the historical fantasy series ''Chronicles of Ancient Darkness'', set in prehistoric Europe. For the sixth book of the series, '' Ghost Hunter'' (2009 ...
's 2016 ghost story ''Thin Air'' concerns a fictional expedition to climb Kangchenjunga in 1935, and an earlier (also fictional) expedition in 1906.
* The book ''Round Kangchenjunga – A Narrative of Mountain Travel and Exploration'' by Douglas Freshfield gives a complete account of his travel around Kangchenjunga.
Further reading
* Joseph Dalton Hooker 1855. ''Himalayan Journals''. Assistant-director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
* Laurence Waddell
Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Austine Waddell, Order of the Bath, CB, Order of the Indian Empire, CIE, Linnean Society of London, F.L.S., Doctor of Laws, L.L.D, Master of Surgery, M.Ch., Indian Medical Service, I.M.S. Royal Anthropological Instit ...
1899. ''Among The Himalayas''. Travels in Sikkim. Book includes the exploration of the south of Kangchenjunga.
* Paul Bauer
Paul Bauer (29 December 1896 – 9 January 1990) was a German poet and mountaineer.
Biography
Bauer was born at Kusel in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate region of Germany. As a schoolboy, he first visited the Alps on a cycling tour through t ...
1937. ''Himalayan Campaign''. Blackwell is the story of Bauer's two attempts in 1929 and 1931, republished as ''Kangchenjunga Challenge'' (William Kimber, 1955).
* Paul Bauer
Paul Bauer (29 December 1896 – 9 January 1990) was a German poet and mountaineer.
Biography
Bauer was born at Kusel in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate region of Germany. As a schoolboy, he first visited the Alps on a cycling tour through t ...
"The German Attack on Kangchenjunga", ''The Himalayan Journal'', 1930 Vol. II.
* Lieut. Col. H.W. Tobin "Exploration and Climbing in The Sikkim Himalaya", ''The Himalayan Journal'', April 1930 Vol. II. Provides the early exploration and climbing attempts on Kangchenjunga.
* Prof. G. O. Dyhrenfurth "The International Himalayan Expedition, 1930", ''The Himalayan Journal'', April 1931, Vol. III. Details their attempt on Kangchenjunga.
* H.W. Tilman ''The ascent of Nanda Devi'', 7 June 1937, Cambridge University Press. Relates the story of their intention to climb Kangchenjunga.
* Irving, R. L. G. 1940. ''Ten Great Mountains''. London, J. M. Dent & Sons
* John Angelo Jackson
John Angelo Jackson (24 March 1921 – 2 July 2005) was an English mountaineer, explorer and educationalist.
Early life
He was brought up and educated in Nelson, Lancashire. Before World War II, he was apprenticed in pharmacy. However, at t ...
1955. ''More than Mountains'' Book containing data on the 1954 Kangchenjunga reconnaissance. Jackson was also a team member of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955, also relates the ''Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' "Abominable Snowman" or Yeti Expedition, when the first trek from Everest to Kangchenjunga was accomplished
Relevant pages 97 onwards with two detailed maps.
* Charles Evans ''Kangchenjunga The Untrodden Peak'', Hodder & Stoughton, Leader of the 1955 expedition. Principal of the University College of North Wales, Bangor. Foreword by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, K.G.
* Joe Brown, ''The Hard Years'', tells his version of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955.
* Colonel Narinder Kumar Narinder may refer to:
*Narinder Batth, Indian lyricist of Punjabi music
*Narinder Kaur Bharaj, Indian politician and lawyer, member of legislative assembly from Sangrur Assembly constituency
*Narinder Biba Punjabi singer from Punjab, India
*Narind ...
1978. ''Kangchenjunga: First ascent from the north-east spur''. Vision books. Includes the second ever ascent of Kangchenjunga and the first from the northeast spur on the Indian side of the mountain. See also ''Himalayan Journal'' Vol. 36 and 50th Anniversary Edition
* Peter Boardman 1982. ''Sacred Summits: A Climber's Year''. Includes the 1979 ascent of Kangchenjunga with Joe Tasker and Doug Scott. Also in ''The Himalayan Journal'' Vol 36.
* John Angelo Jackson
John Angelo Jackson (24 March 1921 – 2 July 2005) was an English mountaineer, explorer and educationalist.
Early life
He was brought up and educated in Nelson, Lancashire. Before World War II, he was apprenticed in pharmacy. However, at t ...
2005. ''Adventure Travels in the Himalaya''. Indus Publishing. Recounts in more detail the first ascent of Kangchenjunga.
* Simon Pierse 2005. ''Kangchenjunga: Imaging a Himalayan Mountain''. University of Wales, School of Art Press, . An anthology of word and image published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first ascents of Kangchenjunga. Well illustrated with reproductions of paintings, prints, and photographs describing the climbing history and cultural significance of the mountain. Preface by George Band.
The above ''Himalayan Journal'' references were all also reproduced in the "50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of Kangchenjunga" The Himalayan Club, Kolkata Section 2005.
* Pema Wangchuk and Mita Zulca ''Khangchendzonga: Sacred Summit''. The book details the stories and legends celebrated by the communities living in the Kangchenjunga's shadow, goes over the exploits of the early explorers and mountaineers. Chapters cover what Khangchendzonga means to Buddhism, mapping, early explorers, Alexander Kellas
Alexander Mitchell Kellas (21 June 1868 – 5 June 1921) was a British chemist, explorer, and mountaineer known for his studies of high-altitude physiology. He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland.Jill Neate, ''High Asia: An illustrated guide to the 7, ...
, early expeditions, the first ascent in 1955, the Indian Army ascent (1977), the second British ascent (1979), women climbers, the Tiger climbers, the yeti, and more. Profusely illustrated with many period photos.
* The Geographer at High Altitudes, ''Climbing on the Himalaya and other Mountain Ranges'', By J. Norman Collie, F.R.S. Edinburgh: David Douglas. 1902.
* The Glaciers of Kangchenjunga Douglas Freshfield ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 19, No. 4 Apr 1902, pp. 453–472
* C. K. Howard-Bury. 1922. "The Mount Everest Expedition". ''The Geographical Journal'' 59 (2): 81–99.
* "General Bruce's Illness a Serious handicap" ''The Times'', (British) World Copyright, Lt. R.F.Norton, 19 April 1924. Expedition in the Kangchenjunga area.
* Account of a Photographic Expedition to the Southern Glaciers of Kangchenjunga in the Sikkim Himalaya, N. A. Tombazi, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 67, No. 1 Jan 1926, pp. 74–76
* An Adventure to Kangchenjunga, Hugh Boustead, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 69, No. 4 (Apr. 1927), pp. 344–350
* '' The Times Literary Supplement'', Thursday, 11 December 1930. "The Kangchenjunga Adventure", F.S. Smythe
Francis Sydney Smythe, better known as Frank Smythe or F. S. Smythe (6 July 1900 – 27 June 1949), was an English mountaineer, author, photographer and botanist. He is best remembered for his mountaineering in the Alps as well as in the Himal ...
.
* Im Kampf um den Himalaja, Paul Bauer. The Kangchenjunga Adventure, F. S. Smythe
Francis Sydney Smythe, better known as Frank Smythe or F. S. Smythe (6 July 1900 – 27 June 1949), was an English mountaineer, author, photographer and botanist. He is best remembered for his mountaineering in the Alps as well as in the Himal ...
, Himalaya: Unsere Expedition, G. O. Dyhrenfurth. 1930
* '' The Times Literary Supplement'', Thursday, 9 April 1931. "Kangchenjunga", Paul Bauer.
* ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India''. Vol. XXVI, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 79, No. 1 Jan 1932, pp. 53–56
* Recent Heroes of Modern Adventure, T. C. Bridges; H. Hessell Tiltman
H is the eighth letter of the Latin alphabet.
H may also refer to:
Musical symbols
* H number, Harry Halbreich reference mechanism for music by Honegger and Martinů
* H, B (musical note)
* H, B major
People
* H. (noble) (died after 127 ...
, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 81, No. 6 Jun 1933, p. 568
* Paul Bauer 1931. Um Den Kantsch: der zweite deutsche Angriff auf den Kangchendzönga, The Geographical Journal, Vol. 81, No. 4 Apr 1933, pp. 362–363
* Paul Bauer; Sumner Austin 1938. Himalayan Campaign: The German Attack on Kangchenjunga, ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 91, No. 5: 478
* Charles Evans 1956. "Kangchenjunga: The Untrodden Peak". '' The Times Literary Supplement''.
*Lou Whittaker, ''Memoirs of a Mountain guide'', 1994
See also
* List of elevation extremes by country
References
External links
Kangchenjunga page on Himalaya-Info.org (German)
Kangchenjunga page on Summitpost.org
for a more detailed up to date account of the mountain's history and ascents.
"Kāngchenjunga, India/Nepal" on Peakbagger
* – photos
Glacier Research Image Project
presents photos tracking 24 years of changes in glaciers at Kangchenjunga.
Mtxplore Mountain Statistics
Statistics of Kangchenjunga.
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of Nepal
Landforms of Sikkim
Eight-thousanders of the Himalayas
Sacred mountains
India–Nepal border
International mountains of Asia
Seven Third Summits
Highest points of Indian states and union territories
Tourism in Northeast India
Highest points of countries
Mountains of the Province No. 1
Sacred mountains of Nepal