Chang Himal, also known as Ramthang Chang or Wedge Peak, is a mountain in
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
.
Description
Chang Himal is a glaciated summit in the Nepalese
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
. It is situated northwest of
Kangchenjunga in the
Kanchenjunga Conservation Area. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into the Ghunsa River which is a tributary of the
Tamur River.
Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,820 metres (5,971 ft) above the Kangchenjunga Glacier in . The first ascent of the summit was made on October 5, 1974, by Janez Gradisar, Bojan Pollak, and Michael Smolej via the southwest ridge.
[''Chang Himal Overview'']
Nepal Himal Peak Profile, Retrieved April 12, 2025. The north face was first climbed October 29 – November 2, 2009, by Nick Bullock and Andy Houseman (1800 m, ED+ M6).
Climate
Based on the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Chang Himal is located in a
tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...
zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.
Weather systems coming off the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region.
Many South Asian and Southe ...
are forced upwards by the Himalaya mountains (
orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Mid-June through early-August is the monsoon season. The months of April, May, September, and October offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.
''Everest Treks: A Month By Month Review of the Best Seasons''
Brinley Clark, Himalayanwonders.com, Retrieved April 12, 2025.
Gallery
File:Chang Himal (Nepal, 2023).jpg, Northeast aspect
File:Kangchenjunga Nepal.jpg, North aspect of Kangchenjunga (left), with Chang Himal (right)
File:Chang Himal summit.jpg, North face
File:10-11plancheX-XI.JPG, circa 1930
See also
* Geology of the Himalayas
References
External links
* Chang Himal (photo)
Flickr
{{Portal bar, Mountains, Geography, Geology, Nepal
Mountains of Koshi Province
Six-thousanders of the Himalayas
Taplejung District
Mountains of the Himalayas
Mountains of Nepal