Annapurna
Annapurna I (left), Fang (centre) and Annapurna South (right) from the west
Elevation	8,091 metres (26,545 ft) Ranked 10th
Location	Central Nepal
Range	Himalaya
Prominence	2,894 m (9,495 ft)
Coordinates	28°35′43″N 83°49′11″E / 28.59528, 83.81972Coordinates: 28°35′43″N 83°49′11″E / 28.59528, 83.81972
First ascent	1950 by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal
Easiest route	snow/ice climb

Annapurna

Location in Nepal

Annapurna (Sanskrit, Nepali, Nepal Bhasa: अन्नपूर्णा) is a series of peaks in the Himalaya, a 55 km (34 mi)-long massif of which the highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8,091 m (26,538 ft), making it the 10th-highest summit in the world and one of the 14 "eight-thousanders". In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent Mountains on Earth that are more than above Sea level. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. In Climbing, a first ascent (FA is the first modern recorded climb to reach the top of a Mountain, or the first to follow a particular Climbing route Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a Mountain, rock or ice wall Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Nepal, Bhutan, and some parts of India and Myanmar (Burma A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak In Geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or Flexures In the movement of the crust, a massif The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent Mountains on Earth that are more than above Sea level. It is located east of a great gorge cut through the Himalaya by the Kali Gandaki River, which separates it from the Dhaulagiri massif. The Gandaki River also known as the Kali Gandaki, Narayani (after confluence with Trisuli in Nepal and the Gandak in India is a tributary of the Ganga or The Gandaki River also known as the Kali Gandaki, Narayani (after confluence with Trisuli in Nepal and the Gandak in India is a tributary of the Ganga or Dhaulagiri (धौलागिरी is the seventh highest Mountain in the world (Dhaulagiri I lies 34 km/21 mi west of Annapurna I. ) अन्नपूर्णा Annapūrṇā is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" (feminine form), but is normally translated as Goddess of the Harvests. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical In Hinduism, Annapurna is a goddess of fertility and agriculture and an avatar of Durga. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation In Hinduism, Durga ("the inaccessible" or "the invincible" or Maa Durga (Mother Durga is a form of Devi, the supreme Goddess

The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the 7,629 sq. km Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), the first and largest conservation area in Nepal, established in 1986 by the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. The Annapurna Conservation Area is home to several world-class treks, including the Annapurna Circuit.

Geography

The Annapurna massif contains six major peaks over 7,200 m:

The Annapurna Himal from the northeast. The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height Above sea level, all of which are located in Asia The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height Above sea level, all of which are located in Asia The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height Above sea level, all of which are located in Asia The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height Above sea level, all of which are located in Asia The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height Above sea level, all of which are located in Asia Left to right: Annapurna II and IV (close together); a major col; Annapurna III and Gangapurna; Annapurna I. In a range of hills or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch,

Climbing expeditions

Annapurna I

The south face of Annapurna I

Annapurna I was the first 8,000-metre (26,200 ft) peak to be climbed. Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, of a French expedition (including Lionel Terray, Gaston Rébuffat, Marcel Ichac, Jean Couzy, Marcel Schatz, Jacques Oudot, Francis de Noyelle), reached the summit on 3 June 1950. Maurice Herzog is a French Mountaineer and sports administrator born on 15 January 1919 at Lyon France. Louis Lachenal ( 17 July 1921 &ndash 25 November 1955) a French climber born in Annecy, was one of the first two mountaineers This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Lionel Terray ( 25 July 1921 – 23 September 1965) was a French climber who made many First ascents, including Gaston Rébuffat ( 7 May 1921, Marseille &ndash 31 May 1985, Paris) was a well-known French alpinist and Marcel Ichac (1906-1994 was a French Alpinist, Explorer, Photographer and Film director. Jean Couzy was a French mountaineer He studied Aeronautical engineering at the École Polytechnique. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (See the documentary of the expedition "Victoire sur l'Annapurna" by Marcel Ichac). Marcel Ichac (1906-1994 was a French Alpinist, Explorer, Photographer and Film director. Its summit was the highest summit attained on Earth for three years, until the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in (However higher non-summit points—at least 8,500 metres (27,900 ft)—had already been attained on Everest in the 1920s. )

The south face of Annapurna was first climbed in 1970 by Don Whillans and Dougal Haston, members of a British expedition led by Chris Bonington which included the alpinist Ian Clough, who was killed by a falling ice-pillar during the descent. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Don Whillans ( 18 May 1933 - 4 August[[ 985]] was an English rock-climber and mountaineer. Dougal Haston, ( 19 April 1940 - 17 January 1977) was a Scottish mountaineer born in Currie, on the outskirts The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CBE (born 6 August 1934 in Hampstead, London) is an British Mountaineer “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of Ian Clough (1937-1970 was a British mountaineer who was killed on an expedition to climb the south face of the Himalayan Ice is a Solid phase, usually crystalline, of a Non-metalic substance that is liquid or gas at Room temperature, such as Ammonia

In 1978, The American Women's Annapurna Expedition, a team led by Arlene Blum, became the first American team to climb Annapurna I. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Arlene Blum (born 1945 is an American mountaineer. She is best known for her all-woman ascent of Annapurna (I a climb that was also the first successful The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The expedition was also remarkable for being composed entirely of women. Sadly, Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz and Vera Watson died during this climb. (Vera Watson was the wife of computer scientist John McCarthy. A computer scientist is a person that has acquired knowledge of Computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application John McCarthy (born September 4, 1927, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American Computer scientist and Cognitive )

On 3 February 1987, Polish climbers Jerzy Kukuczka and Artur Hajzer made the first winter ascent of Annapurna I. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Jerzy Kukuczka ( March 24 1948 – October 24 1989) born in Katowice, Poland, was a Polish alpine and high-altitude Artur Hajzer is a Polish Mountaineer best known for the first winter ascent of Annapurna on February 3 1987 together with Jerzy Kukuczka. The Annapurna peaks are among the world's most dangerous mountains to climb, with a fatality rate of 40%. ^[1] As of 2005, only 103 successful summits have been made, for the loss of 56 lives, many to the avalanches for which the mountain is known. Climbers killed on the peak include famed Russian climber Anatoli Boukreev in 1997, Christian Kuntner in 2005 and Iñaki Ochoa in 2008 ^[2]

The other peaks

Annapurna II, the eastern anchor of the range, was first climbed in 1960 by a British/Indian/Nepalese team led by Jimmy Roberts, via the West Ridge, approached from the north. Anatoli Nikoliavich Boukreev, Анато́лий Никола́евич Букре́ев ( January 16, 1958 - December 25, 1997) was a Russian The summit party comprised Richard Grant, Chris Bonington, and Sherpa Ang Nyima. In terms of elevation, isolation (distance to a higher summit, namely Annapurna I, 30. 5 km/19. 0 mi) and prominence (2,437 m/8,000 ft), Annapurna II does not rank far behind Annapurna I. It is a fully independent peak, despite the close association with Annapurna I which its name seems to imply.

Annapurna III was first climbed in 1961 by an Indian expedition led by Mohan Kohli, via the Northeast Face. The summit party comprised Mohan Kohli, Sonam Gyatso, and Sonam Girmi. Captain Mohan Singh Kohli (b December 11 1931 at Haripur) is an internationally renowned Indian Mountaineer.

Annapurna IV, near Annapurna II, was first climbed in 1955 by a German expedition led by Heinz Steinmetz, via the North Face and Northwest Ridge. The summit party comprised Steinmetz, Harald Biller, and Jürgen Wellenkamp.

Gangapurna was first climbed in 1965 by a German expedition led by Günther Hauser, via the East Ridge. The summit party comprised 11 members of the expedition.

Annapurna South (also known as Annapurna Dakshin, or Moditse) was first climbed in 1964 by a Japanese expedition, via the North Ridge. The summit party comprised S. Uyeo and Mingma Tsering.

Machapuchare (6,993 m/22,943 ft) is another important peak of the Annapurna Himal, though it just misses the 7,000 metre mark. Machapuchare or Machhaphuchhare is a Mountain in the Annapurna Himal of north central Nepal.

Trekking

Marsyangdi Valley

The Annapurna Conservation Area is a well known trekking region. The word 'hiking' is understood in all English-speaking countries but there are differences in usage

There are three major trekking routes in the Annapurna region: the Jomson Trek to Jomsom and Muktinath (increasingly disturbed by a road-building project); the Annapurna Sanctuary route to Annapurna base camp; and the Annapurna Circuit, which circles the Annapurna Himal itself and includes the Jomson route. Jomsom, also known as Dzongsam or New Fort is a town located at an altitude of 2800m in Mustang, Nepal. The temple The shrine of Muktinath is considered one of the eight most sacred shrines for Hindu Vaishnavas known as Svayam Vyakta Ksetras, the other seven being The town of Pokhara usually serves as a starting point for these treks, and is also a good starting place for other short treks of one to four days, such as routes to Ghorepani or Ghandruk. Pokhara (पोखरा is a city of close to 200000 inhabitants in central Nepal located at 28

The Mustang district, a former kingdom bordering Tibet, is also geographically a part of the Annapurna region, but treks to Mustang are subject to special restrictions. Mustang is from Tibetan Mun Tan ( Wylie smon-thang) which denotes fertile plain

About two-thirds of all trekkers in Nepal visit the Annapurna region. The area is easily accessible, guesthouses in the hills are plentiful, and treks here offer incredibly diverse scenery, with both high mountains and lowland villages. Also, because the entire area is inhabited, trekking in the region offers unique cultural exposure and experience.

See also

Other articles

• Tilicho lake
• Annapurna also refers to some breath-oriented techniques of meditation. Tilicho lake is one of the highest Lakes in the world It is 4949 m high in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas in Nepal. Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness

Sources

• Koichiro Ohmori, Over the Himalaya, 1998, Cloudcap Press, ISBN 0-938567-37-3
• Jill Neate, High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks, Mountaineers Books, ISBN 0-89886-238-8

References

1. ^ mounteverest.net 2006-09-28
2. ^ mounteverest.net 2008-05-23

External links

• Map of Annapurna Range
• Annapurna on Peakware
• Annapurna I on summitpost.org
• The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP)
• An Online Trekking Guidebook for the Annapurna Circuit
• The Annapurna Circuit : Photo Essay from 20 days Trekking round the Annapurna Massif
• Circling the Abode of Snow : Narrative account of trekking the Annapurna Circuit, by writer Austin Pick
• Trying to conquer the peak : The death story of Inaki Ochoa attempting to reach the peak of Annapurna may 2008