Meru Peak

Meru Peak
Meru Peak
Location in northern India
Elevation 6,660 m (21,850 ft)
Location
Location Nanda Devi National Park, Uttarakhand, India
Range Himalayas

Meru Peak is a mountain which lies in the Himalayas, in the Uttarakhand region of India. It is within the Nanda Devi National Park, and is 6,660 metres (21,850 ft) high. It is the site of the world's highest BASE Jump from 'Earth', by Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan from a height of 6,604 metres (21,667 ft) in June 2006.[1][2]

The mountain has three peaks: southern (6660m), central (6310m) and northern (6450m). The two higher peaks were climbed earlier than the harder central peak, which was first climbed in a 2001 solo ascent by Valeri Babanov,[3] and for a second time in 2006.[4]

The Shark's fin route up the central peak of the mountain (20,700ft) has a reputation amongst mountaineers as one of the hardest routes in the world. It was first climbed in October 2011 by a team consisting of Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Leap from the top of the world". The Sydney Morning Herald. June 8, 2006. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/leap-from-the-top-of-the-world/2006/06/08/1149359863372.html. Retrieved 2011-10-20. 
  2. ^ Blog by one of the BASE Jump climbing team http://www.itourist.com/members/blog/view.php?id=124
  3. ^ "Meru Peak: The Gate to the Sky". The Himalayan Club. 2002. http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/meru-peak-the-gate-to-the-sky/. Retrieved 2011-10-20. 
  4. ^ "Japanese Climb Meru Before Czechs". alpinist.com. November 20, 2006. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP17/newswire-meru-japanese. Retrieved 2011-10-20. 
  5. ^ "Shark's Fin Full Report". alpinist.com. October 17, 2011. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web11f/newswire-meru-sharks-fin-anker-chin-ozturk. Retrieved 2011-10-20.