Mount Machhapuchchhre

Machhapuchchhre (माछापुच्छ्रे)
Machhapuchhre

Machhapuchchhre looks like a fish tail from Ghandruk.
Elevation 6,993 m (22,943 ft)
Prominence 1,233 m (4,045 ft)
Translation Fish's Tail (Nepali)
Location
Machhapuchchhre (माछापुच्छ्रे)

Location in Nepal

Location North Central Nepal
Range Annapurna Himal
Coordinates 28°29′42″N 83°56′57″E / 28.49500°N 83.94917°ECoordinates: 28°29′42″N 83°56′57″E / 28.49500°N 83.94917°E
Climbing
First ascent Unclimbed - ascents not allowed

Machhapuchchhre or Machhapuchhre (माछापुच्छ्रे) Lit. "Fish Tail" in English, is a mountain in the Annapurna Himal of north central Nepal. It is revered by the local population as particularly sacred to the god Shiva, and hence is off limits to climbing.

Location

Falling star over Machhapuchhre
Machhapuchchhre with its Fish-Tail shaped silhouette that's given it its name clearly visible
Machhapuchchhre, view from foothills.

Machhapuchchhre is at the end of a long spur ridge, coming south out of the main backbone of the Annapurna Himal, that forms the eastern boundary of the Annapurna Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a favorite trekking destination, and the site of the base camps for the South Face of Annapurna and for numerous smaller objectives. The peak is about 25 km (16 mi) north of Pokhara, the main town of the region.

Notable features

Due to its southern position in the range, and the particularly low terrain that lies south of the Annapurna Himal, Machhapuchchhre commands tremendous vertical relief in a short horizontal distance. This, combined with its steep, pointed profile, make it a particularly striking peak, despite a lower elevation than some of its neighbors. Its double summit resembles the tail of a fish, hence the name meaning "Fish's Tail" in Nepalese. It is also nicknamed the "Matterhorn of Nepal".

Climbing history

Machhapuchchhre has never been climbed to its summit. The only attempt was in 1957 by a British team led by Jimmy Roberts. Climbers Wilfrid Noyce and A. D. M. Cox climbed to within 150 m (492 ft) of the summit via the north ridge; to an approximate altitude of 22,793 ft., but did not complete the ascent; they had promised not to set foot on the actual summit.[1] Since then, the mountain has been declared sacred, and it is now closed to climbers.

Gallery

Sources

References

  1. ↑ Noyce, Wilfrid. "Climbing the Fish's Tail [Machapuchare]". chesslerbooks.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2008.

External links

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