Mount Kailash: the mysterious and unconquered peak of Tibet. Gangkhar Puensum

Extreme sports enthusiasts have tried to climb these peaks more than once. But something always interferes with them: either hunger, or weather, or suddenly adopted laws. We warn you: the article is full of beauty and aesthetics, which makes the next eight unconquered peaks even more desirable. Especially if you are an extreme sports enthusiast, love heights, and have been looking for thrills for a long time.

Gangkhar Puensum
Height: 7,570 meters
Location: China-Bhutan border
Why not conquered: stupid laws
Gangkhar Puensum lies on the disputed border between China and Bhutan. It is definitely not disputed that Gangkhar Puensum is the highest of the still unconquered peaks. Four attempts were made in the 1980s, after which Bhutan passed a law prohibiting mountaineering at altitudes above 6 km.

The north wall of Masherbrum 4 subtly hints: “Don’t even try to climb me.”

North Face Masherbrum 4
Height: 7.821 m
Location: Pakistan
Why not conquered: extreme difficulty
Masherbrum was conquered back in 1960 by quite simple route. But there is a wall that no one has ever climbed. The reason is still the same – the route is “unrealistically extreme”.

Mount Siple
Height: 3,110 m
Location: Siple Island, Antarctica
Why not conquered: harsh climate
This peak is located in Antarctica, and the main difficulty in conquering it is not the route, but the low temperature and distance from the civilized world. It is suspected that Mount Siple is actually an extinct volcano covered by a glacier.

Machapuchare
Height: 6,998 m
Location: north central Nepal
Why it was not conquered: religion and law
The most beautiful mountain peak, thanks to its steep slopes, stands out clearly against the background of the rest of the massif called Annapurna, once almost surrendered to the mercy of the courage of climbers. The 1957 expedition, led by Jimmy Roberts, stopped just fifty meters from the summit. They were prevented from conquering one of the most beautiful mountains of the Himalayas by a promise made to the government of Nepal. The point is that in Hindu beliefs, it is on the top of Machapuchare that one of the supreme deities of the religion, Shiva, lives. Despite the fact that Roberts' team kept its promise, Nepal's top officials immediately closed Machapuchare to any visits.

At one time, revered mountain climbers said that they had closed the book of discoveries in mountaineering - there was nothing more to do, they said. But the first car was a far cry from the fast cars we drive today. The legends of mountaineering have paved the way, now the new generation faces a difficult task: to climb more difficult routes, or to find other peaks.

Mianzimu (6054 m), Tibet, sacred mountain, no ascents. Photo by Janne Corax.

One of those who is interested in this is Simone Moro, by the way. Several years ago, Simone, after a series of explorations, attempted to climb Batura II, a peak that was said to be the highest peak yet to be conquered. Moreau was unable to reach the top - so this mountain still poses a challenge to climbers, as well as a number of other peaks that have not yet been climbed by man.

But what kind of mountains are these, and by what criteria should you choose them? Mountaineer, explorer and ExplorersWeb contributor Janne Corax compiled a list of the six highest untouched peaks, and added other interesting objects to it.

Happiness to be first

Janne Corax for ExplorersWeb

Unconquered peaks are always very attractive. Reaching the highest point that no one has ever been to is a special pleasure for a climber. In 1950, Herzog and Lachenal climbed Annapurna, the first eight-thousander climbed by humans, thereby opening the hunt for 13 other giants. Shisha Pangma was the last to fall under the feet of the Chinese team, 14 years later.

Now the high-altitude climbers turned their thoughts to slightly lower goals.

Namche Barwa, 7782 m, a difficult mountain to climb with extreme terrain and always bad weather conditions, repelled attempts to climb until a Japanese team managed to reach the summit in 1992. The climbers were also interested in the second peaks of eight-thousanders, and they gave up one after another - the last was Lhotse Middle, 8414 m, which was climbed by a strong Russian team in 2001.

Meili Ridge, view from the Tibetan Temple. Mianzimu is on the left, Meili Feng is the highest peak on the right. Photo by Janne Corax.

What's next?

Now the question is: which of the still unclimbed peaks are the most promising?

To answer this, you must first determine the selection criteria. Two of them are obvious: the mountain must be very high and unconquered. The third criterion is precisely the problem and causes much debate:

Real mountains / gendarmes on the ridge

Sometimes it is really a problem to distinguish between the big gendarme on the ridge and the real peak.

For example, many believe that the greatest difference in height between the Lhotse Middle peak and the lowest point of the bridge that connects it to the higher peak is actually a very small amount.

Unfortunately, there is no absolute standard, and some use a relative difference of 7% as a measure, while others use 400 m. If we take into account the 500 m limit as a compromise, then the list we need will look like this.

Six highest virgin peaks

Gangkar Punsum, 7570 m - the peak is located in Bhutan, in the list of the highest mountain peaks it appears at number 40, and, without a doubt, this is “number 1” on our list. An educated person will guess that the mountain will remain under this number for now. In the mid-80s they tried to climb it, but all the expeditions returned empty-handed. In 1994, peaks in Bhutan were partially closed to climbing. And in 2003, the government decided to ban all types of climbing altogether. The reason for such actions lies in the area of ​​understanding local beliefs and traditions.

"Number 2" on our list - Saser Kangri II East, 7518 m. The mountain is located in Indian Kashmir and has never previously been of interest to climbers (at least there have been no expeditions to it). We climbed the third highest peak of the massif twice. It is difficult to obtain a permit to climb in this area, but it is possible. A person set foot on the main peak, 7672 m high, in 1973.

Kabru North, 7394 m - the highest point of the Kabru massif, which is essentially a subgroup of the Kanchenjunga massif - has not yet been conquered. Surprisingly, its lower southern peak fell back in 1935. A notable ascent was made by Conrad Cook, who reached the summit solo at 18 years old. This was a record for his age.
A Serbian team tried to climb Kabru North in 2004, but avalanches forced them to retreat.

Labuche Kang is a little-known group of peaks in Tibet. The main peak was conquered in 1987 by a Japanese team. Eastern – Labuche Kang III– approximately 7250 m high and still awaiting its first climbers.

The impressive SE face of Karjiang - whose avalanche-prone slopes and complex faces repel all attempts of climbers. Photo from the archive of the Dutch Karjiang 2001 expedition.

Karjiang, 7221 m – also located in Tibet. They tried to climb it a couple of times, but no one had yet managed to set foot on its inaccessible peak. Extreme avalanche danger and high technical difficulty have so far made climbing attempts fruitless.

"Number 6" on our list - Tongshanjiabu, 7207 m. Rising on the Tibetan/Bhutan border. Koreans who climbed neighboring Shimokangri (7204 m) mentioned this peak in their expedition report and published photos in Japanese Alpine News - so far this is the only available information about this mountain.

Statements and rumors

I should note that the six peaks listed above will give a head start to the rest in the debate when it comes to steepness and the first criterion - untouched by climbers. However, there are always rumors and statements on the mountain climbing stage. Wherever you go, locals or climbers will point you to the mountain and say, “Look here! No one has climbed it yet!”

On another level, famous mountaineers sometimes declare the goal of their expedition to be “the highest peaks yet unclimbed.” The last time I heard of something like this was when Moro & Ogwyn, an Italian-American duo, went on Batura II in 2004. The 7,762-meter-high giant in the Pakistani Karakoram was, according to them (and “scientific sources”), the highest peak not climbed by man. If you count a gendarme on a ridge with a 100m difference in height between its "top" and the main mountain, then this statement certainly contains some truth, however: there are other high points on the ridges, and some of which are higher than Batura II...*

Untouched Celebrities

Pilgrims rush to Mt. Kailash every year. They walk around the mountain with prayers, but never set foot on its slopes. Climbing is strictly prohibited. Photo by Project Himalaya.

The most famous of the unclimbed peaks are lower than those we named. Kailash in Western Tibet, the mountain is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and followers of the Bön religion. No one has ever climbed to its top, and permits are not issued, since this place is a shrine.

Whole Meili ridge, known as Kawa Korpo, in the far northeast of Yunnan Province in China is also considered sacred to local residents. They tried to climb some of the peaks of the ridge at a time when climbing permits were issued. On at the moment these mountains are closed to climbers.

Mianzimu in the Meili range is considered one of the most beautiful peaks in the world, as is Kailash.

* In one of the interviews, when Simone was asked why he called Batura II the highest of the peaks that no man has climbed, he referred to the data of the Wolfgang Hichel expert and invited those interested in this issue to contact him personally by e-mail [email protected]

Translation by Elena Dmitrenko

Near Mount Kailash, travelers experience completely new sensations that they did not know before. Some people feel good and it seems as if they are surrounded by the most beautiful place on earth, they are no longer afraid of anything, for others the surrounding place begins to frighten them and seem to push them away, many are speechless. Someone says that if you ask a question that worries you not far from this mountain, you will be able to solve it easily and in a non-standard way.

Mythical Frontier

For representatives of Buddhism and Hinduism, there has been a sacred mountain in Tibet for several centuries - Kailash. At night, when the peak is shrouded in clouds, you can notice how a light white light pours from the very high point down. Some tourists describe luminous figures on the slopes of the mountain, similar to the swastika symbol. Sometimes at dusk, strange luminous balls are noticed above the mountain, which vaguely resemble ball lightning. But these balls draw strange signs in the air.

Recently, in addition to pilgrims, dozens of expeditions have been flocking to the mountain, people dreaming of conquering the snowy peak. However, something special happens to each of them: a mythical line arises in front of someone, which he cannot cross, no matter how much he wants to. For others, as soon as they touch the mountain, their palms become covered with blisters.

Amazing and geographical location Mount Kailash: it is 6666 km from the North Pole, the distance from the South Pole to the foot of the mountain is twice that, but Stonehenge is also 6666 km.

However, physically the mountain rarely resists climbers; avalanches and rockfalls are rare here. Nevertheless, all tourists of their own free will refuse to climb up literally after 300-400 meters. Only the most outcast people can be near the sacred mountain.

The Legend of the "Stone Mirrors"

Even in planes flying over Kailash, equipment stops working, compass needles spin in different directions. On a diagram of a mountain, so-called stone mirrors are often drawn on each side, which change the course of time, concentrating energy differently than on the ground.

However, there is a sacred road along the mountain that can be reached. There is a legend that tells about two travelers who turned off the sacred road while climbing Mount Kailash; after returning to their village, in just a few months, the young people aged 60 years and died. Doctors then could not find any visible reason for this withering.

Recently, thanks to experiments, it was revealed that in 12 hours at Mount Kailash, people’s nails and hair grow as much as they would grow under normal conditions for two to three weeks.

Near the foot of the mountain is the “Heavenly Cemetery”, where the corpses of Tibetans are carried out so that their bodies are eaten by vultures. Such a funeral is considered favorable for the soul of the deceased.

The world famous Himalayan peak Machapuchare (6997 m) has been closed to climbing by decision of the Nepalese government since 1957. This is fabulous beautiful mountain must remain unconquered forever. Her double top resembles the tail fin of a fish, hence the name: Machapuchare means “Fish Tail” in Nepali. The first ascent attempt was abandoned 45 m short of the summit. It was an extremely difficult and only climb of this mountain.

General information:

Mountain name: Machapuchare – 6997 m

Location: Karakoram Central Nepal, Annapurna group

The story of an attempt to climb the summit of Machapuchare. British expedition 1957.

Expedition leader: I.O.M. Roberta

First climbers: D. Cox (A. D. M. Cox), W. Noyce (Wilfrid Noyce)

On April 18, 1957, climbers with 50 porters left the town of Pokhara, which now has a small airfield. They marched for four days through Gandrung to Chomrong, the last village on their route, then laboriously made their way through the bamboo thickets up the Modi Gorge. On April 24, a base camp was established 20 m from the river at an altitude of 4000 m on the right (western) side of Modi Khol. The approach to the northern ridge of Machapuchare is closed from below by giant rock walls, only in one place they are cut through by a snow couloir. Having passed this couloir, the climbers established camp 1 on April 27 at an altitude of 4900 m.

To the chagrin of the Nepalese liaison officer, the British climbing team was now divided into two groups: Roberts and Vaile wanted to explore the 7256m peak west of Modi Khol. The name Ganesh, which seems to have been adopted for this peak, is not very apt, as it can easily be confused with the Ganesh region of the Himalaya, located north-northwest of Kathmandu. It would be more reasonable to call this peak Modi or Moditse. The previously accepted elevation of this peak of 23607 feet = 7195 m, after clarification by Roberts and Veile, apparently should be corrected to 23807 feet = 7256 m. Moditse and Machapuchare are western and eastern watchtowers circus of the southern side of the Annapurna Himala, and, naturally, all climbers “flirt” with these two beautiful peaks. During the first reconnaissance of the Moditse peak, due to deep snow, only a height of 5940 m was reached. An unpleasant incident occurred in another group that remained in Machapuchara. Charlie contracted polio and was transported with great difficulty to a hospital in Pokhara. Despite this, work at the summit continued. Cook and Noyce from Camp 2 reached the North Col, but became convinced that the passage of the northern ridge along its entire length was practically impossible. Consequently, it was necessary to reach the ridge further south, closer to the top. To do this, first of all, it was necessary to establish camp 3, at an altitude of about 6100 m on an ice ledge, approximately 2/3 of the height of the wall. Overcoming this ice-snow wall cut by grooves required a lot of work to cut down steps, and for insurance it was necessary to hang railings along 270 m. The remaining 200 m of ascent to the ridge were also completed with great difficulty, it was necessary to additionally extend another 60 m of railings, and only after Noyce managed to break through the cornice on the ridge.
The sharp ice ridge leading to the rocky edge looked so intimidating that the climbers decided to make an attempt to bypass it along the eastern slope. They drove a wooden stake on the ridge, which could be used to organize descent on both sides. The two British climbers then rappelled 60m down a steep chute towards Seti Khola. This was followed by a 400-meter traverse to south direction- a risky section of the path, since it passed along a steep eastern slope, covered with a thick layer of unstable snow. Finally, they reached a safe place - a steep firn field, where they decided to set up camp 4 (6200 m). The return to Camp 3 was as difficult as the subsequent re-traversal of this dangerous section with three heavily laden Sherpas - Ang Nyima, Tashi and the young Ang Tsering. But everything went well, and camp 4 was established on May 17.
However, the hope to now reach the upper terrace under the summit takeoff to Machapuchara without any special difficulties, to the chagrin of the climbers, did not materialize. At first glance, there was no path further than the eastern edge, a clearly visible rock bastion. Here a sheer wall dropped towards Seti Khola; but still there was a way around: to the right along a sharp, literally like a knife, edge in the direction of the main ridge, then using a rope ladder down 7.5 m, then a 90-meter descent along the rope onto a shelf seemingly glued to the wall and from there - through two huge bergschrunds - exit to the terrace of the upper glacier. There Cox and Noyce established Camp 5 on June 1.

The next day was to be decisive. At 4:15 am the climbers left the camp. It was a nice sunny morning, but here on the north side they had to literally push through knee-deep snow until they reached the bergschrund. A steep wall rose above the bergschrund, the ribs of which leading to the summit ridge resembled an ancient colonnade - to such an extent it was furrowed with gutters. And it all consisted of pure ice! Each step, each hold had to be cut down with great difficulty, and therefore the climbers moved forward very slowly. It was already close to the top, perhaps no more than 40-50 m (150 feet), but which of these towers on the ridge is the tallest, along which of the ridges should you reach the top? It's difficult to determine from below. And the weather deteriorates, and the surrounding highest peaks - Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu - disappear into the clouds, the snow falls more and more. This means we need to turn back. The climbers were very happy “when, having descended, they found the tent of Camp 5 half covered with snow. On June 3, they continued their descent to base camp. The descent was quite risky, but went well.

For a new assault, you can choose the rocky southwestern ridge, along which, apparently, direct access to southern peak, inferior in height to the north by only a few meters. And this route is undoubtedly also very difficult, but probably less dangerous than the long northern ridge. Many newspapers published reports that Machapuchare was conquered by the British expedition of 1957. But this is not true. According to a strictly truthful report, more modest than exaggerated, the Noyce-Cox team returned, not reaching about 40-50 m from the top. Of course, this is not much, and when climbing Kanchenjunga in 1955, no person set foot on the summit either. But there they had to take into account the religious feelings of the local population - the climbers stopped 1.5 m below the peak, although they could easily climb to the top. But when climbing Machapuchare it was not a voluntary refusal. The furrowed ice wall leading to the summit ridge was exceptionally difficult and required long hours of hard work from the climbers. The exact location of the summit was not known, and besides, the weather had changed. All this forced the climbers to retreat. This was, of course, one of the most difficult and dangerous mountaineering events in the Himalayas, but still it was not the first ascent of Machapuchara.

Photo gallery of Machapuchare:

Nothing attracts a person more than the forbidden. Any taboo has always, in all centuries, acted on daring minds in the same way - as an elementary challenge. How do you think the very existence of “unconquered peaks” affects a professional climber? Answer: awakens desire. Tourists and amateurs have a different reaction: curiosity arises, why hasn’t a person set foot on them yet? In this article we will talk in detail and interestingly about this mountain, and you can see it in person in the Annapurna region.

Machapuchare - forbidden peak, sacred abode of Shiva

Mount Machapuchare (or Machapuchre - there are certain “difficulties” in Nepali spelling) is freely located in the very heart of central Nepal, near the city of Pokhara (distance - about 25 km to the North). The mountain belongs to the southern part mountain range Annapurna group and barely falls short of the seven-thousander class, because its 6 thousand 998 meters is already difficult to classify as a real six-thousander, but, as they say, a fact is a fact.

Why is Machapuchare so famous?

• Incredibly beautiful appearance. Anyone who has seen the mountain at least in photographs, not to mention seeing it with their own eyes, will agree with this. Its double peak has such a pronounced and steep peak that it seems to pierce the defenseless sky. When you find yourself on the western side of Machapuchare, you will be able to understand why it is called the “Fish Tail” (literal translation). A little imagination - and you will clearly see the shape of the tail of a huge fish, with fins on twin tops. A crystal white, shining haze of a snow shawl envelops the mountain from time to time, further emphasizing the viewer’s attention on the greatness, confident power and even mythical strength of the mountain.

• The mountain is still considered unconquered. Not only is it really unusually difficult to climb, but in 1957 the Nepalese government made an unequivocal decision - to close Mount Machapuchare for mountaineering due to its religious value for the local population, who consider the mountain the sacred home of Shiva himself, and the snowy haze on its top - the aura of his divine essence. By the way, we saw such an aura during the trek to Annapurna Base Camp in October 2014. A very fascinating and unusual sight! See for yourself in the photo.

Making an unauthorized attempt to climb the mountain means not only not giving a damn about the religious feelings of the Nepalese, but also violating a clear administrative norm of the law, which entails strict liability. (For the curious, it should be noted that there is no death penalty - it was abolished in 1990, but Section XIX of the Nepalese Criminal Code is devoted to religious crimes, for which you are unlikely to simply be severely reprimanded).

• Machapuchare has a twin brother, the Matterhorn (Alps), so many people want to compare them in person. The mechanism is simple: I saw one mountain -> I was amazed -> I learned that there was another one very similar in appearance in the world -> I decided to check it out personally. See for yourself: is there any similarity or not?

• Additional attention to Machapuchara is drawn to the nearby Annapurna First Base Camp, the so-called Annapurna Sanctuary. This mountain valley of amazing beauty is a famous mountain tourism destination, a source of inspiration, a conqueror of human hearts and souls.

Is it really true that no human has ever set foot on the top of Machapuchare?

The fact that the mountain is closed for climbing does not mean that no one has ever tried to climb this amazing peak. Official sources vociferously claim that in all history there was only one unsuccessful attempt by a British expedition to climb the mountain. What is noteworthy is that this was done in the same year when the official ban on climbing was adopted, in the same 1957. However, there are rumors among climbers that a well-known solo adventurer from New Zealand named Bill Denz in the 1980s conquered this mountain at his own peril and risk. Rumor has it that he managed to climb several more mountain peaks prohibited by law. Being a secretive person, he took the secret of the reality of his ascent to Machapuchare with him to another world when he was caught in an avalanche in 1983 during his next adventure. In fairness, it must be said that there are still some legal, little-known inhabitants of the mountain slopes of Machapuchare, who can safely walk along the slopes of the mountain. These are Tibetan long-eared hedgehogs that live here and nowhere else, and seeing them is already a great success.

The attempt to climb Machapuchare in 1957 in detail

Talking about Machapuchara and not telling about the British expedition of 1957 is a crime. Therefore, it is worth telling in a nutshell about their achievement, which is described in detail and artistically in the book “Climbing the Fish’s Tail” (1958) by one of the real participants in that ascent, Wilfrid Noyce.

The most difficult and dangerous route chosen by the expedition was the most optimal and most acceptable of all the alternatives. The beginning of the ascent attempt is dated 04/18/1957 from Pokhara and 06/02/1957 the climbers gave up because they had lost the exact coordinates of the desired peak, there was heavy snowfall, and the transition to a steep slope after a crack in the snow-ice slope (bergschrund) was almost insurmountable, and standing behind it the sheer wall was entirely made of ice. A whim of nature drove the climbers from the top, because their further ascent was more than a sure threat to their lives.

A real sensation in the mountaineering community was the publication in many newspapers in 1957 of texts that Machapuchare had been conquered. However, this is not true, because the British climbers were unable to overcome the last 50 meters to the peak. It was precisely that they could not overcome, and did not proactively stop, so as not to hurt the religious feelings of the residents. You can imagine how offended it was for the climbers who were one step away from the accomplishment, but it would have been counted towards them if they had climbed to the top without reaching the conventional height (for example, the “officially perfect” ascent of Kanchenjunga in 1955 was stopped 1.5 meters from the top as a sign of reverence and respect for the local religion).

That’s how it all ended, but believers find sacred meaning in it. They say that unwanted guests in Shiva’s house should be glad that they returned alive! Doesn’t anyone understand that this is a lesson for everyone who follows! Who does not know the truth that lessons should be correctly understood and responded to adequately? As a result, from now on, not a single living soul will climb the mountain!

We don’t offer you to climb to the top of Machapuchare, but you can have a good look at it from all sides and take photographs from different angles in our following programs:

Schedule of upcoming treks in Nepal, join us!

Start	Finish	Route	Price	Days
09.03.2020	20.03.2020	Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp - Annapurna Trek	750 $	12 days
10.03.2020	27.03.2020		880 $	18 days
22.03.2020	05.04.2020	Trekking to Everest Base Camp	770 $	15 days
07.04.2020	24.04.2020		880 $	18 days
09.04.2020	31.05.2020	Climbing Everest 2020	21500 $	53 days
09.04.2020	31.05.2020	Climbing Lhotse 2020	16500 $	53 days
11.04.2020	25.04.2020