[HN Gopher] Machhapuchhare - The Himalayan Peak Off Limits to Cl...
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       Machhapuchhare - The Himalayan Peak Off Limits to Climbers
        
       Author : pseudolus
       Score  : 32 points
       Date   : 2021-02-17 14:17 UTC (6 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.bbc.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.bbc.com)
        
       | mattnewton wrote:
       | Interesting the Wikipedia page has a slightly different take on
       | the story, where a promise to the King kept them from scaling to
       | the top of the peak.
       | 
       | > The only confirmed attempt was in 1957 by a British team led by
       | Lieutenant Colonel 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 (6,947 m).
       | Adhering to the word of honor given to the then King Mahendra,
       | Noyce and his team descended without stepping on to the summit -
       | thus publishing the only climbing record of the mountain a year
       | later
       | 
       | > There have been reports of a New Zealand climber, Bill Denz,
       | making a successful yet illegal attempt to the summit in the
       | early 1980s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machapuchare
        
         | boomboomsubban wrote:
         | Both could be true, they may have made a promise they planned
         | to break but poor weather forced them down. The king may have
         | discovered their plans too, which would help explain why
         | further treks were banned.
        
       | actuator wrote:
       | One more spectacular mountain, Mount Kailash[1] which is sacred
       | to four religions also hasn't been climbed till now.
       | 
       | Though despite being sacred, PRC government had given permission
       | to a team to climb which they later denied. Reinhold Messner had
       | this to say about climbing it.                 "If we conquer
       | this mountain, then we conquer something in people's souls. I
       | would suggest they go and climb something a little harder. Kailas
       | is not so high and not so hard."
       | 
       | [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kailash
        
       | morsch wrote:
       | The photos on the Wikipedia page are breathtaking:
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machapuchare
        
         | jpm_sd wrote:
         | I was privileged to trek a portion of the Annapurna circuit in
         | 2003, it's spectacular in person. The view of Machupuchare from
         | Tatopani (or maybe it was Ghandruk?) was incredible.
         | 
         | Nepal is a wonderful country to visit, the people were very
         | kind and welcoming. They are facing complex political and
         | economic challenges these days.
        
           | cwdegidio wrote:
           | It really is an incredible country. I was there in 2007/2008
           | and it was really politically in chaos. I think a lot of
           | going back once the pandemic is over.
        
       | durkie wrote:
       | Anyone interested in this region might enjoy reading The Snow
       | Leopard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snow_Leopard
       | 
       | I'm currently about halfway through and it chronicles a trek
       | through the Nepalese mountains very close to here, in search of
       | the blue sheep. An interesting, introspective story.
        
       | sirtimbly wrote:
       | I saw it from Pokhara on a trek, and it's a lovely bit of
       | romanticism to think that there is a summit left on earth that is
       | unconquered by choice, at least for a while. It humanizes the
       | mountains, and it's a fun story to hear from the guides.
        
         | cwdegidio wrote:
         | When I was there, clouds due to monsoon season kept it hidden
         | in Pokhara. About a week later I was in Ghorepani and while
         | sitting in a tea house having lunch, the owner came running in
         | all excited. Leading us outside, there it was... one of the
         | most magnificent things I have ever experienced. The view only
         | lasted about 5 minutes before clouds rolled back in and
         | obscured it.
        
         | sandworm101 wrote:
         | There are lots of unclimbed peaks. Below is link to the most
         | prominent 16 in BC, not an remote local. Getting your name on a
         | first assent isn't especially difficult. The real issue is the
         | logistics of getting to the bottom of the mountain rather than
         | the top.
         | 
         | https://bivouac.com/Unclimbed.asp?rq=ProcessForm&MinHeight=2...
        
       | cedricd wrote:
       | I've been to Machhapuchhare base camp. You can see the mountain
       | from further out on the way up, and when you turn a corner
       | several days later right up close. It's easily one of the more
       | beautiful peaks in the Himalayas.
        
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       (page generated 2021-02-17 21:02 UTC)