Changabang
Encyclopedia
Changabang is a mountain in the Garhwal
Himalaya of Uttarakhand
, India
. It is part of a group of peaks that form the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi
Sanctuary. It is a particularly steep and rocky peak, and all routes on it are serious undertakings. It has been the site of many significant climbs. It does not have a high topographic prominence
, being slightly lower than its near neighbor Kalanka to the east, and lower than many other peaks in the immediate vicinity, but its steep rocky profile has made it a more attractive destination than its elevation would indicate.
, via the Southeast Face, leading to the East Ridge. This is the easiest route on the mountain, and one of the few that is primarily a snow/ice climb, as opposed to a rock climb
with some snow, ice, or mixed terrain.
On 12 October 2006, two Mexican
climbers, Andrés Delgado and Alfonso de la Parra, were successful in climbing Changabang by a new route. While descending, they encountered a storm and were reported officially missing by the Indian Mountaineering Federation since 15 October, when they made a contact via satellite phone
. India put on a rescue effort despite harsh weather conditions, but on 8 November 2006, the search for them was canceled due to inclement weather.
Garhwal Division
Garhwal is the north-western region and administrative division of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand which is home to the Garhwali people. Lying in the Himalayas, It is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon region, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the north-west by...
Himalaya of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is part of a group of peaks that form the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi
Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country ; owing to this geography it was the highest known mountain in the world until computations on Dhaulagiri by western surveyors in 1808...
Sanctuary. It is a particularly steep and rocky peak, and all routes on it are serious undertakings. It has been the site of many significant climbs. It does not have a high topographic prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
, being slightly lower than its near neighbor Kalanka to the east, and lower than many other peaks in the immediate vicinity, but its steep rocky profile has made it a more attractive destination than its elevation would indicate.
First ascent
Changabang was first climbed on 4 June 1974 by an expedition led by Lt. Col Balwant Sandhu and Chris BoningtonChris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
, via the Southeast Face, leading to the East Ridge. This is the easiest route on the mountain, and one of the few that is primarily a snow/ice climb, as opposed to a rock climb
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
with some snow, ice, or mixed terrain.
Notable ascents
Other notable ascents include some of the hardest climbs ever done in the Himalaya.- 1976 Southwest Ridge, Naoki Toda, Akira Kobayashi, Masahide Aida, Harumi Ohno, Yukio Asano and Teruyoshi Karino (Japanese Alpine Club) all reached the summit after 33 days of effort.
- 1976 West Wall, Peter BoardmanPeter BoardmanPeter Boardman was a British climber, Everest summiteer, and author of several mountaineering books.-Early life:...
and Joe TaskerJoe TaskerJoe Tasker was one of the most talented British climbers during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Born into a traditional Roman Catholic family, he was one of ten children and spent his early childhood in Port Clarence, Middlesbrough then attended Ushaw Seminary, County Durham between the ages of 13...
, summit reached 15 October 1976. The route took over 25 days to ascend, and their use of big wall climbingBig wall climbingBig wall climbing is a type of rock climbing in which a long multi-pitch route, so sustained that an ascent normally requires more than a single day, is climbed. Big wall routes require the climbing team to live on the route often using portaledges and hauling equipment...
techniques to overcome the serious, sustained difficulties was revolutionary.
- 1978 Direct South Face, Wojciech KurtykaWojciech KurtykaWojciech Kurtyka is a Polish mountaineer and rock climber, one of the pioneers of the alpine style of climbing the biggest walls in the Greater Ranges....
(Pol.), Krzysztof Żurek (Pol.), Alex McIntyre (UK) and John Porter (US-UK), summit reached 27 September 1978.
- 1997 North Face, Andy CaveAndy CaveAndy Cave is a British mountaineer. He was nominated for the Piolet d'Or for his ascent of the North Face of Changabang.-Biography:Born in 1966, Andy Cave grew up in Royston, a small coal mining village in South Yorkshire. On leaving school with few qualifications at 16, he followed family...
and Brendan Murphy (summit) with Mick FowlerMick FowlerMichael "Mick" Fowler is a British mountaineer. He was awarded the Piolet d'Or and Golden Piton with Paul Ramsden for their 2002 ascent of Siguniang , was voted "the Mountaineer's Mountaineer" in a poll in The Observer, and was described by Chris Bonington in 1981 as "the most successful...
and Steve Sustad (to summit ridge) made the first ascent of the North Face of Changabang, a 1,600 m (5,250 ft) route involving steep, sustained ice, mixed, and rock climbing. Unfortunately Murphy was hit by an avalanche and swept off the face to his death on the descent.
- 1998 The Lightening Route, Carlos BuhlerCarlos BuhlerCarlos Buhler is one of America's leading high altitude mountaineers. Buhler's specialty is high-standard mountaineering characterized by small teams, no oxygen, minimal gear and equipment, and relatively low amounts of funding; yielding first ascents of difficult routes in challenging...
(US) and a team of Russians established a demanding new route on the north face: (VII 5.9 A4 WI4, 1580m)
On 12 October 2006, two Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
climbers, Andrés Delgado and Alfonso de la Parra, were successful in climbing Changabang by a new route. While descending, they encountered a storm and were reported officially missing by the Indian Mountaineering Federation since 15 October, when they made a contact via satellite phone
Satellite phone
A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites...
. India put on a rescue effort despite harsh weather conditions, but on 8 November 2006, the search for them was canceled due to inclement weather.
External links
- AAJ 1979, John Porter: Bandaka and Changabang (pdf file, see especially p. 32, and Plate 16, K. Żurek in headwall). Retrieved 20 March 2010
- Photograph of the pol.-eng. team in Warsaw after return from the Changabang in October 1978, nyka.home.pl. (Polish). From the left Wojciech Kurtyka, Krzysztof Żurek, John Porter and Alex MacIntyre. Photo: Józef Nyka. Retrieved 20 March 2010