KANCHENJUNGA
Kanchenjunga (also spelled Kanchenjunga and Khangchendzonga) is the world’s third highest mountain at 8,586 meters (28,169 feet) and is regarded as so sacred that mountaineers are banned from summitting it. Locals believe that gods dwell on the top of the mountain. As a result climbers who assault the mountain halt their ascent a few meters short of the summit as a sign of respect. The mountain itself is so massive that it is visible from Darjeeling to eastern Nepal.
Located in remote corner of the Himalayas between Sikkim and northwest Nepal, Kanchenjunga means the "Five treasures" or “Great Five Peaked Fortress” in Tibetan, a reference to its five separate summits. The mountain was first climbed in 1955 by a British expedition led by veteran Everest climber Charles Evan.In 1985, mountaineer Chris Chandler died of cerebral edema during a wintertime ascent in which his girl friend lost her fingers when she took off her gloves in a desperate attempt to save him.
Kanchenjunga lies in a section of the Himalayas called Kangchenjunga Himal defined by Lhonak Chu and Jongsang La in the north, the Tamur River in the west and the Teesta River in the east by. Three of the five peaks (Main, Central, and South) are situated directly on the Nepal-Sikkim, India border. The other two (West and Kangbachen) are in Nepal's Taplejung District.
Kanchenjunga is not just a physical entity but the abode of guardian deity whose benign watchfulness ensures peace and prosperity of the land. The mountain lies near one of Nepal’s largest glaciers and forests that are home to Himalayan black bears, blue sheep, musk deer and snow leopards. In 1997, a 690-square mile Kanchenjunga Conservation Area was created in eastern Nepal. In 1977 India created a national park along the Nepal border, It is hoped that China will name its territory in the region a park. About 6,200 people from 13 ethnic groups live in the region.
Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was considered to be the highest mountain in the world. It was only after measurements were made by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1849 that it became known that Mt. Everest was in fact the highest. When calculations from all measurements taken in the Himalayas and Karakorum it was officially announced in 1856 that Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world.
The mountains around Kanchenjunga are hit hard by the summer monsoons and as a result the mountains are shrouded in snows and surrounded by huge glaciers. Along the trekking route visitors pass through vast forests inhabited by snow leopards and rare Asian bears. Kanchenjunga’s prominence (height in relation to the land around it) is 3,922 meters (12,867 feet). Coordinates” 27°42 09"N 88°08 48"E. in Taplejung District, Nepal and Sikkim, India
According to NASA’s Earth Observatory: Kangchenjunga is the most easterly of the eight-thousanders. The structure of the mountain resembles a tent with four ridges radiating outward. The main and south summits are connected by a jagged north-south ridge that includes other high points well over 8,000 meters, though none have enough topographic prominence to qualify as separate peaks.” [Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov ]
Kanshenjunga, world's third highest mountain
Peaks, Glaciers and Parts of Kanchenjunga
The Kangchenjunga Himal section of the Himalayas — both in Nepal and India — encompasses 16 peaks over 7,000 meters (23,000 feet). The northern is defined by Lhonak Chu (a river), Goma Chu, and Jongsang La (a pass near 7,462-meter, 24,482-foot Jongsong Peak which lies at the meeting point of India, Nepal and China. The western side runs from Jongsang La down the Gingsang and Kangchenjunga glaciers and the Ghunsa and Tamur rivers. Kanchenjunga is about 125 kilometers (78 miles) east-southeast of Mt. Everest as the crow flies. South of the southern face of Kanchenjunga is the 3,000-3,500-meter (9,800-11,500 foot) high Singalila Ridge that separates Sikkim from Nepal and northern West Bengal. [Source: Wikipedia]
Kangchenjunga and its satellite peaks form a huge mountain massif. The massif's five highest peaks are: 1) Kangchenjunga Main: 8,586 meters (28,169 feet) high with a prominence of 3,922 meters; 2) Kangchenjunga West (Yalung Kang): 8,505 meters (27,904 feet); 3) Kangchenjunga Central: 8,482 meters (27,828 feet) high; 4) Kangchenjunga South: 8,494 meters (27,867 feet) high; 5) Kangbachen: 7,903 meters (25,928 feet) high.
The main ridge of the Kangchenjunga massif runs from north-northeast to south-southwest and forms a watershed to several rivers. Together with ridges running roughly from east to west they form a giant cross. These ridges contains numerous peaks over 6,000 meters. Among these Yalung Kang, Kangchenjunga Central and South, Kangbachen, Kirat Chuli, and Gimmigela Chuli in the north, extending to Jongsang La. The eastern ridge in Sikkim includes Siniolchu. The southern section runs along the Nepal-Sikkim border and includes Kabru I to III. This ridge extends southwards to the Singalila Ridge. The western ridge culminates in the Kumbhakarna, also known as Jannu.
Four main glaciers radiate from the peak roughly pointing to the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest. The Zemu glacier in the northeast and the Talung glacier in the southeast drain to the Teesta River; the Yalung glacier in the southwest and the Kangchen glacier in the northwest drain to the Arun and Kosi rivers. The glaciers spread over the area above approximately 5,000 meters (16,000 feet), and the glacialized area covers about 314 square kilometers (121 square miles) in total. There are 120 glaciers in the Kanchenjunga Himal, of which 17 are debris-covered. Between 1958 and 1992, more than half of 57 examined glaciers had retreated, with global warming possibly due to rising of air temperature.
Although it is the third highest peak in the world, Kangchenjunga is only ranked 29th by prominence (height in relation to the land around it) but is the 4th most prominent peak in the Himalaya, after Everest, Nanga Parbat, and Namcha Barwa. Kangchenjunga Main is the highest elevation of the Brahmaputra River basin, one of the worlds’ largest river basins. Kangchenjunga is also is one of six peaks above 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) located in the basin of the Koshi river, which is among the largest tributaries of the Ganges. The Kangchenjunga massif forms also part of the Ganges Basin.
Kanchenjunga Trek in Nepal
The base of Kanchenjunga can be reached by a 200-mile trek in Nepal that begins in Taplejung (a small town 150 miles from Kathmandu in Nepal) and travels through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Himalayas, including 25,294-foot Jannu, the "Mountain of Terror."
The destination of the trek in Pan Pema, a 16,800-foot-high camp sight with spectacular views of Kanchenjung and its surrounding glaciers and mountains. Many trekkers say the view is better than that the Mt. Everest or Annapurna panoramas. Longer treks visit another high campsite on a different side of the mountain.
Kanchenjunga is considered a restricted area. In Nepal, trekkers need a special permit and only about 400 visitors travel to the region each year. One of the most difficult stretches of the trek involves a 7,000 foot descent to a river, a hike through jungle and a steep gorge over river boulders, a river crossing on the back of a 150-pound porter, and a 7,000 foot accent. Trekkers are usually flown into Taplejung and flown out of Suketar.
Kanchenjunga Trek in Sikkim
The trek to the viewing point for Kachenjunga in Sikkim begins at Yuksom, a small farming village about a day’s jeep ride from Gangtok on a narrow, unpaved and potholed road that passes by rice terraces, waterfalls, forests and precipitous cliffs. In Yuksom, trekkers sleep in a hut with nasty latrine and no electricity.
The trekking season is March to late-May and September to mid-November. Trekkers generally hire porters, ponies, dzos (cow-yak hybrids) to carry their gear. The trek lead through rain-drenched jungles with giant ferns, rare orchids and magnolias with hanging moss, giant rhododendron forests, hardwood forest with oaks and maples, evergreen forests with pines and firs and alpine meadows.
The first day of the popular four-day trek involves a 16-kilometers hike from Yoksum (1,780 meters, 5,840 feet) to Tsokha, a small village at 3,050 meters (10,000 feet). The next day is a 10-kilometer to Dzongri at 3,962 meters (13,000 feet). The walking is harder going here because of the higher altitude.
On the third day trekkers wake up at 3:30am and reach the view point to see 8,598 meters (28,208-foot) -high Kanchenjunga at dawn to see the sunrise and catch a glimpse of the mountain before fog and clouds roll in. Sometimes the fog is already there and people don't see Kanchenjunga. The forth day of the trek is the hike back to Yuksom.
A longer, more daring route traverses the Singalila Ridge, which defines the border between western Sikkim and eastern Nepal and climaxes at Goeche La, a 4,940-meter (16,200-foot) pass right in front of Kanchenjunga. This route only opened in 2000 and takes about two weeks to complete. This trip begins in the village of Uttarey, which is reached by jeep from Gangtok. The steep trek up to the ridge passes through cardamom fields and dense forests. The road to the trail winds back and forth between Nepal and Sikkim in meadows littered with yak bones. As one nears Goeche Pass there are several sacred lakes and descents and climbs into and out of valleys.
Climbing Kanchenjunga
According to NASA’s Earth Observatory: There is no easy route up the steep, avalanche-prone slopes of Kangchenjunga. British climbers Joe Brown and George Band made the first ascent in 1955, following a route near the Yarlung Glacier to the foot of the mountain’s southwest face. The local Sikkam people believed that a god lived at summit and told the climbers not to go all the way to the top (to avoid upsetting him). In deference to this, the British team turned back a few feet short of the true summit. [Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov ]
There were 283 successful ascents of Kangchenjunga as of March 2012, the second fewest of the eight thousanders. (Annapurna is the only peak with fewer successful ascents.) Meanwhile, 40 people died trying to climb Kangchenjunga—a fatality rate of about 15 percent. Kangchenjunga was the last eight-thousander to be climbed by a woman; British climber Ginette Harrison made it in May 1998.
There are four climbing routes to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga, three of which are in Nepal from the southwest, northwest, and northeast, and one from northeastern Sikkim in India. The northeastern route from Sikkim has been successfully used only three times. The Indian government has banned expeditions to Kanchenjunga; therefore, this route has been closed since 2000.
History of Climbing Kanchenjunga
Kangchenjunga was first climbed on May 25, 1955 by Joe Brown and George Band, who were part of a British expedition. They stopped short of the summit in accordance with the promise given to a local monarch that the top of the mountain would not be disturbed. Every climber or climbing group that has reached the summit has followed this tradition. Other members of this expedition included John Angelo Jackson and Tom Mackinon. The first winter ascent was achieved on January 11, 1986 by Jerzy Kukuczka and Krzysztof Wielicki or Poland. [Source: Wikipedia]
Between April 1848 and February 1849, Joseph Dalton Hooker explored parts of northern Sikkim and eastern Nepal, mainly to collect plants and study the distribution of Himalayan flora. In 1879, Sarat Chandra Das and Lama Ugyen-gyatso crossed into Tibet west of "Kanchanjinga" via eastern Nepal and the Tashilhunpo Monastery en route to Lhasa. They returned along the same route in 1881. In 1883, a party of William Woodman Graham together with two Swiss mountaineers climbed in the area of Kangchenjunga.
In 1905, a party headed by Aleister Crowley made the first attempt at climbing the mountain. Aleister Crowley had been part of the team attempting the 1902 ascent of K2. The team reached an estimated altitude of 6,500 meters (21,300 feet) on the southwest side of the mountain before turning back. The exact height reached is somewhat unclear. Crowley ventured "We had reached a height of approximately 25,000 feet (7,600 meters)." Attempting a "mutinous" late-in-the-day descent from Camp 5 to Camp 4, climber Alexis Pache (who earlier that day had been one of three to ascend possibly higher than any before), and three local porters, were killed in an avalanche. Despite the insistence of one of the men that "The demon of Kangchenjunga was propitiated with the sacrifice", Crowley decided enough was enough and that it was inappropriate to continue.
The May 25, 1955, ascent by Joe Brown and George Band was followed by another by Norman Hardie and Tony Streather the next day on May 26. This team followed the 1905 route pioneered by Crowley. The route starts on the Yalung Glacier to the southwest of the peak, and climbs the Yalung Face, which is 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) high. The main feature of this face is the "Great Shelf", a large sloping plateau at around 7,500 meters (24,600 feet), covered by a hanging glacier. The route is almost entirely on snow, glacier, and one icefall; the summit ridge itself can involve a small amount of travel on rock. The first ascent expedition made six camps above their base camp, two below the Shelf, two on it, and two above it. They started on 18 April, and everyone was back to base camp by 28 May.
Deaths on Mount Kanchenjunga
Roughly a dozen or so people died on Kanchenjunga before the first ascent in 1955. Since then, more than 40 people have died on its slopes.The first deaths were on the 1905 Aleister Crowley expedition in which three porters and Swiss mountaineer Alexis Pache died in an avalanche. Kanchenjunga has claimed the lives of some of the world’s most well known and accomplished climbers including Andrzej Czok from Poland in 1986, Wanda Rutkiewicz, also from Poland, in 1992, and Benoît Chamoux from France in 1995. In 1985, mountaineer Chris Chandler died of cerebral edema during a wintertime ascent in which his girl friend lost her fingers when she took off her gloves in a desperate attempt to save him. In 2003, Carlos Pauner disappeared while descending Kangchenjunga towards a 7,600-meter camp. Two days later he phoned his family to say he was near base camp.
In 2019, two Indian climbers and a Chilean mountaineer died on Kanchenjunga. The two Indian died above 8,000 meters in the so-called “death zone” where oxygen is in short supply. for most humans to breathe normally. Contact with Chilean climber was lost on his descent. AFP reported: Biplab Baidya, 48, and Kuntal Karar, 46, were with a five-member team from West Bengal. Karar fell ill before making it to the summit while Baidya collapsed during his descent, organisers said. Despite rescue attempts, both died. “We believe they suffered from altitude problems. Our guides are trying to bring the bodies down to lower camps,” Keshab Poudel of Peak Promotion told AFP. . [Source: AFP May 16, 2019]
Five climbers died on Kanchenjunga in 2013. The BBC reported: Five climbers who went missing are feared dead, officials say, Expedition organiser Mingma Sherpa said that the five went missing possibly after an avalanche. Tourism ministry officials say it happened as they descended from the summit. Mr Sherpa said those feared dead were from South Korea, Hungary and Nepal, and he was not optimistic of finding them alive. “All our efforts to trace them have failed," he told the BBC. "The weather is bad and we've run out of resources to recover their bodies." He said that rescue helicopters flown to the area since they went missing had also failed to locate them. The five were identified as South Korean Namsoo Park, 47, Hungarians Zsolt Eross, 45, and Peter Kiss, 27, and two Nepali high altitude workers — Bibash Gurung, 24, and Pho Dorchi, 23. Kanchenjunga is considered to be technically challenging with high chances of blizzards and avalanches. [Source: BBC, May 24, 2013]
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Nepal Tourism Board (ntb.gov.np), Nepal Government National Portal (nepal.gov.np), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022