The name Dhaulagiri is derived from the Sanskrit Dhavala, meaning white, while giri means mountain. Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest and one of the most popular 8000 m peaks. It lies to the northwest of Pokhara in western Nepal and to south of the Tibetan and Nepali border. A Swiss expedition team was able to make epic history on the summit of Mt. Dhaumagiri in 1960 via the northeastern ridge. Dhaulagiri is renowned as one of the most difficult mountains in the world.
Before the eight-member Swiss expedition, several expedition teams tried unsuccessfully to ascend Dhaulagiri. The climb followed a roundabout route around the mountain from Tukuche, over Dhampus Pass and French Col, to approach the summit from the North-East Col. First Japanese in the 1970s summited, followed by Americans in 1973, and then by Italians in 1976. Nowadays this expedition has become much more popular among the adventures in the world; many expedition teams climb this mountain each year. Dhaulagiri’s difficulty is created by five ridges, which offer the possibility of a variety of ascents through six different routes. The majority of ascents to date have been via the first ascent route, known as the so-called "normal route.” However, ascents have also been made from almost every direction. The normal climbing route is considered a reasonable climb with only short technical climbing sections and moderate avalanche danger. Tragedy struck in 1969 when an avalanche killed seven members of a US expedition on the East Dhaulagiri Glacier. A thirty mile stretch of the topography's complex network of ridges, glaciers, and ice falls is its crest. Several pyramid-shaped peaks rise along the main crest.
Four of the summits, numbered form east to west, rise above 25,000 feet. Being one of the world’s fourteen 8000+ meter-high mountains demands the best quality of technical equipment and a highly motivated and technically sound climbing team. It has atypical weather conditions, which is very difficult to predict. The wind velocity can be tremendous in this area; from afternoon till dawn it is almost continuously windy. There are high passes to cross, like the French Pass (5360 meters) and the Dhampus Pass (5258 meters) to reach base camp. Base camp is set at 4740 meters on the Chhonbardan glacier, right below the rocky knob. After establishing the base camp, four campsites will be prepared. The advanced base camp will be set up at 5,300 meters, which is used for depositing equipment. Camp I will be established at 5900 meters, Camp II at 6400 meters, Camp III at 7200 meters and Camp IV at 7500 meters and onto the summit. Ascending from Camp I to Camp II requires stretches of steep climbing. Then the climb heads towards the west ridge with steep climbing to reach Camp III. The climb then moves to the East Ridge to reach Camp IV. Extreme care is to be exercised climbing here, as strong wind is sure to be experienced whilst climbing. From there, we will then push to attempt the summit from Camp IV.
In the early 1800s, British surveyors from India charted the mountain and one of the covert Indian evaluators mapped it. Locals revere the mountain as holy since it is known as a place where gods and goddesses are. There is yet another interesting incident: Captain Emil Wick airdropped supplies to a US expedition from a Pilatus Porter aircraft. Among the delicacies he dropped were two bottles of wine and a live chicken. The Sherpas would not allow the chicken to be killed on the mountain, so it became the expedition pet! It was then carried, snow-blind and crippled by frostbitten feet, to Marpha, where it was finally ended up in the cooking pot.
Nepal Mother House Treks and Expedition organizes Dhaulagiri Expedition and takes care of required permits and paper work, transport loads, stock and camp setup, ropes, food, high-altitude food, high-quality tents, porters, professional climbing Sherpas, guides, porters, insurance, oxygen, satellite telephone, wake-talkies, as well as advice and assistance to ensure the safety and success of all expeditions. So ask yourself, ‘why not join our Nepal Expedition venture?’
