Makalu Expedition Spring- (8,485m)

Mount Makalu Expedition. The fifth highest mountain in the world, Mount Makalu was first climbed by a French party in 1955. The peak situated at an altitude of 8485m was first mapped and photographed from the Tibetan side by the 1921 British Everest reconnaissance. Hillary and Shipton photographed Mt. Makalu in 1951 and approached the peak a year later, after the failure of their mount Cho Oyu expedition. The first attempt on mount Makalu was made in 1954 by a US team, who trekked all the way from the Indian border near Biratnagar. At the same time, a British team approached the peak, but could not succeed as Hillary became seriously ill and had to be evacuated.

In the autumn of 1954, a French team attempted the peak while the other three French teams made successful attempts in the following spring. The Japanese climbed Mount Makalu in 1970 and a Yugoslav kissed the summit in 1975. Makalu West Face: To reach the top of the peak west face is both challenging and adventurous. There were five attempts before the successful Expedition. The West Face was successfully scaled in 1997. The Russian team had accepted the route of this West Face of mount Makalu upon the leadership of Sergey Efimov and climbed the top on the 21st of May via the most difficult route. The final part of the route had gone on Parago ridge. Alexei Bolotov, Yuri Ermachek, Dmitri Pavlenko, Igor Bugachevski, and Nikolai Jiline were in the team who had climbed on the top of mount Makalu at this time for which they were awarded the "Gold ice-axe". The Routes (Four Parts) Bottom part of the route starts from the base of the West Face at 5,800 meters extending to the hanging ice-fall at 6100 meters to the right part of the ice-fall. The second part elongates from the plateau above the ice-fall along 35 to 45 degree elevation's rock up to the 6,500 meters height. The next part is an ice-rock wall, 50 to 55 degrees steep & extends to 7400 meters tall. The last section begins at 70 to 75 degree elevation's rock pillar, which leads to the west ridge at 8,000 meters till atop.

Typically, ropes are fixed from 5800m to 6100m and from 6500 m to 7500m. Camps, established by the Russian Team can be seen here. The French Route on the West Pillar is an aesthetically stunning line that has been seldom attempted because it is the most difficult way with a very steep pillar that was first successfully ascended in 1971. The crux of the line comes at an altitude of 7,600m in the area of the Seignior Wall. The first US team to step on included Jim States, John Roskelley, Kim Momb, and Chris Kopczynski, who scaled via this west pillar in 1980. Furthermore, they topped on the summit, even without the use of oxygen or Sherpa support.