We warn you: the article is full of beauty and aesthetics, which makes the next eight unconquered peaks even more desirable. Especially if you are an extreme sports enthusiast, love heights, and have been looking for thrills for a long time.

Gangkhar Puensum

  • Height: 7,570 meters
  • Location: China-Bhutan border
  • Why not conquered: stupid laws

Gangkhar Puensum lies on the disputed border between China and Bhutan. It is certainly not disputed that Gangkhar Puensum is the highest peak yet unclimbed. Four attempts were made in the 1980s, after which Bhutan passed a law prohibiting mountaineering at altitudes above 6 km.

Source: wikipedia.org

North Face of Masherbrum 4

  • Height: 7.821 m
  • Location: Pakistan
  • Why not conquered: extreme difficulty

Masherbrum was conquered back in 1960 along a fairly simple route. But there is a wall that no one has ever climbed. The reason is still the same - the route is “unrealistically extreme”.


Source: supercoolpics.co

Mount Siple

  • Height: 3,110 m
  • Location: Siple Island, Antarctica
  • Why not conquered: harsh climate

This peak is located in Antarctica, and the main difficulty in conquering it is not the route, but the low temperature and distance from the civilized world. It is suspected that Mount Siple is actually an extinct volcano covered by a glacier.


Source: wikipedia.org

Machapuchare

  • Height: 6,998 m
  • Location: north central Nepal;
  • Why it was not conquered: religion and law

The most beautiful mountain peak, thanks to its steep slopes, stands out clearly against the background of the rest of the massif called Annapurna, once almost surrendered to the mercy of the courage of climbers. The 1957 expedition, led by Jimmy Roberts, stopped just fifty meters from the summit. Conquer one of the most beautiful mountains The Himalayas were thwarted by a promise made to the Nepalese government.

The point is that in Hindu beliefs, it is at the top of Machapuchare that one of the supreme deities of the religion, Shiva, lives. Despite the fact that Roberts' team kept its promise, Nepal's top officials immediately closed Machapuchare to any visits.


Source: green-travel.biz

Kailash

  • Height: 6.638 m
  • Location: Southern Tibetan Plateau in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China
  • Why not conquered: “sacred” status

The Tibetan six-thousander is considered sacred mountain among representatives of four major religions at once - Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and adherents of a faith called Bon. Despite the fact that Kailash is under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government, which occupied Tibet, it is the sacred status of the peak that has not yet allowed it to be conquered.

All known attempts to climb the mountain have failed for one reason or another. For example, the famous climber Reinhold Messner, who received permission from the Chinese authorities to conquer Kailash, subsequently abandoned the climb, and the Spanish expedition of 2000, which bought a pass for a significant sum, was stopped by thousands of pilgrims who blocked the route and protests from the UN.


Source: wikipedia.org

Tongshanjiabu

  • Height: 7,207 m
  • Location: Central Himalayas, 12 km northwest of Kangphu Kang
  • Why not conquered: laws

The peak, which reaches 7,207 meters into the sky, is also located on the constantly disputed Tibetan-Bhutanese border. Not a single attempt was made to climb Tongshanjiabu, even before the law “everything above six thousand is prohibited.” After him, of course, and even more so. At the same time, the Korean expedition took neighboring Shimokangri, which was lucky to find itself completely on the Chinese side.


Nothing attracts a person more than the forbidden. Any taboo has always, in all centuries, acted on daring minds in the same way - as an elementary challenge. How do you think the very existence of “unconquered peaks” affects a professional climber? Answer: awakens desire. Tourists and amateurs have a different reaction: curiosity arises, why hasn’t a person set foot on them yet? In this article we will talk in detail and interestingly about this mountain, and you can see it in person in the Annapurna region.

Machapuchare - forbidden peak, sacred abode of Shiva

Mount Machapuchare (or Machapuchre - there are certain “difficulties” in Nepali spelling) is freely located in the very heart of central Nepal, near the city of Pokhara (distance - about 25 km to the North). The mountain belongs to the southern part mountain range Annapurna group and just barely falls short of the seven-thousander class, because its 6,998 meters are already difficult to classify as a real six-thousander, but, as they say, a fact is a fact.

Why is Machapuchare so famous?

  • Incredibly beautiful appearance. Anyone who has seen the mountain at least in photographs, not to mention in person, will agree with this. Its double peak has such a pronounced and steep peak that it seems to pierce the defenseless sky. When you find yourself on the western side of Machapuchare, you will be able to understand why it is called the “Fish Tail” (literal translation). A little imagination - and you will clearly see the shape of the tail of a huge fish, with fins on twin tops. A crystal white, shining haze of a snow shawl envelops the mountain from time to time, further emphasizing the viewer’s attention on the greatness, confident power and even mythical power of the mountain.

  • The mountain is still considered unconquered. Not only is it really unusually difficult to climb, but in 1957 the Nepalese government made an unequivocal decision to close Mount Machapuchare to mountaineering due to its religious value for local population, which considers the mountain to be the sacred abode of Shiva himself, and the snowy haze on its top to be the aura of his divine essence. By the way, we saw such an aura during the trek to Annapurna Base Camp in October 2014. A very fascinating and unusual sight! See for yourself in the photo.

Making an unauthorized attempt to climb the mountain means not only not giving a damn about the religious feelings of the Nepalese, but also violating a clear administrative norm of the law, which entails strict liability. (For the curious, it should be noted that there is no death penalty - it was abolished in 1990, but Section XIX of the Nepalese Criminal Code is devoted to religious crimes, for which you are unlikely to simply be severely reprimanded).

  • Machapuchare has a twin brother, the Matterhorn (Alps), so many people want to compare them in person. The mechanism is simple: I saw one mountain -> I was amazed -> I learned that there was another one very similar in appearance in the world -> I decided to check it out personally. See for yourself: is there any similarity or not?

  • Additional attention to Machapuchara is drawn to the nearby Annapurna First Base Camp, the so-called Annapurna Sanctuary. This mountain valley of amazing beauty is famous place mountain tourism, a source of inspiration, a conqueror of human hearts and souls.

Is it really true that no human has ever set foot on the top of Machapuchare?

The fact that the mountain is closed for climbing does not mean that no one has ever tried to climb this amazing peak. Official sources vociferously claim that in all history there was only one unsuccessful attempt by a British expedition to climb the mountain. What is noteworthy is that this was done in the same year when the official ban on climbing was adopted, in the same 1957. However, there are rumors among climbers that a well-known solo adventurer from New Zealand named Bill Denz in the 1980s conquered this mountain at his own peril and risk. Rumor has it that he managed to climb several more prohibited by law climbs. mountain peaks. Being a secretive person, he took the secret of the reality of his ascent to Machapuchare with him to another world when he was caught in an avalanche in 1983 during his next adventure. In fairness, it must be said that there are still some legal, little-known inhabitants of the mountain slopes of Machapuchare, who can safely walk along the slopes of the mountain. These are Tibetan long-eared hedgehogs that live here and nowhere else, and seeing them is already a great success.

The attempt to climb Machapuchare in 1957 in detail

Talking about Machapuchara and not telling about the British expedition of 1957 is a crime. Therefore, it is worth telling in a nutshell about their achievement, which is described in detail and artistically in the book “Climbing the Fish’s Tail” (1958) by one of the real participants in that ascent, Wilfrid Noyce.

The most difficult and the most dangerous route, chosen by the expedition, was the most optimal and most acceptable of all the alternatives. The beginning of the ascent attempt is dated 04/18/1957 from Pokhara and 06/02/1957 the climbers gave up because they had lost the exact coordinates of the desired peak, there was heavy snowfall, and the transition to a steep slope after a crack in the snow-ice slope (bergschrund) was almost insurmountable, and standing behind it the sheer wall was entirely made of ice. A whim of nature drove the climbers from the top, because their further ascent was more than a certain threat to their lives.

A real sensation in the mountaineering community was the publication in many newspapers in 1957 of texts that Machapuchare had been conquered. However, this is not true, because the British climbers were unable to overcome the last 50 meters to the peak. It was precisely that they could not overcome, and did not proactively stop, so as not to hurt the religious feelings of the residents. You can imagine how offended it was for the climbers who were one step away from the accomplishment, but it would have been counted towards them if they had climbed to the top without reaching the conventional height (for example, the “officially perfect” ascent of Kanchenjunga in 1955 was stopped 1.5 meters from the top as a sign of reverence and respect for the local religion).

That’s how it all ended, but believers find sacred meaning in it. They say that unwanted guests in Shiva’s house should be glad that they returned alive! Doesn’t anyone understand that this is a lesson for everyone who follows! Who does not know the truth that lessons should be correctly understood and responded to adequately? As a result, from now on, not a single living soul will climb the mountain!

We don’t offer you to climb to the top of Machapuchare, but you can have a good look at it from all sides and take photographs from different angles in our following programs:

Schedule of upcoming treks in Nepal, join us!

Start Finish Route Price Days
09.03.2020 20.03.2020 Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp - Annapurna Trek 750 $ 12 days
10.03.2020 27.03.2020 880 $ 18 days
22.03.2020 05.04.2020 Trekking to Everest Base Camp 770 $ 15 days
07.04.2020 24.04.2020 880 $ 18 days
09.04.2020 31.05.2020 Climbing Everest 2020 21500 $ 53 days
09.04.2020 31.05.2020 Climbing Lhotse 2020 16500 $ 53 days
11.04.2020 25.04.2020

The world famous Himalayan peak Machapuchare (6997 m) has been closed to climbing by decision of the Nepalese government since 1957. This fabulously beautiful mountain must remain unconquered forever. Its double peak resembles the tail fin of a fish, hence the name: Machapuchare means “Fish Tail” in Nepali. The first ascent attempt was abandoned 45 m short of the summit. It was an extremely difficult and only climb of this mountain.

General information:

Mountain name: Machapuchare – 6997 m

Location: Karakoram Central Nepal, Annapurna group

The story of an attempt to climb to the top of Machapuchare. British expedition 1957.

Expedition leader: I.O.M. Roberta

First climbers: D. Cox (A. D. M. Cox), W. Noyce (Wilfrid Noyce)

On April 18, 1957, climbers with 50 porters left the town of Pokhara, which now has a small airfield. They marched for four days through Gandrung to Chomrong, the last village on their route, then laboriously made their way through the bamboo thickets up the Modi Gorge. On April 24, a base camp was established 20 m from the river at an altitude of 4000 m on the right (western) side of Modi Khol. The approach to the northern ridge of Machapuchare is closed from below by giant rock walls, only in one place they are cut through by a snow couloir. Having passed this couloir, the climbers established camp 1 on April 27 at an altitude of 4900 m.

To the chagrin of the Nepalese liaison officer, the British mountaineering team was now divided into two groups: Roberts and Vaile wanted to explore the 7256m peak west of Modi Khol. The name Ganesh, which seems to have been adopted for this peak, is not very apt, as it can easily be confused with the Ganesh region of the Himalaya, located north-northwest of Kathmandu. It would be more reasonable to call this peak Modi or Moditse. The previously accepted altitude of this peak of 23607 ft = 7195 m, after clarification by Roberts and Veile, apparently should be corrected to 23807 ft = 7256 m. Moditse and Machapuchare are the western and eastern watchtowers of the circus of the southern side of the Annapurna Himala, and, of course, all climbers flirt with these two beautiful peaks. During the first exploration of the Moditse peak, due to deep snow, only a height of 5940 m was reached. An unpleasant incident occurred in another group that remained in Machapuchara. Charlie contracted polio and was transported with great difficulty to a hospital in Pokhara. Despite this, work at the summit continued. Cook and Noyce from Camp 2 reached the North Col, but found that passing the entire length of the northern ridge was practically impossible. Consequently, it was necessary to reach the ridge further south, closer to the top. To do this, first of all, it was necessary to establish camp 3, at an altitude of about 6100 m on an ice ledge, approximately 2/3 of the height of the wall. Overcoming this ice-snow wall cut by grooves required a lot of work to cut down steps, and for insurance it was necessary to hang railings along 270 m. The remaining 200 m of ascent to the ridge were also completed with great difficulty, it was necessary to additionally extend another 60 m of railings, and only after Noyce managed to break through the cornice on the ridge.
The sharp ice ridge leading to the rocky edge looked so intimidating that the climbers decided to make an attempt to bypass it along the eastern slope. They drove a wooden stake on the ridge, which could be used to organize descent on both sides. The two British climbers then rappelled 60m down a steep chute towards Seti Khola. This was followed by a 400-meter traverse to south direction- a risky section of the path, since it passed along a steep eastern slope, covered with a thick layer of unstable snow. Finally, they reached a safe place - a non-steep firn field, where they decided to set up camp 4 (6200 m). The return to Camp 3 was as difficult as the subsequent re-traversal of this dangerous section with three heavily laden Sherpas - Ang Nyima, Tashi and the young Ang Tsering. But everything went well, and camp 4 was established on May 17.
However, the hope to now reach the upper terrace under the summit takeoff to Machapuchara without any special difficulties, to the chagrin of the climbers, did not materialize. At first glance, there was no path further than the eastern edge, a clearly visible rock bastion. Here a sheer wall dropped towards Seti Khola; but still there was a way around: to the right along a sharp, literally like a knife, edge in the direction of the main ridge, then using a rope ladder down 7.5 m, then a 90-meter descent along the rope to a shelf seemingly glued to the wall and from there - through two huge bergschrunds - exit to the terrace of the upper glacier. There Cox and Noyce established Camp 5 on June 1.

The next day was to be decisive. At 4:15 am the climbers left the camp. It was a nice sunny morning, but here on the north side they had to literally push through knee-deep snow until they reached the bergschrund. A steep wall rose above the bergschrund, the ribs of which leading to the summit ridge resembled an ancient colonnade - to such an extent it was furrowed with gutters. And it all consisted of pure ice! Each step, each hold had to be cut down with great difficulty, and therefore the climbers moved forward very slowly. It was already close to the top, perhaps no more than 40-50 m (150 feet), but which of these towers on the ridge is the tallest, along which of the ridges should you reach the top? It's difficult to determine from below. And the weather deteriorates, and the surrounding highest peaks - Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu - disappear into the clouds, the snow falls more and more. This means we need to turn back. The climbers were very happy “when, having descended, they found the tent of Camp 5 half covered with snow. On June 3, they continued their descent to base camp. The descent was quite risky, but went well.

For a new assault, you can choose the rocky southwestern ridge, along which, apparently, direct access to southern peak, inferior in height to the north by only a few meters. And this route is undoubtedly also very difficult, but probably less dangerous than the long northern ridge. Many newspapers published reports that Machapuchare was conquered by the British expedition of 1957. But this is not true. According to a strictly truthful report, more modest than exaggerated, the Noyce-Cox team returned, not reaching about 40-50 m from the top. Of course, this is not much, and when climbing Kanchenjunga in 1955, no person set foot on the summit either. But there they had to take into account the religious feelings of the local population - the climbers stopped 1.5 m below the peak, although they could easily climb to the top. But when climbing Machapuchare it was not a voluntary refusal. The furrowed ice wall leading to the summit ridge was exceptionally difficult and required long, hard work from the climbers. The exact location of the summit was not known, and besides, the weather had changed. All this forced the climbers to retreat. This was, of course, one of the most difficult and dangerous mountaineering events in the Himalayas, but still it was not the first ascent of Machapuchara.

Photo gallery of Machapuchare:







Extreme sports enthusiasts have tried to climb these peaks more than once. But something always interferes with them: either hunger, or weather, or suddenly adopted laws. We warn you: the article is full of beauty and aesthetics, which makes the next eight unconquered peaks even more desirable. Especially if you are an extreme sports enthusiast, love heights, and have been looking for thrills for a long time.

Gangkhar Puensum
Height: 7,570 meters
Location: China-Bhutan border
Why not conquered: stupid laws
Gangkhar Puensum lies on the disputed border between China and Bhutan. It is definitely not disputed that Gangkhar Puensum is the highest of the still unconquered peaks. Four attempts were made in the 1980s, after which Bhutan passed a law prohibiting mountaineering at altitudes above 6 km.

The north wall of Masherbrum 4 subtly hints: “Don’t even try to climb me.”

North Face of Masherbrum 4
Height: 7.821 m
Location: Pakistan
Why not conquered: extreme difficulty
Masherbrum was conquered back in 1960 along a fairly simple route. But there is a wall that no one has ever climbed. The reason is still the same – the route is “unrealistically extreme”.

Mount Siple
Height: 3,110 m
Location: Siple Island, Antarctica
Why not conquered: harsh climate
This peak is located in Antarctica, and the main difficulty in conquering it is not the route, but the low temperature and distance from the civilized world. It is suspected that Mount Siple is actually an extinct volcano covered by a glacier.

Machapuchare
Height: 6,998 m
Location: north central Nepal
Why it was not conquered: religion and law
The most beautiful mountain peak, thanks to its steep slopes, stands out clearly against the background of the rest of the massif called Annapurna, once almost surrendered to the mercy of the courage of climbers. The 1957 expedition, led by Jimmy Roberts, stopped just fifty meters from the summit. They were prevented from conquering one of the most beautiful mountains of the Himalayas by a promise given to the government of Nepal. The point is that in Hindu beliefs, it is on the top of Machapuchare that one of the supreme deities of the religion, Shiva, lives. Despite the fact that Roberts' team kept its promise, Nepal's top officials immediately closed Machapuchare to any visits.

Near Mount Kailash, travelers experience completely new sensations that they did not know before. Some people feel good and it seems as if they are surrounded by the most beautiful place on earth, they are no longer afraid of anything, for others the surrounding place begins to frighten them and seem to push them away, many are speechless. Someone says that if you ask a question that worries you not far from this mountain, you will be able to solve it easily and in a non-standard way.

Mythical Frontier

For representatives of Buddhism and Hinduism for several centuries in Tibet there is sacred mountain- Kailash. At night, when the peak is shrouded in clouds, you can notice how a light white light pours from the very high point down. Some tourists describe luminous figures on the slopes of the mountain, similar to the swastika symbol. Sometimes at dusk, strange luminous balls are noticed above the mountain, which vaguely resemble ball lightning. But these balls draw strange signs in the air.

Recently, in addition to pilgrims, dozens of expeditions have been flocking to the mountain, people dreaming of conquering the snowy peak. However, something special happens to each of them: a mythical line arises in front of someone, which he cannot cross, no matter how much he wants to. For others, as soon as they touch the mountain, their palms become covered with blisters.

Amazing and geographical position Mount Kailash: it is remote from North Pole at 6666 km, from the South Pole to the foot of the mountain the distance is twice as large, but to Stonehenge is also 6666 km.

However, physically the mountain rarely resists climbers; avalanches and rockfalls are rare here. Nevertheless, all tourists of their own free will refuse to climb up literally after 300-400 meters. Only the most outcast people can be near the sacred mountain.

The Legend of the "Stone Mirrors"

Even in planes flying over Kailash, equipment stops working, compass needles spin in different directions. On a diagram of a mountain, so-called stone mirrors are often drawn on each side, which change the course of time, concentrating energy differently than on the ground.

However, there is a sacred road along the mountain that can be reached. There is a legend that tells about two travelers who turned off the sacred road while climbing Mount Kailash; after returning to their village, in just a few months, the young people aged 60 years and died. Doctors then could not find any visible reason for this withering.

Recently, thanks to experiments, it was revealed that in 12 hours at Mount Kailash, people’s nails and hair grow as much as they would grow under normal conditions for two to three weeks.

Near the foot of the mountain is the “Heavenly Cemetery”, where the corpses of Tibetans are carried out so that their bodies are eaten by vultures. Such a funeral is considered favorable for the soul of the deceased.