Mount Kangchenjunga
Mount Kangchenjunga is located in eastern Nepal, western region of India and south of Tibet Autonomous Region. Located above the Himalayan Mountain Range, this mountain is one of 14 mountains on Earth that are higher than 8,000 meters. Kanchenjunga, whose summit is 8586 meters high, is known as the third highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest and Mount K2.
The World’s Third Highest Mountain: Kanchenjunga Peak
Until 1852, Kanchenjunga was considered the highest mountain in the world. However, the British Great Trigonometric Survey, carried out by the British, managed to refute this thesis. Thanks to years of calculations of this research, which was started in 1849, it was concluded that Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.
Where does the name Kanchenjunga come from?
Kanchenjunga has five different peaks. Because of these peaks, the Tibetan name Kanchenjunga, meaning “five treasures of snow”, was given.
How many peaks are there in Kanchenjunga mountain
These peaks, called Center, East, West, South and Kangbachen, have heights of 8586, 8505, 8482, 8494 and 7903 meters, respectively.
History of the Mountain Peak
In 1905, a group led by British occultist Aleister Crowley made the decision to climb Kanchencunga for the first time. Climbing as high as 6500 meters, this first reconnaissance group had to retreat when faced with the danger of avalanches. The next day, the group, trying to climb higher, managed to reach 7600 meters, but when one of the mountaineers and 3 porters lost their lives under an avalanche, they decided to return.
How Many Routes Are There on Mount Kangchenjunga?
There are a total of 4 routes to reach the summit of Kanchenjunga. Three of them, southwest, northwest and northeast, are located in Nepal, while the fourth is located in India’s Sikkim region. Unlike Everest and K2, the avalanche probability is quite high in Kanchenjunga. The reason for this is that it receives a lot of moisture due to its monsoon climate. For this reason, the possibility of avalanches is a major risk factor in almost every climb.
The summit of Kanchenjunga is considered sacred by the people of Sikkim. Therefore, the first groups trying to reach the top came a few meters down from the top of the hill, but did not reach the top, as they respected this belief.
Today, climbing to Kanchencunga is carried out in the company of professionals at certain periods. However, despite the improved climbing gear, the death rate of climbers trying to reach the summit is quite high.
More than 20% of people attempting to climb the main summit of Kanchenjunga from the 1990s to the present have died.
Tours at Mount Kangchenjunga
Tours to get to Kanchenjunga are organized by various professional companies. Professional trainings are given before climbing and preparations are made for climbing the mountain. Although it differs according to the companies, the basic fee paid for the tours starts from 7 thousand dollars per person.
The length of the tours takes about 50 days. At the end of an average of 46 days, the summit of 8586 meters Kanchenjunga is reached. The descent, on the other hand, takes a shorter time as in other mountains.
You can see Mount Kangchenjunga on Google
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