Makalu was first mapped
and photographed from the Tibetan side by the 1921 British
Everest reconnaissance. Sir 
Edmund Hillary and Eric Shipton also photographed the peak
during a side trip on the 1951 Everest reconnaissance. Hillary
and others approached the peak a year later after the failure
of their Cho Oyu expedition. The first attempt on the mountain
was made in 1954 by a US team, mostly Californians, who trekked
all the way from the Indian border near Biratnagar. At the
same time a British team approached the mountain, but this
expedition was abandoned when Hillary became seriously ill
and had to be evacuated. In the autumn of 1954 a French team
attempted the peak, but did not reach the top. In the following
spring (1955), successfully ascents were made by three teams
of French climbers on successive days.
In 1960 a large scientific and mountaineering expedition wintered
at the foot of Ama Dablam. In May 1961, the expedition trekked
across the Mingbo La and other high passes to reach the foot
of Makalu, from where they planned to climb the French route.
But sickness stopped the expedition, which became a heroic
struggle for survival.
Makalu has now had many ascents, several different routes
having been made to the summit. |
