With a name that in Sanskrit language means goddess of abundance, Annapurna was the first mountain higher than 8,000 meters above sea level to be conquered by man.
Appearance of the peaks
The Annapurna range, located in Nepal, raises its glittering peaks above the floral abundance typical of the medium Himalayan slopes.
These peaks appear as an inaccessible vertical wall.
The Macchapuchare, with its 6997 meters, seems to dominate, with its monolithic mass, the world of human beings, as if it wanted to dissuade them from attempting a climb.
Annapurna, which reaches an altitude of 8077 meters, is the highest peak of a chain bordered to the west by Dhaulagiri, with its 8172 meters, and to the east by Manaslu, 8156 meters high.
Southern slope
Access from the Pokhara basin, located 800 meters on the southern slope, is quite difficult due to the steep slopes, as well as the presence of deep gorges and an inextricable jungle often immersed in fog.
The Annapurna range includes numerous peaks over 7000 meters, including the Nilgiri, 7223 meters, and the Gangapurna, 7454 meters.
Northern slope
The slopes of the northern slope are much less steep, as they correspond to the back of the monoclinal and are made up of thick structural limestone or sandstone slabs.
Despite the reduced influx of moist air beyond the main ridge, the snow supply remains sufficient to preserve the hanging glaciers.
At the exit of the gorges opens the Pokhara basin, at about 800 meters above sea level, whose origin is most likely due to a depression excavated by differential erosion and a tectonic failure located at the foot of a high chain, following the lifting postponed of the southern chain.
shipments
The Annapurna range became famous in 1950, when on 3 June of that year the French mountaineers Herzog and Lachenal conquered it, first exceeding 8000 meters, taking only 12 days.
Recommended readings- Himalaya (Asia): information on the abode of eternal snow
- Kathmandu (Nepal): what to see in the capital
- Annapurna (Nepal): the first 8000 to be reached
- Mount Everest: mountaineering excursions
- Nepal (Asia): what to see from the Ganges to the Himalaya
In 1970 the southern slope was climbed for the first time by an English expedition led by Bonington.
