Pauhunri

Pauhunri
Pauhunri (centre background) from the headwaters of the Lachung River south of the pass Dongkya La
Highest point
Elevation7,128 m (23,386 ft)[1]
Prominence2,035 m (6,677 ft)[1]
Listing
Coordinates27°57′12″N 88°50′33″E / 27.95333°N 88.84250°E / 27.95333; 88.84250[2]
Geography
Pauhunri
Location on China-India border
LocationSikkim, India / Tibet, China
Parent rangeHimalayas
Climbing
First ascent1911 by Alec Kellas
Easiest routesnow/ice/rock climb

Pauhunri is a mountain in the Eastern Himalayas. It is located on the border of Sikkim, India and Tibet, China and is situated about 75 km northeast of Kangchenjunga. It marks the origin of the Teesta River.

First ascents

Pauhunri has an elevation of 7,128 metres (23,386 ft) and was first climbed in 1911 by Scottish mountaineer, Alexander Mitchell Kellas, along with two Sherpas known only as "Sony" and "Tuny’s brother". Unknown at the time, it was recognised many years later that this climb made Pauhunri the highest climbed summit on Earth from 1911 to 1928.[3][4]

The summit was then reached by the English mountaineer Wilfrid Noyce in September 1945. In June 1949, the third ascent was achieved by the Frenchman Robert Walter, headmaster of Calve College in Pondicherry. (Due to his medical knowledge, he is often referred to as a doctor in contemporary writing.) His wife Madeleine accompanied him as far as base camp.[5] Walter wrote about his experiences in an article for the journal La Montagne.[6] In June 1951, he successfully reached the summit of Trisul, with Sherpa Nyima Tensing. As a result of his Pauhunri and Trisul climbs, Walter became a member of the Groupe de Haute Montagne in 1954, sponsored by Maurice Herzog and Robert Tézenas du Montcel.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Pauhunri, China/India". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  2. ^ "High Asia II: Himalaya of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and adjoining region of Tibet". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  3. ^ Bolinder, Anders (1968). "Height Records". In Barnes, Malcom (ed.). Mountain World 1966/7. George Allen and Unwin Ltd. p. 228. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Scottish climber revealed to be altitude record-breaker – 80 years on"". CaledonianMercury.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  5. ^ Kurz, Marcel (1959). Chronique himalayenne. L’âge d’or 1940-1955. Zurich: Fondation Suisse pour Explorations Alpines. pp. 55–56.
  6. ^ Walter, Robert (1950). "Experiences himalayennes". La Montagne. 348: 28–31.