View source for Annapurna

{{Short description|10th-highest mountain on Earth}}
{{About|the individual mountain |the mountain range|Annapurna (mountain range)|other uses|6=the Hindu goddess|7=Annapurna (goddess)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox mountain
 | name              = Annapurna 
 | photo             = South Face of Annapurna I (Main).jpg
 | photo_caption     = South face of Annapurna I (Main)
 | elevation_m       = 8091
 | elevation_ref     = <br />{{small|[[List of highest mountains on Earth|Ranked 10th]]}}
 | parent_peak       = [[Cho Oyu]]
 | prominence_m      = 2984
 | prominence_ref    = <ref name=peakbagger>{{cite peakbagger|pid=10621|title=Annapurna|access-date=12 January 2009}}</ref><ref name=peaklist>{{cite web 
|url=http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/everest.html |title=Nepal/Sikkim/Bhutan Ultra-Prominences|publisher=peaklist.org |access-date=12 January 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081225145550/http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/everest.html| archive-date= 25 December 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><br /><small>[[List of peaks by prominence|Ranked 94th]]</small>
 | listing           = [[Eight-thousander]]<br />[[Ultra prominent peak|Ultra]]
 | location          = [[Gandaki Province]], [[Nepal]]
 | range             = [[Annapurna (mountain range)|Annapurna]]
 | map_image         = {{OSM Himalaya|lat_d=28.6|long_d=83.8|zoom=7}}
 | label_position    = right
 | coordinates       = {{coord|28|35|46|N|83|49|13|E|type:mountain_region:NP_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | coordinates_ref   = 
 | first_ascent      = 3 June 1950<br />[[Maurice Herzog]] and [[Louis Lachenal]]<br />(First winter ascent 3 February 1987 [[Jerzy Kukuczka]] and [[Artur Hajzer]])<ref name=AAJ1987>{{cite aaj | title = Asia, Nepal, Annapurna Winter Ascent: Kukuczka's 13th 8000er, 1987 |article_id=12198725102 | year=1987|  issn= 0065-6925 | first =Elizabeth | last = Hawley | isbn= 978-0930410292 | volume =#29 | issue =61| pages=251 | access-date = 25 May 2024}}</ref>
 | easiest_route     = northeast face<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explorersweb.com/annapurna-a-climbers-guide/ |title=Annapurna: A Climbers' Guide |last=Benavides |first=Angela |date=20 April 2022 |access-date=8 September 2025}}</ref>
}}
'''Annapurna''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|n|ə|ˈ|p|ʊər|n|ə|,|_|-|ˈ|p|ɜːr|-|}};<ref>{{Dictionary.com|Annapurna|access-date=12 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Annapurna |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415172854/https://www.lexico.com/definition/Annapurna |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 April 2021 |title=Annapurna |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{langx|ne|[[wikt:अन्नपूर्ण|अन्नपूर्ण]]}}) is a [[mountain]] situated in the [[Annapurna (mountain range)|Annapurna mountain range]] of [[Gandaki Province]], north-central [[Nepal]]. It is the [[List of highest mountains on Earth|10th highest mountain]] in the world at {{convert|8091|m|ft}} above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its ascent.

[[Maurice Herzog]] led a [[1950 French Annapurna expedition|French expedition to its summit]] through the north face in 1950, making it the first [[eight-thousander]] to be successfully climbed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/8000MeterPeaks|title=The Eight-Thousanders|date=17 December 2013|publisher=[[NASA Earth Observatory]]|access-date=2025-05-20}}</ref> The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the {{convert|7629|km2|mi2|adj=on}} [[Annapurna Conservation Area]], the first and largest conservation area in Nepal. The Annapurna Conservation Area is home to several world-class [[Backpacking (wilderness)|treks]], including [[Annapurna Sanctuary]] and [[Annapurna Circuit]].

For decades, Annapurna I held the highest fatality-to-summit rate of all principal eight-thousander summits; it has, however, seen great climbing successes in recent years, with the fatality rate falling from 32% to under 20% from 2012 to 2022. This figure places it just under the most recent fatality rate estimates for [[K2]], at about 24%.{{Citation needed|reason=No recent sources cited here or on K2 related pages|date=May 2025}} The mountain still poses grave threats to climbers through avalanche danger, unpredictable weather and the extremely steep and committing nature of its climbing routes, in particular its {{convert|3000|m|ft|adj=on}} south face, renowned as one of the most difficult climbs in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.8000ers.com/cms/download.html?func=startdown&id=184 |title=Complete ascent — fatalities statistics of all 14 main 8000ers |publisher=8000ers.com |date=19 June 2008 |access-date=30 May 2013}}</ref> It is also a dangerous peak for trekkers, as in the case of [[2014 Nepal snowstorm disaster|a 2014 snowstorm]] near it and [[Dhaulagiri]] which claimed at least 43 lives. As of 2022, 365 people had reached the summit of Annapurna I, while 72 had died in the attempt.

==Etymology==
The mountain is named after [[Annapurna (goddess)|Annapurna]], the Hindu goddess of food and nourishment, who is said to reside there. The name Annapurna is derived from the [[Sanskrit]]-language words ''purna'' ("filled") and ''anna'' ("food"), and can be translated as "everlasting food".<ref name="Loar2011">{{cite book|first=Julie|last=Loar|title=Goddesses for Every Day: Exploring the Wisdom and Power of the Divine Feminine Around the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gVOGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA287|year=2011|publisher=New World Library|isbn=978-1-57731-950-4|pages=287–}}</ref> Many streams descending from the slopes of the Annapurna Massif provide water for the agricultural fields and pastures located at lower elevations.<ref name="Frankel2003">{{cite book|first=Edith Rogovin|last=Frankel|title=Walking in the Mountains: A Woman's Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5iskAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|date=15 September 2003|publisher=Derrydale Press|isbn=978-1-4617-0829-2|pages=9–}}</ref>

==Climbing history==
===Climbing expeditions===
[[File:Annapurna Massif Aerial View.jpg|250px|thumb|The Annapurna massif, view from aircraft]]
[[File:Annapurna I during sunrise.jpg|thumb|250px|The south face of Annapurna I]]
{{See also|1950 French Annapurna expedition|1970 British Annapurna South Face expedition}}
Annapurna I was the first {{convert|8000|m|ft|-2|adj=on}} peak to be climbed.<ref name="econdailychart">{{cite news| url= https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/05/daily-chart-18 | title=Stairway to heaven| date=29 May 2013|newspaper= The Economist| access-date=30 May 2013 }}</ref> [[Maurice Herzog]] and [[Louis Lachenal]], of the [[1950 French Annapurna expedition|French Annapurna expedition]] led by Herzog (including [[Lionel Terray]], [[Gaston Rébuffat]], [[Marcel Ichac]], [[Jean Couzy]], Marcel Schatz, Jacques Oudot, Francis de Noyelle), reached the summit on 3 June 1950.<ref>Herzog, 1953, p. 257.</ref> Ichac made a documentary of the expedition, called ''Victoire sur l'Annapurna''. Its summit was the [[World altitude record (mountaineering)|highest one ever attained]] at the time, but not the highest climb; higher non-summit points – at least {{convert|8500|m|ft|-2}} – had already been attained on [[Mount Everest]] in the 1920s.

The [[1970 British Annapurna South Face expedition|south face of Annapurna was first climbed in 1970]] by [[Don Whillans]] and [[Dougal Haston]] also without using supplementary oxygen, members of a [[United Kingdom|British]] expedition led by [[Chris Bonington]] that included [[Ian Clough]], who was killed by a falling [[serac]] during the descent.<ref name=AAJ1971>{{cite aaj|title=Annapurna South Face|article_id=12197122900|first=Tom|last=Frost|year=1971|volume=17|issue=2|pages=259-|links=off|access-date=2025-05-20}}</ref> They were, however, beaten to the second ascent of Annapurna by a matter of days by a [[British Army]] expedition whose climbing team was led by then-Captain [[Henry Day (British Army officer)|Henry Day]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bonington |first=Chris |title=Annapurna South Face |date=March 1971 |publisher=Book Club Associates |isbn=0304937134 |location=London}}</ref>

In 1978, the [[American Women's Himalayan Expedition]], a team led by [[Arlene Blum]], became the first [[United States]] team to climb Annapurna I. The first summit team, composed of [[Vera Komarkova]] and [[Irene Beardsley|Irene Miller]], and [[Sherpa people|Sherpa]]s Mingma Tsering and Chewang Ringjing, reached the top at 3:30 pm on 15 October 1978. The second summit team, [[Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz]] and [[Vera Watson]], died during this climb.<ref>Blum, 1980.</ref>

In 1981 Polish expedition Zakopane Alpine Club set a new route on Annapurna I Central (8051 m). [[Maciej Berbeka]] and Bogusław Probulski reached the summit on 23 May 1981. The route called Zakopiańczyków Way was recognized as the best achievement of the Himalayan season in 1981.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

On 3 February 1987, [[Poland|Polish]] [[climbing|climbers]] [[Jerzy Kukuczka]] and [[Artur Hajzer]] made the first winter ascent of Annapurna I.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.summitpost.org/list/171372/8000m-peaks.html|title=8000m Peak |publisher= summitpost.org |access-date=26 June 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070519073126/http://www.summitpost.org/list/171372/8000m-peaks.html| archive-date=19 May 2007| url-status= live}}</ref>

The first solo ascent of the south face was made in October 2007 by Slovenian climber [[Tomaž Humar]];<ref name="russianclimb">{{cite web|url=http://www.russianclimb.com/humar_annapurna.html |title=New Alpine Solo Route on the South Face of Annapurna |publisher=russianclimb.com |access-date= 26 June 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110617102657/http://www.russianclimb.com/humar_annapurna.html| archive-date= 17 June 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="oustideaway">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/tomaz-humar/|title=Climbing Annapurna: Tomaz Humar|magazine=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]]|date=29 January 2008|access-date=20 May 2025| archive-url= | archive-date=| url-status=}}</ref><ref name="bergsteigen">{{cite web |url=http://www.bergsteigen.at/de/bericht.aspx?ID=12687 |title=Tomaz Humar klettert solo durch die Annapurna Südwand |publisher=Bergsteigen.at |language=de |access-date=30 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107121516/http://www.bergsteigen.at/de/bericht.aspx?ID=12687 |archive-date=7 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="climbing.de">{{cite web|author=Von: Text: adidas eyewear |url=http://www.climbing.de/nc/artikel/article/tomaz-humar-glueckt-erstbegehung-am-annapurna-im-alpinstil/ |title=Tomaz Humar glückt Erstbegehung am Annapurna im Alpinstil - Climbing.de - Alle Infos für Bergsteiger und Kletterer |publisher=Climbing.de|language= de |date=26 November 2007 |access-date= 30 May 2013}}</ref> he climbed to the Roc Noir and then to Annapurna East (8,047m).<ref name=rus>[http://www.russianclimb.com/annapurna/2008/anna2008.jpg "Annapurna South Face Routes"], russianclimb.com, accessed 13 October 2013.</ref>

On 8 and 9 October 2013 Swiss climber [[Ueli Steck]] soloed the Lafaille route<ref name=rus/> on the main and highest part of the face;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=41296|title=Ueli Steck and Annapurna: the interview after his South Face solo|website=planetmountain.com|access-date=14 October 2013}}</ref> this was his third attempt on the route and has been called "one of the most impressive Himalayan climbs in history",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68404|title=Steck Solos Annapurna South Face|website=ukclimbing.com|date=10 October 2013 |access-date=13 October 2013}}</ref> with Steck taking 28 hours to make the trip from Base Camp to summit and back again.<ref>[http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68412 "Annapurna South Face Solo - 28 Hours"], ukclimbing.com, accessed 13 October 2013.</ref> There are significant doubts about this claim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-04-09/mountaineering-expert-rodolphe-popier-i-think-ueli-steck-lied.html|title=I think Ueli Steck lied|website=english.elpais.com|date=9 April 2021 |access-date=21 January 2025}}</ref>

===Fatality rate===
Along with K2 and [[Nanga Parbat]], Annapurna I has consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous of the principal eight-thousander summits. Climbers killed on the peak include Britons [[Ian Clough]] in 1970,<ref name=AAJ1971/> and [[Alex MacIntyre]] in 1982, Frenchman Pierre Béghin in 1992,<ref name=AAJ1993>{{cite aaj|title=Asia, Nepal, Annapurna South Face Tragedy|article_id=12199323002|year=1993|first=Jean-Christophe|last=Lafaille|volume=35|issue=67|pages=230|department=Climbs And Expeditions|links=off|access-date=2025-05-20}}</ref> Kazakh [[Anatoli Boukreev]] in 1997, Spaniard [[Iñaki Ochoa de Olza|Iñaki Ochoa]] in 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=17303|title=It's over: Iñaki Ochoa lost on Annapurna|publisher=mounteverest.net|date=23 May 2008|access-date=26 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015043016/http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=17303|archive-date=15 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Korean [[Park Young-seok]] in 2011<ref>{{cite web|last=Woo |first=Jaeyeon |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2011/10/31/with-park-gone-korea-loses-its-trailblazer/ |title=With Park Gone, Korea Loses Its Trailblazer|publisher=The Wall Street Journal| work= Korea Real Time (blog) |date=31 October 2011 |access-date=17 November 2011}}</ref> and the Finn [[Samuli Mansikka]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2015/farewell-samuli-mansikka-the-fearless-finn/ | title=Farewell Samuli Mansikka, the fearless Finn | date=2 April 2015 }}</ref>

==Flights==
Several airlines offer sightseeing flights over Annapurna.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annapurna flying- Nepali Times |url=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18596 |access-date=18 July 2023 |website=archive.nepalitimes.com}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Dhaulagiri]]
*[[Manaslu]]
*[[Tilicho Lake]]
*[[List of deaths on eight-thousanders#Annapurna I|List of deaths on Annapurna]]
*[[List of ultras of the Himalayas]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book | last = Blum | first = Arlene | author-link = Arlene Blum
  | year = 1980 | title = Annapurna: A Woman's Place
  | publisher = [[Sierra Club Books]] | location = San Francisco, CA |  isbn = 0-87156-236-7}}
*{{cite book | last = Herzog | first =  Maurice | author-link = Maurice Herzog
  | year = 1951 | title = Annapurna: First Conquest of an 8000-meter Peak
  | url = https://archive.org/details/annapurnafirstco00herz_0 | url-access = registration | publisher = E.P. Dutton & Co. | location = New York 
  | translator = Nea Morin | translator2 = Janet Adam Smith}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|author=Herzog, Maurice|title=Annapurna|publisher= Jonathan Cape|date= 1952}}
*{{Neate-High Asia}}
*{{cite book|author=Ohmori, Koichiro|title=Over the Himalaya|publisher= Cloudcap Press|date= 1998|isbn=0-938567-37-3}}
*{{cite book|author=Terray, Lionel|title=Conquistadors of the Useless|publisher=  Victor Gollancz Ltd.|orig-year= 1963|year=2001 |isbn=0-89886-778-9}} Chapter 7.

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.himalaya-info.org/Map%20annapurna_himal.htm |title=Annapurna |website= Himalaya-Info.org |language=de}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.summitpost.org/annapurna-i/150258|title= Annapurna |website= Summitpost}}

{{Eight-thousander}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Eight-thousanders of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Mountains of Gandaki Province]]
[[Category:Ultra-prominent peaks of Asia]]