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Across the deep gorge of the Kali
Gandaki to the east lies the Annapurna Himal, home
to Annapurna I, one of the other Eight-thousanders.
Mt. Dhaulagiri

Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world. The world Dhaulagiri means "White Mountain". An enormous Himalayan massif, Dhaulagiri is located in north central Nepal and is the highest mountain located entirely within Nepal. After its discovery by the western world in 1808, it replaced Ecuador's Chimborazo (20,561 ft.) as the postulated highest mountain in the world. It maintained this standing for nearly 30 years, until the discovery of Kanchenjunga (28,169 ft.), which was then falsely believed to be the world's highest mountain.

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Dhaulagiri's crest stretches for 30 miles, lending structure to an otherwise tangled topography of twisting ridges, glaciers, and ice falls. Along the main crest, several pyramid-shaped peaks rise. Four of these summits, numbered from east to west, rise above 25,000 feet.

Location
Dhaulagiri forms the eastern anchor of the Dhaulagiri Himal, a sub range of the Nepal Himalaya. The Dhaulagiri Himal lies in the Dhaulagiri Zone of north-central Nepal, northwest of Pokhara, an important regional town and tourist center. Across the deep gorge of the Kali Gandaki to the east lies the Annapurna Himal, home to Annapurna I, one of the other Eight-thousanders.

Features
After its discovery in 1808 by the western world, Dhaulagiri was thought to be the highest mountain in the world. This lasted for 30 years before Dhaulagiri's place was taken by Kanchenjunga.

In terms of rise above local terrain, Dhaulagiri is, in fact, almost unparalleled in the world. For example, it rises 7000m over the Kali Gandaki gorge to the southeast in about 30km of horizontal distance. The Kali Gandaki is especially dramatic since Dhaulagiri and Annapurna both stand near the river, giving a unique example of two Eight-thousanders facing each other over a deep valley.

The South Face of Dhaulagiri is also a massive drop; it is approximately a 4000m wall, and it has been the site of some epic climbs (see the Timeline).

Climbing History
Dhaulagiri was first climbed on May 13, 1960 by Kurt Diemberger, Peter Diener, Ernst Forrer, Albin Schelbert, Nyima Dorji and Nawang Dorji, members of a Swiss/Austrian expedition. The expedition leader was Max Eiselin; they used the Northeast Ridge route. This was also the first Himalayan climb supported by an airplane. The airplane, a Pilatus PC-6, crashed during the approach and was later abandoned on the mountain.

The vast majority of ascents to date have been via the first ascent route, which is the "Normal Route" on the mountain. However ascents have been made from almost every direction.



 
 
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