Makalu
was first climbed by a French party in 1955.
By 1996, 160 climbers from
125 expeditions
had reached the summit
- 15 climbers having died in
their attempts.
The peak was first mapped and photographed
from the
Tibetan side
by the 1921 British Everest Reconnaissance.
Makalu is one of the harder eight-thousanders,
and one of
the most difficult
mountains in the world to climb.
The mountain is
notorious for its steep pitches
and knife-edged ridges that are
completely open to the elements.