GUNUNG · India

Changabang

चंगाबंग (Changabang)

Information

Elevation: 6.864 m
Country: India (IN)
Location / Range: Garhwal Himalaya, Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India (dekat Kalanka, kawasan Nanda Devi)
Mountain type: Puncak granit-es curam ('big wall' Himalaya) di dinding timur laut Suaka Nanda Devi
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 30.5000, 79.9256
Difficulty: Ekstrem — dinding besar Himalaya; bahkan rute termudah (muka tenggara → punggungan timur) tetap pendakian salju-es serius
Best Season: Mei–Juni dan September–Oktober (pra/pasca-monsun)
Permits & Rules: Izin ekspedisi puncak (Indian Mountaineering Foundation) + izin kawasan lindung/Inner Line; pendekatan lewat Joshimath–Jumma–Dronagiri ke Gletser Bagini. Bukan tujuan trekking umum.
Hazards: Panjat batu terekspos di atas 6.000 m, es dekat vertikal, longsoran salju saat turun (nyawa Brendan Murphy melayang pada 1997), badai, komitmen tinggi tanpa jalan keluar cepat

Description

Changabang (6,864 m) in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, is one of the most legendary walls in alpinism — its name loosely means 'shining mountain', a nod to the pale granite that catches the light. It stands on the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, beside Kalanka. The first ascent, on 4 June 1974, was led by Balwant Sandhu and Chris Bonington via the southeast face onto the east ridge — the easiest route on the mountain and one of the few that is primarily a snow/ice climb. Two years later, in October 1976, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker climbed the ~1,600 m West Wall as a two-man alpine-style team over roughly three weeks; it was considered the hardest climb yet done in the Himalaya, and the story became the classic book 'The Shining Mountain'. Its north face has taken lives: in 1997 Andy Cave and Brendan Murphy completed a 1,600 m route, but Murphy was swept away by an avalanche on the descent. The Boardman–Tasker route was finally repeated in May 2022 — after 46 years and more than 20 attempts — by Matthew Scholes, Kim Ladiges and Daniel Joll.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Muka Tenggara → Punggungan Timur (rute pendakian pertama, 1974)

Rute termudah di Changabang — tetap pendakian salju/es serius di atas 6.800 m

Ekspedisi beberapa minggu

Changabang's first-ascent line, completed on 4 June 1974 by an Indian–British expedition led by Balwant Sandhu and Chris Bonington, with members including Dougal Haston, Doug Scott, Martin Boysen and Tashi Chewang. It climbs the southeast face and joins the east ridge — regarded as the easiest route on the mountain and one of the few lines dominated by snow and ice rather than pure rock climbing. 'Easiest' here still means a technical high-altitude climb, not a trek.

Source

Pendekatan basecamp: Joshimath → Dronagiri → Gletser Bagini

Trek pendekatan ketinggian (basecamp saja) — bukan pendakian puncak

±4–6 hari trek pendekatan dari Joshimath

The logistics line used by modern expeditions, and the only realistic way for non-technical trekkers to see Changabang up close. From Joshimath, a jeep ride to Jumma, then a trek through Ruing and Dronagiri (Dunagiri) villages to the Longatulli meadows and the Bagini Glacier, where the Changabang base camp sits below the north/west walls. The area lies within the Nanda Devi National Park environs, so protected-area/Inner Line permits are required; summit expeditions must obtain a peak permit through the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

Route Segments

1

Joshimath → Jumma (jip)

±44 km perjalanan darat menuju titik awal trek
2

Jumma → Ruing → Dronagiri

Trek naik lewat desa-desa tinggi; akses hanya saat desa dihuni
3

Dronagiri → Longatulli → Base Camp Gletser Bagini

Padang tinggi di kaki Changabang dan Kalanka; sekitar 4.500 m

Source

West Wall — rute Boardman–Tasker (1976; diulang 2022)

Ekstrem — dinding ~1.600 m, panjat batu sekelas 5.10 dan es nyaris vertikal di ketinggian

±3 minggu (1976); dorongan alpine style tunggal dari basecamp (2022)

One of the most famous routes in Himalayan climbing history. In October 1976, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker — just the two of them, on a shoestring budget — climbed the roughly 1,600 m west wall, then regarded as the hardest high-altitude climb in the world. The story became the book 'The Shining Mountain' (winner of the 1979 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize). The route went unrepeated for 46 years and more than 20 attempts, until Matthew Scholes, Kim Ladiges and Daniel Joll (New Zealand Alpine Team) climbed it alpine style in early May 2022 — a climb recorded in the documentary 'Changabang: Return to the Shining Mountain'.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Changabang is not a mountain for ordinary hikers: what remains as 'experience' here is world-class climbing literature and film. Its most famous chapter is Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker's 1976 two-man ascent of the ~1,600 m West Wall — the climb behind the book 'The Shining Mountain'. That route went unrepeated for 46 years and more than 20 attempts, until Matthew Scholes, Kim Ladiges and Daniel Joll succeeded in May 2022; their climb became the documentary 'Changabang: Return to the Shining Mountain', which also features testimony from Chris Bonington and John Porter. For ordinary trekkers, the closest contact with the mountain is the trek to the Bagini Glacier / Changabang base camp from Dronagiri.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.