ITAHARI, May 16: Some 65 years ago, on May 15, French mountaineer duo Jean Couzy and Lionel Terry co-created the history of scaling the summit of Mt Makalu (8463m). Today marks the historic summit on the fifth tallest peak of the planet.

The historic summit was made after an unsuccessful summit attempt by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to scale Mt Everest, the tallest peak of the planet. The historic French expedition 'France Spring 1955' was led by team leader Jean Franco. They had scaled the mountaintop from the west face of the mountain, says the information about facts and figures of Nepali mountaineering compiled by the Tourism Department under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal. 

Interestingly, the then French expedition has left the option of scaling Mt Cho Yu, the fourth tallest mountain in order to scale Mt Makalu, says Lionel Terry in his famous book published in English titled 'Conquistadors of the useless'. This book was categorized as one of the '100 adventure books of all time' by National Geographic Adventure Magazine. 

According to the book about Mt Makalu ascent, the climber duo reached the summit at the noon of May 15, 1955. The temperature at the summit, the book says, was minus 35 degree Celsius. 

Tragically, the mountaineering community has lost both Couzy and Terry physically. Couzy passed away three years after creating the history on Mt Makalu on 2 November 1958. Terry's demise also came two years after his book published in English language by Gollancz publication from the United Kingdom on 19 September 1965. 

Both Couzy and Terry were also the members of the first successful expedition on the top of Mt Annapurna on 3 June 1950. Mt Annapurna (8091m) summit was not just the summit on it but also the summit on the first eight-thousand-meter plus mountain on the planet. 

Mt Makalu: A least-climbed world-class mountain

Nepal's Tourism Department has not brought out the latest summit figures for a couple of years. However, according to the data compiled by the Tourism Department of Nepal in June of 2018, some 499 climbers have made it to the top of Mt Makalu. This figure is far less than sometime a yearly figure of the single peak spring season of Everest expedition in Nepal. 

Mira Acharya, the director at the Tourism Department of Nepal, said the low climbers on Mt Makalu are owing to mainly the glamour of Mt Everest. ''Every mountaineer in the world thinks about climbing Mt Everest first,' said Acharya over the phone. She added, ''They don't have much thought on mountains other than Everest in the first phase. However, some climbers are climbing Mt Makalu also.''

Other than the magnetic appeal of Mt Everest as the most sought-after mountain, Acharya pointed out two reasons for fewer climbers on Mt Makalu. First, she said, is the lack of accessibility. ''Means of transportation and the accessibility to the base camps of other mountains are tougher than those for Everest Base Camp',' Acharya explained. 

The second reason for fewer ascents on Mt Makalu is induced by the lack of technical and hospitality facilities on the other mountains, said Acharya. She said unlike Everest, other mountains do not have Himalayan cooks and other required technical service providers. 

Mt Makalu summit safer and cheaper than Everest: Guide

Mt Makalu is comparatively safer than Mt Everest, said climbing guide Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa. Sherpa scaled Mt Makalu for the first time on 12 May 2016. He was at the mountaintop with his clients from Germany and Iran. He said Mt Makalu is a good mountain to climb for beginners with an experience of reaching the top of around 7000-meter peaks. ''Based on my experience and guidance to the ascent of Mt Makalu, I can say this is easier to climb in comparison to Mt Everest from mountaineering safety and security point of view,' said Sherpa over the phone. Sherpa, an instructor at the Government-owned Nepal Mountain Academy and a technical member to measure the height of Mt Everest by Nepal government, said Mt Makalu could be an attraction for climbers from across the world before climbing Mt Everest. 

He said the post-pandemic world after the end of COVID-19 could be the best starting point to promote other eight-thousanders like Mt Makalu. ''News is coming out from across the world that physical distancing will be required even after certain slowing on COVID-19'', Sherpa said, ''For this, least-climbed mountains like Makalu would be an option for mountaineers.'

' Sherpa said the occasional traffic jam en route to the summit of Mt. Everest and the crowded climbing seasons would force climbers to choose least crowded and more peaceful mountains to climb. 

On the economic front also, climbing Mt Makalu is far less cheaper than climbing Mt Everest, said Sherpa. ''The royalty to climb Mt Everest from its normal route costs $11000, $5500 and $2750 in spring, autumn and winter/summer seasons, respectively'', he explained, ''However, for other eight-thousanders like Makalu it requires just $1800, $900 and $450 in spring, autumn and winter/summer seasons, respectively.'

 
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