Machapuchare, Machhapuchchhre or Machhapuchhre, is a mountain situated in the Annapurnamassif of Gandaki Pradesh, north-central Nepal. Its highest peak has never been officially climbed due to the impossibility of gaining a permit from the government of Nepal.
Location
Machapuchare is at the end of a long spur ridge, coming south out of the main backbone of the Annapurna massif, which forms the eastern boundary of the Annapurna Sanctuary. The peak is about north of the provincial headquarter of Pokhara. The sanctuary is a favorite trekking destination, and the site of the base camps for the South Face of Annapurna and for numerous smaller objectives. The Mardi Himal trek, for instance, climbs towards a minor peak.
Notable features
Due to its southern position in the range, and the particularly low terrain that lies south of the Annapurna Himalayas, Machapuchare commands tremendous vertical relief in a short horizontal distance. This, combined with its steep, pointed profile, make it a particularly striking peak, despite a lower elevation than some of its neighbors. Its double summit resembles the tail of a fish, hence the name meaning "fish's tail" in Nepalese. It is also nicknamed the "Matterhorn of Nepal".
It is believed that Machapuchare has never been climbed to its summit. The only confirmed attempt was in 1957 by a British team led by Lieutenant ColonelJimmy Roberts. Climbers Wilfrid Noyce and A. D. M. Cox climbed to within of the summit via the north ridge, to an approximate altitude of. Adhering to the word of honor given to the then King Mahendra, Noyce and his team descended without stepping on to the summit - thus publishing the only climbing record of the mountain a year later. No permits to climb the mountain have been issued ever after. The mountain is said to be "sacred", but in what form, or to whom, is somewhat unclear. There have been reports of a New Zealand climber, Bill Denz, making a successful yet illegal attempt to the summit in the early 1980s.
