Description of Nanda Devi

Nanda Devi is located in Uttarakhand, India. It has an elevation of 7816 meters above sea level. It is located at the following coordinates: (30.3758, 79.9708).
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Nanda Devi in the highest peak in the Indian Garhwal Himalaya. The mountain has two summits, the main summit at 7816m (25,643ft) and Nanda Devi East at 7434m (24,389ft). The mountain itself in surrounded by a number of peaks over 21,000ft, making it an extremely difficult mountain to access. This circle of peaks forms what is known as the Nanda Devi Sanctuary.

The first successful ascent of the main summit was by Tilman and Odell in 1936 via the south ridge. With the successful ascent, Nanda Devi became the highest mountain climbed by man until 1950 when Annapurna was climbed. In 1976, Americans James States, Lou Reichardt and John Roskelley climbed the main summit by a new route, the North Ridge. This expedition ended in tragedy when Nanda Devi Unsoeld (Willie Unsoeld's daughter who was named after the mountain) died near the main summit. A fantastic account of this expedition can be read in the book by John Roskelley, "Nanda Devi, the Tragic Expedition".

In the mid 1960's, it is reported that the CIA during an expedition put a monitoring device on the main summit to monitor nuclear activity in Tibet/China. It was supposedly lost in an avalanche. Article on this The mountain was closed by the government shortly after and then re-opened in 1974. In 1983 the area was closed for environmental reasons. The mountain remains closed to this day.

There are very few ascents of this beautiful mountain, and in time we may see the Sanctuary reopen and new attempts being made.

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