Langtang Lirung, sometimes referred to as Langtang I, is the highest peak of the Langtang Himal and as such one of the more important mountains of the Central Nepalese Himalaya.
The Langtang Himal, lying to the north of Kathmadu and being readily accesible from there, is a complex range, its western border defined by the Bhote Kosi (later on known as the Trisuli), beyond which rises the Ganesh Himal. To the east it is connected to the Jugal Himal, to the northeast to the big massif of Shisha Pangma, while to the immediate north the Lende Tsangpo forms the natural border to Tibet.
Langtang Lirung itself is a bulky mountain with a 10 km long west to east running ridge that culminates at its eastern end in the actual summit. From there the south face drops steeply for 2200 meters to the floor of a giant cirque from which the Lirung Glacier issues. Towards the western end of the long ridge is a significant notch beyond which rises the shapely peak of Chenge Lirung (6581m), also known as Langtang II, first- climbed in 1963 by the Canadian Peter Taylor.
This mountain is a serious challenge for any party, cause it is either technically very difficult (the west ridge), subject to a good deal of objective dangers (the east ridge), or both (the south face). |
