Dhaulagiri II

Dhaulagiri II (धौलागिरी)

Dhaulagiri II is a 7,751-meter (25,430-foot) mountain in western Nepal and the second-highest summit of the Dhaulagiri Himal after Dhaulagiri I. Rising northwest of the range’s 8,167-meter giant, Dhaulagiri II is an exceptionally independent mountain with approximately 2,391 meters (7,844 feet) of topographic prominence.

That prominence makes Dhaulagiri II an ultra-prominent mountain, distinguishing it from many higher Himalayan summits that are closely connected to larger parent peaks. Its key col is the 5,360-meter French Pass, and its nearest higher terrain lies toward Dhaulagiri I approximately 12 kilometers away.

Dhaulagiri II is also remarkably little climbed. The first ascent did not occur until May 18, 1971, when Adolf Huber, Jangbu Sherpa, Adolf “Adi” Weissensteiner, and American Ronald Fear reached the summit during an Austrian-led expedition. Their route approached from the remote northern side, crossed the difficult Chorten Ridge into a hidden glacial valley, climbed the northwest side toward the Dhaulagiri II–III col, and finished along the high ridge to the summit.

Japanese climbers completed the second ascent by an entirely different southern approach in 1978. In 1979, another Japanese expedition accomplished an extraordinary traverse linking Dhaulagiri II, III, and V along a ridge that remained above approximately 7,150 meters for much of the journey.

A Korean expedition reached the summit in 1986, but climber Kim Sung-Kyu disappeared during the descent.

Even today, Dhaulagiri II remains exceptionally quiet. A 2022 expedition report described it as having been successfully climbed by only four expeditions, and its enormous northeast face remained unclimbed.

⚡ Fast Facts

Fact	Details
Continent	Asia
Country	Nepal
Provinces	Gandaki and Karnali
Districts	Myagdi and Dolpa
Mountain Range	The Himalayas
Subrange	Dhaulagiri Himal
Elevation	7,751 m / 25,430 ft
Prominence	2,391 m / 7,844 ft
Isolation	Approximately 11.63 km / 7.22 mi
Key Col	French Pass, approximately 5,360 m / 17,585 ft
Line Parent	Dhaulagiri I
Coordinates	Approximately 28.7631° N, 83.3885° E
Peak Classification	Ultra-prominent mountain
Range Status	Second-highest summit of the Dhaulagiri Himal
First Ascent	May 18, 1971
First Ascenders	Adolf Huber, Jangbu Sherpa, Adolf Weissensteiner, and Ronald Fear
Expedition Leader	Franz Huber
First-Ascent Route	Northern approach, northwest side, Dhaulagiri II–III col and upper ridge
Second Ascent	May 8, 1978
Second-Ascent Climbers	Yoshio Ogawa and Shoji Koiko
Dhaulagiri II–III–V Traverse	October 1979
First Korean Ascent	May 12, 1986
Northeast Face	Unclimbed in the latest major published attempt record
Nepal Climbing Status	Open for permitted expeditions
Terrain	Glacier, seracs, steep snow and ice, rock, corniced ridges, and avalanche terrain

🏔️ Where Is Dhaulagiri II?

Dhaulagiri II rises in western Nepal, northwest of Dhaulagiri I and within a dense chain of high peaks that forms the Dhaulagiri Himal.

Nepal’s Department of Tourism places the mountain in Dolpa and Myagdi districts. This location puts it near the boundary between Karnali Province to the northwest and Gandaki Province to the southeast.

The mountain’s northern approaches descend toward Mukut and the Barbung Khola region of Dolpa, while its southern slopes fall toward glacier systems above Myagdi.

Dhaulagiri I rises southeast of Dhaulagiri II to 8,167 meters. Between and around them are Dhaulagiri III, IV, V, and VI, creating one of the world’s most remarkable concentrations of 7,000-meter summits.

Farther west are Churen Himal and Putha Hiunchuli.

This entire landscape is much less developed for trekking and climbing than Nepal’s Everest or Annapurna regions.

📏 How High Is Dhaulagiri II?

Dhaulagiri II reaches 7,751 meters (25,430 feet) above sea level.

The figure is remarkably consistent between modern sources.

Peakbagger gives 7,751 meters, Nepal’s Department of Tourism lists 7,751 meters, and the Himalayan Database uses the same elevation.

Historical mountaineering accounts generally used 25,429 feet, a difference of only about one foot from the modern converted value.

Dhaulagiri II is the second-highest mountain of the Dhaulagiri Himal, behind Dhaulagiri I.

It is also among the world’s highest major mountains. Unlike some named 7,700-meter summits, its prominence comfortably exceeds the 500-meter threshold commonly used to distinguish independent mountains.

📐 Prominence and Isolation

Dhaulagiri II has approximately 2,391 meters (7,844 feet) of topographic prominence.

This is exceptional.

Any mountain with at least 1,500 meters of prominence is classified as an Ultra, so Dhaulagiri II exceeds that threshold by nearly 900 meters.

Its key col is French Pass, approximately 5,360 meters above sea level.

French Pass is well known to trekkers completing the demanding Dhaulagiri Circuit and forms an important topographic divide within the greater massif.

Dhaulagiri II’s true isolation is approximately 11.63 kilometers (7.22 miles).

The higher terrain that ends this isolation lies toward Dhaulagiri I.

These measurements make Dhaulagiri II considerably more independent than many of the famous numbered Himalayan summits.

🏔️ The Dhaulagiri Himal

The Dhaulagiri Himal extends through a huge section of western Nepal.

Dhaulagiri I is the dominant peak at 8,167 meters and is the seventh-highest mountain on Earth.

West and northwest of it stand a remarkable sequence of giants.

Dhaulagiri II reaches 7,751 meters.

Dhaulagiri III reaches approximately 7,715 meters.

Dhaulagiri IV reaches approximately 7,661 meters.

Dhaulagiri V rises to approximately 7,618 meters.

Dhaulagiri VI reaches approximately 7,268 meters.

Farther west, Churen Himal and Putha Hiunchuli continue the high mountain chain.

The result is an almost continuous wilderness of glaciers, 7,000-meter peaks, high passes, and deeply cut river valleys.

📝 What Does Dhaulagiri Mean?

The name Dhaulagiri comes from Sanskrit.

Dhavala means something like white, dazzling, or beautiful, while giri means mountain.

Dhaulagiri is therefore usually translated as “White Mountain.”

The name originally refers most directly to Dhaulagiri I, whose enormous snow-covered pyramid dominates the massif.

The numbered names Dhaulagiri II, III, IV, V, and VI developed through modern surveying and mountaineering as explorers distinguished the many high summits surrounding the main mountain.

Dhaulagiri II consequently has no separate widely used traditional name in most modern maps.

There is, however, an interesting exception.

🏘️ Mula Kang

The Japanese expedition that attempted Dhaulagiri II in 1965 recorded that people living around Mukutgaon and Sangda Kho called the mountain “Mula Kang.”

This local name rarely appears on modern international maps.

Its survival in the original expedition literature is valuable because it demonstrates an important point about Himalayan naming.

Mountains that appear to foreign climbers as numbered components of a single massif may have entirely different local identities.

The designation “Dhaulagiri II” reflects modern mapping and mountaineering convention rather than necessarily representing the oldest name used by communities living around the mountain.

🏔️ Dhaulagiri II and Dhaulagiri I

Despite sharing a numbered name, Dhaulagiri II is not simply a small shoulder of Dhaulagiri I.

The two peaks are separated by substantial high mountain terrain.

Dhaulagiri II has more than 2,300 meters of independent prominence, demonstrating how geographically distinct it really is.

Dhaulagiri I stands southeast of the numbered Dhaulagiri II–V group.

The two portions of the massif are divided by deep glacier basins and high passes.

This geographical arrangement explains why early expeditions sometimes treated Dhaulagiri II, III, IV, and V almost as a separate group of great unclimbed mountains.

By the early 1960s, Dhaulagiri I had already been climbed while the four great neighboring summits remained untouched.

📜 Early Exploration

The Dhaulagiri region remained poorly mapped well into the middle of the 20th century.

In 1954, British explorer and mountaineer J. O. M. “Jimmy” Roberts entered the western Dhaulagiri region and made the first ascent of Putha Hiunchuli with Ang Nyima Sherpa.

The following year, Roberts and others investigated Dhaulagiri II.

The mountain presented a major problem.

Its northern side appeared to offer the best possibilities, but reaching the foot of the mountain required crossing a complicated barrier of rock, snow, and glacier terrain.

Later expeditions called one of the most important obstacles the Chorten Ridge.

Finding a practical passage through this ridge became the key to climbing Dhaulagiri II.

🇯🇵 The 1959 Japanese Reconnaissance

A Japanese expedition from Keio University conducted a reconnaissance of Dhaulagiri II in 1959.

The party studied the northern side but did not make a serious summit attempt.

Their work nevertheless improved understanding of the range.

Maps from the expedition show Dhaulagiri II, III, IV, and V along with glaciers, valleys, and possible approach routes through the remote northern region.

At the time, even reaching these mountains represented a major exploratory achievement.

Roads were nonexistent, maps were incomplete, and expeditions had to transport enormous quantities of equipment by porters and pack animals across high passes.

🇰🇷 The 1962 Korean Expedition

A South Korean expedition attempted Dhaulagiri II in 1962.

Led by Park Chul-Am, it was an important event in the early history of Korean Himalayan mountaineering.

The team approached the mountain from the north and investigated the east-ridge system.

The expedition failed to reach the summit.

Published records differ considerably over the exact high point, so the safest conclusion is simply that the Korean party completed an important reconnaissance and climbing attempt without making a confirmed ascent.

Their expedition added another piece of information to the growing knowledge of Dhaulagiri II.

A year later, Austrian climbers would make the most important breakthrough yet.

🇦🇹 The 1963 Austrian Expedition

The Austrian Himalayan Association received permission to attempt Dhaulagiri II and III in 1963.

The expedition was led by Egbert Eidher.

Among its members were Franz Huber and Adolf Weissensteiner, both of whom would become crucial figures in the eventual first ascent eight years later.

The Austrians knew that earlier parties had struggled to penetrate beyond the Chorten Ridge.

They examined a series of ravines and glacier slopes above Mukut.

Eventually, the team found a small notch at approximately 5,600 meters.

From there they could cross the Chorten Ridge into the enormous hidden basin behind it.

They had discovered the gateway to Dhaulagiri II.

🔑 The Key to the Mountain

The discovery of the Chorten Ridge passage was arguably the most important achievement of the 1963 expedition.

On the far side lay a huge glacial basin directly beneath Dhaulagiri II and III.

Reaching it transformed the mountain from an inaccessible wall into a climbable — although still extremely dangerous — objective.

The Austrian team continued toward Dhaulagiri II.

Bad weather and deep snow eventually forced them back at roughly 7,000 meters.

They had not climbed the mountain.

But they had solved the geographical problem that defeated earlier expeditions.

Adolf Weissensteiner remembered the passage.

When he returned in 1971, he knew exactly where the expedition needed to go.

🇯🇵 The 1965 Japanese Expedition

A major Japanese expedition attempted Dhaulagiri II in 1965.

The trip became an ordeal before the climbers even reached the mountain.

Their planned approach crossed high passes from the Kali Gandaki side during early spring.

Snow conditions were terrible.

The caravan took 66 days to reach Base Camp.

An avalanche struck a reconnaissance party on March 28.

Sherpas Lhagpa Gelbu and Mingma Tensing were killed.

Their bodies were not recovered until days later.

The expedition nevertheless continued toward Dhaulagiri II.

⚠️ Another Serious Accident

The Japanese followed the route across the Chorten Ridge discovered by the Austrian expedition.

On May 10, another accident occurred.

Sherpa Jhamang Tensing slipped while reconnoitering terrain for a higher camp and fell approximately 300 meters.

He suffered severe fractures and needed urgent evacuation.

The expedition abandoned its attempt.

Its published account summarized an exhausting catalogue of difficulties: long caravan journeys, snow-covered passes, avalanches, porter problems, illness, and climbing accidents.

Dhaulagiri II remained unclimbed.

🕰️ One of the Last Great Unclimbed 7,000-Meter Peaks

By the end of the 1960s, most of the world’s best-known high mountains had received first ascents.

Everest had been climbed in 1953.

Kangchenjunga followed in 1955.

Dhaulagiri I was climbed in 1960.

Yet Dhaulagiri II, III, IV, and V remained unclimbed.

Ronald Fear later described the numbered Dhaulagiri peaks as among the last great unclimbed 7,000-meter mountains of the Himalayas.

Their reputation was poor.

Repeated expeditions had failed, and accidents had killed numerous climbers and Sherpas throughout the wider Dhaulagiri group.

Dhaulagiri II seemed both extremely remote and unusually dangerous.

Franz Huber and Adolf Weissensteiner nevertheless decided to return.

🇦🇹🇺🇸 The 1971 Expedition

Planning for another Austrian attempt began in 1970.

Franz Huber became expedition leader, with Adolf “Adi” Weissensteiner as deputy leader.

The other Austrian climbers included Adolf Huber, Günter Gruber, Helmut Draxler, and Dr. Horst Stych.

American climber Ronald E. Fear joined the team.

Three Sherpas accompanied the climbing expedition.

The team was tiny compared with many Himalayan expeditions of the period.

Their equipment was equally modest.

Fear later recalled that they had only four down sleeping bags, old tents, inadequate down clothing, and a relatively simple food supply.

Their greatest advantage was experience.

Weissensteiner and Franz Huber knew the terrain from 1963.

🥾 A 200-Mile Approach

The expedition left Pokhara on March 30, 1971.

An early-season shortcut across the high passes was considered impractical.

Instead, the team made an enormous circuit around the western end of the Dhaulagiri range.

Ronald Fear estimated the journey at roughly 200 miles.

For 22 days the caravan traveled through increasingly remote terrain.

Trails became paths.

Paths became indistinct routes.

At one point the entire expedition became lost for approximately 24 hours.

They eventually crossed a roughly 4,500-meter pass and entered the Barbung Khola country north of the Dhaulagiri range.

On April 20, they reached Mukut in a snowstorm.

The mountain was finally close.

🧱 The Chorten Ridge

Base Camp was established near Mukut at approximately 4,050 meters.

The expedition now faced the same barrier that had troubled earlier teams.

It took eight days and approximately 1,700 feet of fixed rope to establish Camp I above the lower obstacles.

Higher up, a steep gully led toward the Chorten Ridge.

The climbers used the narrow passage found during the 1963 expedition.

At approximately 5,600 meters, they crossed the ridge.

Beyond lay an enormous hidden glacial basin.

The climbers called the area Avalanche Valley.

It provided the only practical northern route toward Dhaulagiri II.

⚠️ Avalanche Valley

The name was well deserved.

The basin was surrounded by enormous slopes and hanging ice.

The expedition had to cross kilometers of terrain beneath threatening seracs.

Camp II was established at approximately 5,300 meters.

From there the climbers moved through the glacier basin toward the mountain itself.

Bad weather repeatedly trapped them in their tents.

Fresh snow buried the route almost as quickly as they could break trail.

Every carry became exhausting.

By mid-May, the expedition was running out of both time and energy.

Only four climbers remained strong enough to make a serious final summit attempt.

🧊 The Upper Icefalls

Adolf Huber, Adolf Weissensteiner, Ronald Fear, and Jangbu Sherpa continued upward.

They negotiated a maze of enormous ice blocks and established Camp IV at approximately 6,460 meters.

Another icefall stood above.

Progress required continual trail breaking through deep snow at elevations approaching 7,000 meters.

The team did not use supplemental oxygen.

Camp V was finally established at approximately 7,150 meters.

The climbers had gained the high terrain near the ridge between Dhaulagiri II and III.

Technical climbing was largely behind them.

The final obstacle was endurance.

Deep fresh snow covered the slopes toward the summit.

🏆 First Ascent — May 18, 1971

The four climbers left Camp V early on May 18.

Progress through knee-deep snow was exhausting.

The summit groups divided into two ropes.

Adolf Huber and Jangbu Sherpa moved ahead.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., they reached Dhaulagiri II’s 7,751-meter summit.

Adolf Weissensteiner and Ronald Fear followed roughly two hours later.

All four climbers had reached the top.

From the summit they could see Dhaulagiri III, IV, and V extending along the immense high ridge to the west.

After years of reconnaissance, failed attempts, accidents, and exploration, Dhaulagiri II had finally been climbed.

🧗 The First-Ascent Route

The first-ascent route is sometimes described simply as the northwest side.

A more complete description reveals its complexity.

The climbers approached from Mukut on the north.

They crossed the Chorten Ridge into Avalanche Valley.

They traversed beneath dangerous ice cliffs and climbed the mountain’s northwest face or flank toward the Dhaulagiri II–III col.

From high on the ridge system, they followed the final southwest or connecting ridge toward Dhaulagiri II’s summit.

This elaborate approach helps explain why the mountain had resisted earlier expeditions.

The actual summit slopes were not necessarily its greatest problem.

Reaching them safely required solving an entire mountain landscape.

🧹 A Complete Withdrawal

After reaching the summit, the expedition did something equally important: everyone returned safely.

Bad weather and snowdrifts complicated the descent.

The climbers dismantled their camps and carried equipment back through the upper icefalls.

They then crossed Avalanche Valley and reversed the Chorten Ridge.

By May 22, they were safely back at Base Camp.

Fear emphasized that the ascent succeeded through teamwork rather than sophisticated equipment.

The small international expedition had climbed one of the highest remaining unclimbed summits in the Himalayas without bottled oxygen.

🇯🇵 The 1975 East-Ridge Attempt

The first ascent did not turn Dhaulagiri II into a frequently climbed mountain.

A Japanese expedition from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology attempted an entirely new southern route in 1975.

The team approached through Beni, Darbang, and Muri toward the Tsaurabong Glacier.

Reaching the glacier itself required climbing an approximately 1,200-meter wall containing rock, grass, snow, and ice.

Base Camp was established near 5,000 meters.

The climbers then began exploring a feeder ridge leading toward Dhaulagiri II’s long east ridge.

🧗 High on the East Ridge

The Japanese expedition established Camp III at approximately 6,700 meters.

Above stood steep rock and ice.

The team traversed across part of the south face in an attempt to bypass the most difficult section.

On May 16, a summit pair launched a direct attempt from Camp III.

They reached approximately 7,300 meters.

The summit was still roughly 400 vertical meters and about one kilometer of ridge away.

Continuing would have required one or two exposed bivouacs.

Weather was deteriorating and the climbers were exhausted.

They turned around.

The 1975 expedition did not summit Dhaulagiri II, but it discovered the route that would soon produce the mountain’s second ascent.

🏆 Second Ascent — 1978

Japanese climbers returned in spring 1978.

A ten-member Nagoya expedition led by Yoshio Ogawa followed the line attempted in 1975.

They approached from the Tsaurabong Glacier, climbed the prominent snow-and-ice spur, and gained the east ridge.

Unlike the previous expedition, they successfully solved the long upper route.

On May 8, 1978, Yoshio Ogawa and Shoji Koiko reached the summit.

Their climb became the second confirmed ascent of Dhaulagiri II and the first ascent by the southern approach and east ridge.

The route opened a completely different side of the mountain from the 1971 Austrian-American line.

🧗 A Failed Attempt Later in 1978

Another Japanese expedition attempted the same general route after the monsoon in 1978.

The party approached from the Tsaurabong Glacier and followed the south-face/east-ridge system.

The summit team climbed to within approximately 800 feet of the top.

They then retreated.

This episode demonstrates how uncertain climbing Dhaulagiri II remained even after two successful expeditions.

There was still no reliably prepared normal route.

Every group had to deal with glacier changes, snow conditions, weather, and long stretches of isolated climbing.

🔗 The Great Dhaulagiri Traverse — 1979

One of the most remarkable events in the history of the Dhaulagiri Himal occurred in 1979.

A Japanese expedition led by Michiko Takahashi planned to connect several of the major numbered Dhaulagiri summits.

The objective was extraordinary.

Dhaulagiri II, III, and V are connected by a long high ridge system remaining above approximately 7,150 meters for much of its length.

Rather than simply climb one summit, the expedition would establish routes at opposite ends and send climbing teams across the entire crest.

Base Camp was established on the Tsaurabong Glacier.

🏕️ A Camp on the Summit

One group climbed the east ridge of Dhaulagiri II.

Another worked up the south ridge of Dhaulagiri V.

By October 13, the expedition had done something highly unusual.

It established Camp V directly on the summit of Dhaulagiri II.

Another Camp V was established on the summit of Dhaulagiri V.

Teams were now positioned at both ends of the high ridge.

The following day, climbers began moving toward one another.

🏔️ Dhaulagiri II to III to V

A five-man team left the summit of Dhaulagiri II.

They bivouacked around 7,550 meters between Dhaulagiri II and III.

The next day they crossed the summit of Dhaulagiri III, approximately 7,715 meters high.

Another bivouac followed between Dhaulagiri III and V.

They finally reached the summit of Dhaulagiri V on October 16 and returned to Base Camp the following day.

At the same time, another group traveled in the opposite direction.

They began at Dhaulagiri V and traversed through Dhaulagiri III before reaching Dhaulagiri II.

🏆 An Extraordinary High-Altitude Traverse

The two parties completed the traverse in opposite directions.

Several additional Japanese climbers and Sherpas also reached Dhaulagiri II during the expedition.

The achievement remains one of the most unusual high-altitude traverses of its period.

Instead of viewing the numbered Dhaulagiri peaks as separate objectives, the expedition treated them as components of one gigantic elevated mountain system.

The ridge is roughly comparable in elevation to the summit regions of many major 7,000-meter peaks.

Traversing it required several days of continuous movement, exposed bivouacs, route-finding, and survival above 7,000 meters.

🇰🇷 The 1986 Korean Ascent

A four-man South Korean expedition led by Lee Don-Yong returned to Dhaulagiri II in spring 1986.

The climbers approached the south face and east ridge.

Advance Base was established at approximately 4,900 meters.

Camps followed at roughly 5,400, 5,800, and 6,900 meters.

The expedition attempted to establish another camp higher on the mountain.

Almost immediately after Camp IV was erected, an avalanche destroyed it.

Rather than rebuild the camp, the strongest climbers decided to attempt the summit directly from 6,900 meters.

🏆 May 12, 1986

On May 12, Kim Sung-Kyu and Sherpas Dorje and Dakipa left Camp III.

They climbed for almost twelve hours.

The route included a difficult steep ice section around 7,300 meters.

Eventually all three reached Dhaulagiri II’s summit.

It was the first Korean ascent of the mountain.

The successful climb became a tragedy during the descent.

Kim disappeared before reaching Camp III.

No one saw exactly what happened.

Contemporary expedition reports concluded that he probably fell while descending the steep ice terrain around 7,300 meters.

Dorje and Dakipa returned safely.

🕯️ A Mountain Climbed Only Rarely

After the 1986 ascent, Dhaulagiri II almost disappeared again from the successful climbing record.

Expeditions from France, Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Poland, and other countries attempted various lines during the following decades.

Most failed.

Some were stopped by avalanches.

Others encountered dangerous snow, difficult ice, inadequate acclimatization, or simply ran out of time.

In a 2023 American Alpine Journal report covering a 2022 attempt, Dhaulagiri II was described as having been climbed only four times.

That extraordinary statistic separates it sharply from Nepal’s popular expedition mountains.

🇫🇷 The 1982 South-Ridge Attempt

A French expedition led by François Imbert attempted a new route on the south ridge in autumn 1982.

The climbers reached approximately 6,800 meters.

Heavy snowfall transformed the upper slopes.

Avalanche danger increased rapidly.

The team concluded that continuing was unjustifiable and retreated.

The expedition appears in a pattern repeated throughout Dhaulagiri II’s history.

A route can be technically feasible yet become impossible when the mountain receives heavy snow.

The peak’s great elevation and exposure to monsoon moisture make avalanche assessment critical.

🎿 The 1984 French Ski Attempt

French climbers returned in 1984 with an unusually ambitious goal.

A small expedition led by Benoît Chamoux hoped to climb Dhaulagiri II and descend on skis.

The climbers approached from the south and east.

Chamoux and Georges Sichap reached approximately 6,800 meters.

Insufficient acclimatization prevented them from continuing.

A second attempt ended much lower.

No ski descent took place.

The idea, however, anticipated later attempts to combine high-altitude climbing and skiing on Dhaulagiri II.

🧗 Attempts Through the 1990s and 2000s

Dhaulagiri II continued receiving occasional expeditions.

A South Korean team attempted the south face in 1992.

A Czech expedition arrived in 2003, hoping to repeat the 1978 Japanese route from the Tsaurabong Glacier.

The Czechs discovered just how difficult the southern approach remained.

Crossing a river required substantial work, followed by a major rock barrier simply to reach the glacier.

Once on the mountain, afternoon and nighttime snowfall continually increased avalanche danger.

The climbers reached approximately 6,700 meters on the east ridge.

Above them remained roughly 1,000 meters of steep ice.

They retreated.

🧊 The Northeast Face

One enormous feature of Dhaulagiri II has continued to attract modern alpinists: the northeast face.

The wall rises above the Humbuk Glacier on the Dolpa side of the mountain.

Unlike the routes climbed from the northwest and south, the northeast face remains virtually undeveloped.

It is a huge and complicated wall containing steep snow, ice, rock barriers, seracs, and difficult glacier approaches.

Its remoteness makes reconnaissance a significant undertaking in itself.

French climbers Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein traveled to the area in 2022 hoping to attempt and ski the northeast face.

🎿 The 2022 Attempt

Duperier and Langenstein established Base Camp near Mukut Gaon, approximately 4,000 meters above sea level.

Their first problem was simply reaching the face.

The approach through the Humbuk Glacier proved complicated and exposed.

While exploring another possibility, they crossed a roughly 5,780-meter col on the northwest ridge of Sita Chuchura and climbed high on Sita Chuchura West.

From there they were able to examine Dhaulagiri II’s northeast face closely.

The pair eventually reached the glacier beneath the wall.

Then the forecast deteriorated.

Seven days of bad weather and major snowfall were predicted.

They abandoned the attempt.

🌨️ An Unclimbed Giant Wall

The 2022 expedition described the northeast face as a major high-level objective requiring nearly perfect snow conditions.

The scale and complexity of the wall make a rapid alpine-style ascent difficult.

Seracs threaten portions of the approach.

Rock barriers separate steep snowfields.

Heavy snowfall can rapidly make the entire face avalanche-prone.

As of the latest major climbing records, the northeast face remains unclimbed.

That is remarkable on a mountain whose first ascent took place more than half a century ago.

Dhaulagiri II still contains genuinely unexplored large-scale Himalayan terrain.

🧊 Glaciers and Terrain

Dhaulagiri II is surrounded by a complicated network of glaciers.

The southern routes are associated with the Tsaurabong Glacier.

The northern first-ascent approach crossed the Chorten Ridge and entered the huge hidden glacial basin historically called Avalanche Valley.

The Humbuk Glacier systems lie beneath the northeast face.

These glaciers are not gentle highways.

Crevasses, seracs, hidden snow bridges, avalanche deposits, and unstable moraines make even the approaches challenging.

The mountain itself contains steep snow and ice faces, corniced ridges, hard ice, rock barriers, and long summit crests.

The combination explains why Dhaulagiri II has received so few successful ascents.

🌦️ Climate and Weather

Dhaulagiri II occupies a dramatic climatic transition.

The southern Myagdi side is influenced strongly by the South Asian monsoon.

Moist air rises against the mountains, producing heavy summer rain at lower elevations and snow high on the massif.

North of the main Himalayan barrier, the Dolpa landscape is considerably drier and has a more trans-Himalayan climate.

This creates strong environmental contrasts around the same mountain.

Spring and autumn offer the principal expedition periods.

Spring climbers can encounter deep winter snow and increasing instability as the monsoon approaches.

Autumn usually begins drier but may bring severe storms and early winter conditions.

Strong winds are possible at any time on the exposed upper ridges.

❄️ Avalanche Danger

Avalanches have shaped almost every phase of Dhaulagiri II’s climbing history.

Two Sherpas were killed during the 1965 Japanese expedition before the team had properly established itself on the mountain.

The 1971 first ascenders had to cross terrain they explicitly called Avalanche Valley.

A high camp was destroyed during the successful Korean expedition in 1986.

Numerous later attempts were abandoned because fresh snowfall made routes dangerously unstable.

Serac collapse creates another threat.

Some glacier routes pass directly beneath huge hanging blocks of ice.

For Dhaulagiri II, safe climbing depends as much on choosing appropriate snow and weather conditions as it does on technical ability.

Dhaulagiri peak in spring in a blossoming rhododendron forest. Nepal, Himalayas.

🌿 Flora and Fauna

Dhaulagiri II’s summit lies far above the biological limit for ordinary plant life.

The upper mountain consists almost entirely of rock, snow, and glacier ice.

Lower elevations are far more diverse.

On the southern side of the wider Dhaulagiri region, high-temperate, subalpine, and alpine environments include oak, pine, juniper, birch, rhododendron, hemlock, and spruce.

Above the tree line, broad alpine pastures replace forest before vegetation disappears near the permanent snow zone.

The northern Dolpa side is drier.

Here, alpine and trans-Himalayan vegetation is adapted to cold temperatures, low precipitation, strong winds, and short growing seasons.

🐾 Wildlife

The greater Dhaulagiri and Dolpa landscapes support some of Nepal’s most distinctive high-altitude wildlife.

Snow leopards inhabit remote rocky terrain and alpine valleys.

Blue sheep, or bharal, are widespread in suitable high-country habitat and provide important prey for snow leopards.

Other animals found across nearby western Nepal mountain ecosystems include Himalayan tahr, musk deer, goral, serow, Himalayan black bears, wolves, and red pandas in appropriate forest habitat.

The nearby Dhorpatan landscape is especially important for blue sheep and Himalayan tahr.

Farther north in Dolpa, trans-Himalayan environments support snow leopards, Tibetan wolves, blue sheep, and other species adapted to dry high-altitude country.

🏞️ Between Dhorpatan and Dolpa

Dhaulagiri II lies between two very different western Nepal landscapes.

South of the greater Dhaulagiri chain is the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal’s only designated hunting reserve and an important protected high-altitude ecosystem.

Its northern skyline includes Putha, Churen, and other Dhaulagiri peaks.

North of Dhaulagiri II lies Dolpa, a much drier region characterized by high plateaus, Tibetan-influenced culture, and trans-Himalayan ecosystems.

Shey Phoksundo National Park protects a large section of central and northern Dolpa, although Dhaulagiri II itself lies outside the park’s principal core.

The mountain therefore stands near an important ecological transition between wetter Himalayan and drier trans-Himalayan environments.

🏘️ Mukut

The village of Mukut plays an important role in Dhaulagiri II’s climbing history.

The northern first-ascent expeditions used Mukut as the final inhabited staging area before entering the mountain.

In 1971, Franz Huber’s expedition reached the village after more than three weeks of trekking.

The climbers established Base Camp nearby and used the Chorten Ridge to gain access to the hidden glacier basin.

More than fifty years later, the 2022 French expedition again used the Mukut area while investigating the northeast face.

This continuity is striking.

Despite enormous changes in equipment, mapping, communications, and transportation, Mukut remains one of the geographical keys to Dhaulagiri II’s remote northern side.

🥾 Trekking Near Dhaulagiri II

Dhaulagiri II does not lie on a conventional teahouse trekking route.

The famous Dhaulagiri Circuit passes farther east around Dhaulagiri I and crosses high terrain including French Pass and Hidden Valley.

More specialized journeys can enter the Mukut and Dolpa regions north of Dhaulagiri II.

These routes are much more remote.

Accommodation and transportation infrastructure are limited, and some areas may involve restricted-region requirements or organized trekking arrangements.

The southern approaches through Myagdi are similarly demanding.

Dhaulagiri II is therefore best regarded as an expedition mountain embedded in a wilderness trekking landscape rather than a peak that can easily be viewed from a major tourist trail.

🪨 Geology

Dhaulagiri II formed through the continuing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

India’s northward movement compressed and thickened the crust, producing the Himalayan mountain chain.

The Dhaulagiri massif contains sedimentary and metamorphic rocks uplifted from deep within the crust.

Glaciers and rivers subsequently carved the rising mountains into their present form.

The extraordinary relief surrounding the Dhaulagiri range reflects the combination of rapid tectonic uplift and equally powerful erosion.

Glaciers carve cirques and valleys.

Rivers cut deeply into the mountains.

Freeze-thaw weathering breaks apart exposed rock.

Avalanches and landslides continually redistribute material downslope.

The mountain remains part of a geologically active Himalayan landscape.

🏔️ Nearby Mountains

Dhaulagiri I rises southeast of Dhaulagiri II to 8,167 meters and is the highest mountain of the entire range.

Dhaulagiri III stands immediately southwest of Dhaulagiri II at approximately 7,715 meters.

Dhaulagiri V rises farther southwest to approximately 7,618 meters, while Dhaulagiri IV reaches about 7,661 meters farther west.

Dhaulagiri VI marks another major summit in the western portion of the numbered Dhaulagiri group.

Churen Himal stands farther west at approximately 7,385 meters.

Putha Hiunchuli reaches 7,246 meters near the western end of the Dhaulagiri Himal.

Together these peaks form one of the world’s greatest continuous concentrations of 7,000-meter mountains.

🧭 Can Dhaulagiri II Be Climbed Today?

Yes. Dhaulagiri II remains open for permitted mountaineering expeditions in Nepal.

The Himalayan Database lists it as an open expedition peak rather than a trekking peak.

Nepal’s current government mountaineering information lists Dhaulagiri II at 7,751 meters and gives the standard caravan approach through Beni, Darbang, Mudi, and Base Camp.

Government tourism statistics demonstrate just how unusual an expedition is.

In 2022, Nepal recorded only one Dhaulagiri II expedition with two foreign members.

This is dramatically different from commercially popular peaks receiving hundreds of climbers in a single season.

Dhaulagiri II remains an exploratory high-altitude mountaineering objective.

⚠️ Not a Commercial 7,000-Meter Peak

Dhaulagiri II should not be compared with relatively established expedition mountains such as Himlung Himal or some popular 7,000-meter peaks elsewhere in Nepal.

There is no continuously maintained normal route.

There are no permanent camps.

There is no established commercial traffic preparing trails and fixed ropes each season.

Expeditions must deal independently with glacier access, crevasses, avalanche conditions, technical climbing, high-altitude logistics, communications, and rescue limitations.

The mountain’s tiny number of successful ascents is itself a warning.

Dhaulagiri II may have a lower summit than Dhaulagiri I, but it is not necessarily a simpler mountaineering proposition.

⭐ Why Dhaulagiri II Is Remarkable

Dhaulagiri II is one of the most overlooked giants of the Himalayas.

Its summit rises to 7,751 meters, placing it among the world’s highest mountains.

Its 2,391 meters of prominence make it an Ultra and give it far greater topographic independence than many better-known 7,000-meter summits.

Yet climbers have visited its summit astonishingly rarely.

The first ascent required decades of exploration simply to solve the approach.

The 1963 Austrians discovered the hidden passage through the Chorten Ridge.

Eight years later, a tiny Austrian-American-Nepalese team returned with modest equipment, crossed Avalanche Valley, forced a route through enormous icefalls, and put four climbers on the summit without bottled oxygen.

Japanese climbers then opened the mountain from the south.

The 1979 traverse linked Dhaulagiri II, III, and V in one of the great high-altitude ridge journeys of its era.

The 1986 Korean ascent ended in tragedy.

After that, success essentially stopped.

Meanwhile, an enormous unclimbed northeast face still rises above the Humbuk Glacier.

Dhaulagiri II is therefore a rare combination: one of the world’s highest and most topographically important mountains, climbed more than half a century ago but still retaining the atmosphere of a largely unexplored Himalayan peak.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaulagiri mountain range, view of Ranipauwa village on Annapurna circuit. Majestic Himalayas in the clouds with Dhampus Peak. Nepal, Asia | lialina

How high is Dhaulagiri II?

Dhaulagiri II rises to 7,751 meters (25,430 feet).

Where is Dhaulagiri II?

It lies in western Nepal within the Dhaulagiri Himal, along the Dolpa–Myagdi district boundary.

Is Dhaulagiri II part of Dhaulagiri I?

It belongs to the same greater mountain range, but it is an exceptionally independent summit with 2,391 meters of prominence.

Is Dhaulagiri II the second-highest mountain in the Dhaulagiri range?

Yes. Only 8,167-meter Dhaulagiri I is higher.

How prominent is Dhaulagiri II?

It has approximately 2,391 meters (7,844 feet) of topographic prominence.

Is Dhaulagiri II an ultra-prominent mountain?

Yes. It comfortably exceeds the 1,500-meter prominence threshold required for Ultra status.

How isolated is Dhaulagiri II?

Its topographic isolation is approximately 11.63 kilometers (7.22 miles).

Who first climbed Dhaulagiri II?

Adolf Huber, Jangbu Sherpa, Adolf Weissensteiner, and Ronald Fear completed the first ascent.

When was Dhaulagiri II first climbed?

The first ascent occurred on May 18, 1971.

Who led the first-ascent expedition?

Austrian climber Franz Huber led the expedition.

Did the first ascenders use supplemental oxygen?

No. The 1971 team climbed without bottled oxygen.

What route did the first climbers use?

They approached from Mukut in the north, crossed the Chorten Ridge into Avalanche Valley, climbed the northwest side toward the Dhaulagiri II–III col, and followed the upper ridge to the summit.

Was Dhaulagiri II climbed in 1975?

No. The Japanese 1975 expedition reached approximately 7,300 meters on the east-ridge route but turned back. That expedition helped establish the line later used for the second ascent.

When was the second ascent?

Yoshio Ogawa and Shoji Koiko completed the second ascent on May 8, 1978 by a new southern approach from the Tsaurabong Glacier.

What was the Dhaulagiri II–III–V traverse?

In 1979, a Japanese expedition traversed the extraordinary high ridge connecting Dhaulagiri II, III, and V, with teams crossing the chain in opposite directions.

Who made the first Korean ascent?

Kim Sung-Kyu and Sherpas Dorje and Dakipa reached the summit on May 12, 1986.

What happened to Kim Sung-Kyu?

He disappeared while descending from the summit and was believed to have fallen on steep ice around 7,300 meters.

How many times has Dhaulagiri II been climbed?

A 2023 American Alpine Journal report describing the 2022 expedition stated that the mountain had been successfully climbed only four times.

Has the northeast face been climbed?

The northeast face remained unclimbed in the latest major published expedition records.

Can Dhaulagiri II still be climbed?

Yes. Nepal lists it as open for permitted mountaineering expeditions, but it remains a serious, remote, and very rarely attempted objective.

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