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Singu Chuli is the mountain formerly
known as Fluted peak. A few days after, enjoying that
view of “ Fluters”, wilf Noyce and David Cox went on to
make the first ascent of this attractive and difficult
mountain by its North-East Face and the top section of
the East Ridge. Despite the relative ease of access to
the Sanctuary this mountain has proven too difficult for
most commercial climbing groups who have tended to
concentrate their efforts on Tent Peak.
As you approach the Sanctuary and reach the simple
lodges at Machha-puchhare base camp little can be seen
of the mountain, which is toward the head of the valley,
cradling the West Annapurna Glacier .It is the first
summit on the long ridge thrown down from Tarke Kang
(Glacier Dome), which separates the South and West
Annapurna Glaciers.
The approach to the first ascent route follows a shelf
and a trough above the west bank of the West Annapurna
Glacier, skirting round the base of the mountain’s rocky
east ridge to gain the foot of the North-East Face,
which is unseen, even from the moraines above the
lodges.
Perhaps the best distant view of the mountain is from
Annapurna South base camp. From the moraines above the
lodges the fluted South Face presents a ‘beautiful
shape, buttressed by pencil-shadowy ridges of snow and
ice’ well seen, rising above the ridge connecting it
with Tharpu Chuli.
To date, apart from the original route, most efforts to
climb the mountain have concentrated on the face and
ridges seen from this viewpoint. The South-West Ridge,
the one that ultimately connects to Tent Peak, is an
obvious, albeit corniced, line although a far more
complicated connecting ridge than at first at first it
appears. The terrain between the two peaks is quite
confused and not at all a straightforward ridge. The
fluted face to the right of the ridge, although menaced
in places by ice bulges and seracs is set at a
reasonable angle and appears an attractive proposition.
However, despite rumours that routes have been made on
these, no route descriptions have been made available
and the NMA have no record of ascents. |
