Dhaulagiri was the Himalayan eight-thousander first climbed in 1960 by a Swiss-Nepali team.
The mountain reaches 8,167 metres and is the seventh-highest summit in the world. Its name comes from Sanskrit words meaning “white mountain.” Dhaulagiri stands in north-central Nepal, west of the Kali Gandaki River, and its enormous south face is among the most dramatic walls in the Himalayas.
The first ascent took place on 13 May 1960. The successful climbers included Swiss mountaineers Kurt Diemberger, Peter Diener, Ernst Forrer and Albin Schelbert, as well as Nawang Dorje Sherpa and Nyima Dorje Sherpa.
Dhaulagiri was once thought to be the world’s highest mountain before later surveys established Everest’s greater height. The Kali Gandaki valley separates it from Annapurna, creating a major natural divide in Nepal’s central Himalaya.