Api is the highest peak in the Yoka Pahar Section of Gurans Himal, part of the Himalayas in the extreme northwest corner of Nepal, near the border with Tibet.[3][failed verification] It is a little-known peak in a rarely visited part of the Himalayas, but it rises dramatically over the low surrounding terrain.[citation needed]
| Api | |
|---|---|
Approached from the Mahakali Khola, the southern/western aspects of Api.
| |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,132 m (23,399 ft)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 2,040 m (6,690 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Ultras |
| Coordinates | 30°00′15″N 80°56′00″E / 30.00417°N 80.93333°E / 30.00417; 80.93333 |
| Geography | |
  Api Location in Nepal Show map of Sudurpashchim Province Api Api (Nepal) Show map of Nepal | |
| Country | Nepal |
| District | Darchula District |
| Parent range | Yoka Pahar Subsection, Gurans Himal, Himalayas |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 10 May 1960 by K. Hirabayashi, Gyaltsen Norbu |
| Easiest route | rock/snow/ice climb |
Although low in elevation among the major mountains of Nepal, Api is exceptional in its rise above local terrain; the surrounding valleys are significantly lower than those surrounding most higher Himalayan peaks.[4][failed verification]
Api peak's south face rises 3,300 metres (10,830 ft) above its base.[5]
The Api region was visited by Westerners in 1899, 1905 and 1936, but the peak was not attempted until 1953 on a visit by W. H. Murray a Scottish Mountaineer with John Tyson. This attempt was unsuccessful, as was another, by Italians, in 1954 which resulted in the death of two expedition members.[6]
The first ascent of Api occurred in 1960. The Doshisha Alpine Society of Japan successfully completed the Northwest Face route attempted by the 1954 party.[6][7]
In 1980, a British Army Mountaineering Association expedition made an attempt to climb the peak by the south face reaching within a few hundred metres of the summit.[5]
On 24 December 1983, Polish climbers Tadeusz Piotrowski and Andrzej Bieluń made the first winter ascent. Bieluń had reached the summit first alone but did not return to camp.[7]
The Himalayan Index lists three more ascents of the peak, in 1978, 1996, and 2001.[2]