Glossary
Annapurna The tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 m (26,545 ft) technically known as Annapurna 1 within a massif in Nepal that includes another thirteen peaks of over 7,000 m (23,000 ft).
Baidu Chinese web services company and search engine.
baijiu Chinese grain alcohol.
bergschrund Deep crevasse that forms when moving glacier ice separates from a steep mountainside becoming a serious obstacle for a climber moving up onto that slope.
Brocken specter The shadow of an observer cast upon clouds in the opposite direction to the sun and sometimes surrounded by halo-like rings of iridescence.
Bhoudhanath Location of the Bhouda Stupa, one of the largest in the world, originally built in the sixth century on an ancient Tibetan trade route and now home to many Tibetan religious establishments and businesses in Kathmandu.
Camp Hale US Army training facility near to the town of Red Cliff in the highlands of Colorado, constructed in 1942 for what became the Tenth Mountain Division and subsequently used during the Cold War by the CIA to train Tibetans to fight their Communist Chinese invaders.
carabiner Specialized metal shackle with a spring-loaded gate commonly used in climbing to make secure rope connections.
chuba Long-sleeved sheepskin coat traditionally worn by highland peoples in Tibet.
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) The Tibetan government in exile located in Dharamsala.
Cho Oyu The sixth highest mountain in the world at 8,188 m (26,864 ft) located 20 km west of Mt. Everest and standing on the China-Nepal border. Considered the easiest eight-thousand-meter mountain to climb, it is a popular objective for commercial climbing expeditions.
Choson Chinese name for ancient Korea.
Chushi Gangdruk Literally the Tibetan for “Four Rivers, Six Ranges,” the name of the ancient region of Kham and the name adopted in 1958 by the Tibetan guerrillas in their fight against the Chinese.
couloir French term adopted to describe a narrow gully in steep mountain terrain.
crampon Spiked metal plate that affixes to mountain boots to facilitate walking or climbing on snow, ice, and rock.
Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama is an emanation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara; or Chenrezig, the patron saint of Tibet; and seen as both the spiritual and secular head of the former country. The name “dalai” signifies ocean, a historic metaphor for boundless knowledge.
Dewa Savan mountains: Gassan, Haguro, and Yudona The three mountains of Dewa located in Yamagata, Japan, are sacred to the ascetic mountain belief of Shugendo as practiced by Yamabushi monks.
Dharamsala Hill town and district headquarters of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, India, that is the location of the Tibetan government in exile (CTA) and many displaced Tibetan institutions.
dharma The teachings of Buddha.
Durbar Square Series of historic temples, plazas, and squares in front of the old Royal Palace of the former kingdom of Kathmandu.
En no Gyoja Ascetic and mystic who founded the Shugendō sect in Japan in the seventh century and was the first of the Yamabushi monks to whom he is a saint.
fixed line The pining of lines of rope up steep or dangerous sections of mountain terrain to assist climbers.
gan bei Chinese drinking toast.
Ganesha One of the best-known and most worshipped deities of the Hindu pantheon, immediately identifiable by his elephant head.
garuda Legendary birdlike creature in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology.
Gaddi Baithak Palace in Durbar Square built in 1908 during the Rana period to a classical European architectural design.
Geshe Academic title given to a learned Tibetan monk.
gompa A Tibetan monastery or temple.
gurkha Ethnic Nepalis recruited to serve in the Nepalese, British, and Indian armies with a reputation for great loyalty and ferocity in combat.
gweilo Cantonese slang term for a Western person.
han Mainland Chinese people.
Hanuman Dhoka Another name for Durbar Square in Kathmandu, arising from the stone statue of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, near to the main entryway, or dhoka.
hmong Ethnic mountain tribes located in the highlands of Southeast Asia including Vietnam, Laos, and Southern China.
hokkien Southern Chinese dialect spoken commonly in Taiwan.
hui Northwestern Chinese people who are predominantly Muslim.
kapala Ritual implement in Tibetan Buddhism made of carved or decorated human bone.
Kailash Mt. Kailash is a 6,638 m (21,778 ft) high peak within Tibet that is sacred to the Bon, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist religions and a place of pilgrimage. It has never been climbed.
khampa People from the Kham region in Tibet known as hunters and warriors who were instrumental in the uprising against the Chinese in the 1950s.
khata Ceremonial silk scarf that is offered as a symbol of purity and compassion.
King Gesar Legendary hero of an epic or ballad that describes the life and adventures of the great king of Ling and is an oral tradition in poetry and prose throughout Central Asia.
Kumari A young girl deemed to be a manifestation of the divine female energy and worshipped as a living goddess in the Hindu tradition until she reaches maturity.
Kumari Ghar The palace in Durbar Square where the Royal Kumari resides.
Kumari Jatra Procession of the Royal Kumari through the streets of Kathmandu that is a highlight of Yenya, an eight-day street festival in the early autumn that combines many ceremonies to pray for a good harvest and remember the dead of the past year.
La A high mountain pass in the Himalayas used as a crossing point for travelers and traders if accessible.
Leadville Town located in the highlands of Colorado, founded on mining silver but subsequently zinc, lead, and molybdenum.
Makalu The fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,485 m (27,838 ft) that stands on the China–Nepal border approximately 19 km to the southeast of Mount Everest.
mala Buddhist prayer beads used in meditation and ritual.
Maju Deval Temple Seventeenth century pagoda-roofed temple to Shiva located in Durbar Square.
Macleod Ganj Suburb of Dharamsala known as “Little Lhasa” or “Dhasa” owing to its large population of Tibetans and where the Dalai Lama has his private residence.
Ministry of State Security (MSS) The intelligence and security agency of the People’s Republic of China.
momo Tibetan steamed dumpling.
Mount Everest The earth’s highest mountain in the world at 8,848 m (29,029 ft) that stands on the China–Nepal border, also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in China.
Munro A peak standing higher than 914.4 m (3,000 ft) and located in Scotland.
Palden Lhamo Wrathful deity and female guardian spirit that promised the first Dalai Lama in a vision in the Lhamo La-tso mountain lake that she would protect the reincarnation lineage of the dalai lamas.
Panchen Lama The Panchen Lama is an emanation of Amithabha. The name “panchen” means “great scholar.”
penitentes Spiked ice formations that develop on high altitude glaciers.
piton An eyed metal spike that is driven into rock to secure a climber’s rope via a carabiner.
prayer flag Colorful flags printed with prayer text that spread goodwill and compassion through the action of the wind. The five colors represent the five elements.
prayer wheel A cylinder on an axis that contains a mantra, spinning the wheel has the same effect as saying the mantra.
puja Prayer ritual or blessing ceremony performed by the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist religions. A puja with a constructed altar and food and drink offerings is undertaken by the Sherpa before a Himalayan climb.
Putonghua The standard Mandarin and official language of China.
rakshi Hard alcohol drink brewed from barley, millet, or rice. Common in Nepal and Tibet.
rappel The use of a doubled rope to descend a mountainside, also known as abseiling. Originally the rope was looped around the body but today the climber is connected to the rope by a metal “descender” that securely connects to the climber’s harness and permits control of the rate of descent.
Red Cliff A small mountain town in Eagle County, Colorado, located in the same valley as the site of Camp Hale.
Rinpoche Title of great respect in Tibetan Buddhism given often to the abbots of Tibetan monasteries.
samsara The Buddhist cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) The intelligence and security agency of India.
Shishapangma The fourteenth highest mountain in the world at 8,027 m (26,335 ft) and the highest mountain that sits entirely in Tibetan territory. Sometimes known as Gosainthan in Nepal and Xixabangma Feng in China.
Shugendo Syncretic Japanese religion that fuses practices and traditions from Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto into an ascetic mountain way that seeks spiritual power through discipline and harmony in nature.
sirdar Indian term for a “leader,” commonly applied to the head Sherpa on a climbing expedition.
sling A tied or sewn loop of webbing used to connect to an anchor, a section of rock, or a rope to secure a climber.
ta yang Chinese term for silver coinage.
Tenth Mountain Division US light infantry division founded in WW2 to undertake mountain warfare in the European theater.
terma A hidden teaching or prophecy.
Terrordactyl First generation of the lighter, more aggressively shaped ice axes that began to be used for hard ice climbing in the 1970s that was designed by Scottish climber Hamish MacInnes.
terton A revelator of hidden spiritual texts.
Thamel Commercial neighborhood in Kathmandu popular with foreign visitors.
thamzing Chinese practice of hazing political adversaries during the Cultural Revolution that involved public humiliation through repeated physical and verbal abuse.
topi Traditional brimless cap made of multicolored Dhaka cloth that is a part of the Nepalese national dress.
tsampa Tibetan barley flour, a staple in Tibet.
tulku A reincarnate child in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
tulpa A spirit or ghost.
tummo The practice of generating body heat through intense meditation said to be utilized by the most practiced monks in Tibet.
Ute Native American tribe that traditionally lived in the regions of Utah and Colorado.
Xizang Historic Chinese name for the land of Tibet.
Yama God of Death and Lord of Hell in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
yamabushi Japanese mountain hermits that follow the Shugendo way through which they are believed to acquire supernatural powers.
yartsa gunbu Caterpillar fungus traditionally used in Himalayan folk medicine that is now a much sought after and valuable stimulant particularly in metropolitan China.