# exped

expid: MANA08313
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: UK
leaders: Phil Crampton
sponsor: Project Himalaya/Altitude Junkies Manaslu Expedition
countries: Switzerland, USA
bcdate: 2008-09-13
smtdate: 2008-10-05
smttime: 0945
termdate: 2008-10-07
campsites: BC(13/09,4800m),C1(17/09,5700m),C2(29/09,6400m),C3(30/09,6750m),C4(04/10,7450m),Smt(05/10)
agency: High Altitude Dreams
routememo:
  Project Himalaya/Altitude Junkies Manaslu Expedition - 17 Oct 2008

  The expedition made two summit bids. The first summit party, Crampton, Parkinson and Tarke Sherpa, left C4 at 3:30 am on 5 October. They reached the fore-summit at 9:30 am and, after waiting for descending summiters, reached the top at 9:45-9:50 am. They returned to C3 at 3:30 pm and BC the next day at 12:45 pm.

  The second summit party, Brands, Smith and Pasang Gombu, left C4 at 3:30 am on the 6th. They turned around at about 6:30 am at 300m below the summit because of high winds. Brands and Pasang Gombu went down to C3 at 11:00 am while Smith descended all the way to BC at 8:00 pm. All others went to BC on the 7th at noon.

  The summit is a very exposed cornice and is very dangerous.

  Sherpas:
    Pasang Gombu, 26/12/69, Saframa, Lokhim, Solu, Everest 25/6/06
    Tarke Sherpa, 1967, Rakshi Kharka, Lokhim, Solu, Everest X2, Cho Oyu X5


expid: MANA08314
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Spain
leaders: Juanito Oiarzabal
sponsor: Arabako Espedizioa to Manaslu
approach: Arughat->Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-06
smtdate: 2008-09-14
termdate: 2008-10-06
termnote: Abandoned at 6600m due to too much snow, lost equipment
campsites: BC(06/09,4850m),C1(09/09,5600m),C2(14/09,6600m),xxx(14/09,6600m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  Team left C1 at 8 am. It took them four hours to get there. There were about 3 meters of snow. When they got there their tents were covered in snow. They tried to find them, but no success. They stayed night in other tents. On 15 Sept they descended to BC. On 23 Sept they ascended to C1 and on 24 Sept to C2 to find their equipment, but could not find anything. 

  Sherpa:
    Pasang Nuru, 17/5/74 (4/2/2031), Bupsa, Jubing-5, Solu Everest X2, 
      Makalu X1 in Spring 2008 with Oiarzabal


expid: MANA08315
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Spain
leaders: Rosa Maria Fernandez
sponsor: Independent climber on Manaslu
approach: Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-04
smtdate: 2008-10-02
termdate: 2008-10-03
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due too much snow
campsites: BC(04/09,4700m),C1(09/09,5600m),C2(13/09,6600m),xxx(02/10,7200m)
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  On 30 Sept high point team left BC for summit push. They spent 1 night at C1 and ascended to C2 on 1 Oct. They carried another tent to C2 as they were expecting their tent to be covered in snow, which was the case. On 2 Oct they dismantled the tent and started to ascend to C3 at 9:30. The weather was not too bad, however, the snow conditions were precarious. Great avalanche danger. They reached high point at about 1 pm. They took one hour to decide what to do and descended to BC, where they arrived at 6 pm. On 3 Oct they left BC and walked to Arughat.

  Sherpa:
    Dawa Chhiri Sherpa, 19/2/78, Phurte, Makalu X1, Ever X2, Lhotse X2, Cho Oyu X1


expid: MANA08316
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Germany
leaders: Reiner Taglinger
sponsor: Kobler & Partner Manaslu Expedition 2008
countries: Austria, Switzerland
approach: Arughat->Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-10
smtdate: 2008-10-03
smttime: 1430
termdate: 2008-10-06
termnote: Abandoned at 8125m (fore-summit) due to dangerous conditions
campsites: BC(10/09,4850m),C1(15/09,5750m),C2(01/10,6750m),C3(03/10,7400m),ForeSmt(03-04/10,8125m)
agency: Iceland Trekking (Dorje)
routememo:
  On 3 Oct Frauchiger and Redlberger left C2 at 1:30 am. Due to good weather forecast they started summit push from C3. When Redlberger reached 7000m at 3 am, he turned back due to cold feet. Frauchiger reached C3 at 7:30 am and carried on to summit at 2:30 pm. He reached col below summit. He spent 30 minutes there and descended to C3, where he arrived at 6 pm.

  Redlberger had descended to C3 and attempted 2nd push with Iretzberger, Ang Dendi and Gyalzen. They left C3 at 4:30 am on 4 Oct. However, Redlberger got cold feet again and turned back at 7600m at 7 am and descended to C2. Iretzberger, Ang Dendi and Gyalzen stayed on top for 3 hours. They started descent at 4 pm. They reached C2 at 10 pm.

  Feneberg, Gasser, Hoein, Kramann, Latif, Mascher, Meierheinrich, Taglinger, Weitlander and Zehnder reached 7000m on 2 Oct. They turned back after about 2 hours of climbing due to too much snow and avalanche danger. They descended to C2 and arrived at 11 am.

  Franchiger, Mascher, Redlberger and Iretzberger stayed at C2 for another summit push. Everybody else carried on to BC same day. On 3 Oct Frauchiger, Mascher, Redlberger, Ang Dendi Gyalzen Iretzberger ascended to C3. They left C2 at 1:30 am. Frauchiger and Iretzberger carried on to summit. Rest of team stayed at C3 and apart from Mascher went on summit push on 4 Oct. Mascher did not join summit push as he was not feeling well. He descended to BC on 4 Oct. 

  Giacomelli reached 5900m on 1 Oct; he did not carry on climbing due to problems with his knee.

  Iretzberger suffered from frostbite on 4 fingers on each hand. He noticed it on descent at C2. Ciwec Clinic in Kathmandu says it is not too bad; he should keep fingers.

  Sherpas:
    Dendi, Deku, Taksindu-5, 22/1/83, Cho 15/5/07
    Gyalze/Gelje, 26/9/77 (10/6/2034), Kagani-8, Okhaldhunga, Ever 22/5/08
      with Indian Army


expid: MANA08317
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Russia
leaders: Sergei Petrov
sponsor: Angarsk Manaslu Expedition 2008
approach: Arughat->Jagat->Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-23
smtdate: 2008-10-03
termdate: 2008-10-13
termnote: Abandoned at 6800m due to bad weather and lots of snow
campsites: BC(23/09,4700m),C1(26/09,5700m),C2(03/10,6800m),xxx(03/10,6800m)
agency: Trekking & Mountaineering Services
routememo:
  Kirillov, Navmov, Petrov, Vinogradski, Kusang Dorje and Dawa Tenjen went to C2 on 12 Oct. Spent night there. Snowfall started at night. There was not any possibility to go further up due to fresh deep snow. Then decided to go down to BC. The team returned to Kathmandu on 14 Oct and trying to leave on 16 Oct.

  Sherpas:
    Kusang Dorje Sherpa, 18/7/57, Makalu-9, Manaslu X3
    Dawa Tenjen Sherpa, 21/12/74, Makalu-5, Everest X2


expid: MANA08318
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Peru
leaders: Richard Hidalgo
sponsor: Peru Al Himalaya
approach: Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-16
smtdate: 2008-10-04
termdate: 2008-10-10
termnote: Abandoned at 7400m due to bad weather
campsites: BC(16/09,4800m),C1(21/09,5100m),C2(30/09,6400m),xxx(4/10,7400m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  High point at C3.

  Hidalgo left C2 on 4 Oct at 1 am. Snow was deep and it was very tiring. Weather was good. When he reached C3 he felt very tired, but as he was intending to summit from C2, he did not have tent or food. He decided to descend to BC. Arrived at 7 pm. He rested at BC for two days. On 7 Oct he ascended from BC directly to C2 in five hours. He left C2 for another summit push at 10 pm, but turned back to C2 after 1 hour. He was too tired. On 8 Oct he left C2 again for summit push at 8 am, but turned back after 3 hours as the weather was very bad. No visibility. He was alone on the mountain. He arrived at BC at 8 pm.


expid: MANA08319
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Italy
leaders: Renato Bernard
sponsor: Mountain Kingdom Manaslu
countries: Germany
approach: Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-14
smtdate: 2008-10-05
termdate: 2008-10-08
termnote: Abandoned at 7000m due to too much snow, bad weather forecast
campsites: BC(14/09,4700m),C1(20/09,5650m),C2(28/09,6800m),xxx(5/10,7000m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  On 5 Oct high point team set out for summit push at 11 pm. At about midnight they decided to turn back due to too much snow and heavy snowfall. They returned to C2, arrived at 1 am. In morning they dismantled everything and descended to BC in 5 hours.

  Haeusel reached 6500m on 28 Oct. She returned to C1 as she was not feeling well that day. Next day she radioed to Bernard, who was at C2. He told her that weather was bad up there. She descended to BC on 29 Oct.

  Sherpa Information:
    Pasang Nuru Sherpa, Kharikhola, Solu, 4/12/77
      Manaslu 2007 with Dujmovits
    Ang Phurba, Chaplung, Chaurikharka-3, Solu, 26/8/67
      Everest Traverse with Philippine women in 2007 Everest X2, Cho Oyu X4


expid: MANA08320
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Italy
leaders: Gaetano Di Blasio
sponsor: Interamnia 8000 Manaslu Expedition
approach: Sotikhola->Machha Khola->Jagat->Deng->Namru->Lho->Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-25
smtdate: 2008-09-29
termdate: 2008-10-02
termnote: Abandoned at 6400m due to bad weather (snowfall)
campsites: BC(25/09,5000m),C1(27/09,5400m),C2(29/09,6400m),xxx(29/09,6400m)
agency: Sherpa Trekking Service (STS)
routememo:
  All members and three Sherpas spent night at C2 on 29 Sept. Snowfall started at night. There was danger of avalanche between C2 and C3. The team decided to abandon the climb and descended to BC on 30 Sept. The team returned to Kathmandu on 15 Oct and will leave on 18 Oct.

  Sherpas:
    Da Ongchu, 16/4/1979, Kurima, Lokhim-9, Ever X1, Cho Oyu X2
    Pemba Rinji, 10/1/76, Bishinga-7, Okhaldhunga, Dha1 X2, Ever X1
    Kami/Kame, 1961, Bagam, Kerung-4, Solu, Ever X8, Dha1 X1, Lhot X1, Cho Oyu X1


expid: MANA08321
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Bangladesh
leaders: Mohammad Abdul Mohit
sponsor: Bangladeshis on Manaslu
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-09-24
smtdate: 2008-10-06
termdate: 2008-10-07
campsites: BC(24/09,4800m),C1(01/10,5700m),C2(05/10,6900m),xxx(06/10,7000m)
agency: World Summit Explorer
routememo:
  Approach: Bis to Gol Bhanjyang, Arughat, Khursanibari, Machha Khola, Salleri, Deng, Namrung, Samagaon

  C2 higher than the usual camp site.

  Mohit, Pemba Dorje, Phurba Tenzing, Dakipa Sherpa slept in C2 at 6900m. The team and other expedition members planned to go to summit next day. Snowfall started in the night and also wind started picking up. Mohit with three Sherpas left C3 around 6 am on 6 Oct. At about 8:30 am the team reached 7000m. Then snowfall started and also became very windy. They decided to go down. Mohit, Pemba Dorje, Phurba Tenzing and Dakipa had rest in C1 for an hour and descended to BC. 

  Nur Mohammad had breathing problem when he reached 6100m on 02 Oct and turned around to BC, Nur Mohammad did not try again to climb. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 13 Oct and will leae on 16 Oct.

  Sherpas:
    Pemba Dorje Sherpa, 29/4/77, Beding, Ever X3, Lhotse, Manaslu X1
      Everest speed climbing
    Phurba Tenzing Sherpa, Rolwaling, Gaurishankar-1, 23/5/88 (10/02/2045), 
      (brother of Pemba), summited Everest in Spring 2008 with Nepali women
    Dakipa Sherpa, Jubing-1, 6/12/83 (20/08/2040), summited Everest in 2008
      Spring with Nepali women


expid: MYAG08301
peakid: MYAG
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Yoshiteru Takahashi
sponsor: Yeti Project Japan
approach: Myagdi Khola->Murto Tareju Khola
bcdate: 2008-08-31
smtdate: 2008-09-05
termdate: 2008-10-11
campsites: BC(31/08,4350m),xxx(05/09,5100m)
agency: Cosmo Treks
routememo:
  BC on western slope of SE Ridge
  High point at SE Ridge.

  Yeti Project on Myagdi Matha (6273m of Dhaulagiri IV) - 22 Oct 2008

  Team's purpose was to sight and photograph yetis. They chose the SE Ridge of Myagdi Matha because the leader, Takahashi, and deputy Leader, Kuniaki Yagihara, had seen footprints along this ridge in autumn 1975, when they had been on an expedition to Dhaulagiri IV.

  This team had three camps from which members spent all their time doing "nothing except waiting and watching" through binoculars (and drinking heavily), and occasionally checking automatic video cameras that were activated by anything moving. The members were rotated from one observation camp to another every seven or ten days. One of these camps was on the ridge at 4720m; the other two were on the west and east sides of the ridge's slopes.

  The pictures they got were of footprints that, in Ohnishi's view, could have been made by any animal and distorted by the sun, and a fuzzy creature moving along the ridge. Ohnishi didn't and still doesn't believe there is such a thing as a yeti. The leaders want to return to do more of this "research."

  The climbing part of the team's program was to get onto the ridge and set up one camp and series of cameras along the ridge. The highest point reached was 5100m, where the northernmost camera was placed. This point was reached on 5 Sept by all seven members, plus Rinji Sherpa and Narendra Magar.

  No one made any attempt to reach the summit.

  Nepalese:
    plus Rinji Sherpa, March 1974, Tapting, Solu
    Narendra Magar, 11/11/1967, Tapting, Solu


expid: NORB08301
peakid: NORB
year: 2008
route1: N Face
nation: Austria
leaders: Edmund Wirbel
sponsor: Norbu Kang Expedition
countries: Luxembourg
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-09-05
smtdate: 2008-09-07
smttime: 1530
termdate: 2008-09-09
campsites: BC(05/09,4650m),C1(06/09,4950m),Smt(07/09)
achievment: 1st European team to summit
agency: Blue Sky Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Jomsom, Kagbeni, Bhedi Kharka, Sampa, Tulsi Khola, Kharka, Charka village, Jorkela Pass  

  Frei, Mihatsch, Miss Wirbel, Wirbel, Tendi and Dorje started at 3:30 am from C1 on 7 Sept. Mihatsch stopped his climbing at about 5900m due to exhaustion. Rest of climbers Frei, Wirbel, Miss Wirbel, Tendi and Dorje Lama Tamang reached summit at 3:30 pm, stayed on summit about 40 minutes and descended to C1 at 11:30 pm. Next day the climbers descended to BC. The weather was very good. The team returned to Kathmandu on 15 Sep and will leave on 20 Sep.

  Reckinger remained at BC as BC manager.

  Sherpa:
    Tendi, 28/5/72 (15/2/2031), Rawadolu-8, Okhaldhunga
    Chhi Dorje Tamang, 28/9/72 (12/6/2029), Suri-6, Dolakha


expid: PUMO08301
peakid: PUMO
year: 2008
route1: SE Face
nation: Australia
leaders: Timothy O'Leary
countries: New Zealand
bcdate: 2008-10-04
smtdate: 2008-10-08
termdate: 2008-10-10
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to Jones need to go back to work
campsites: BC(04/10,5300m),xxx.Mbrs(08/10,6000m),xxx.Sherpas(09/10,6100m)
agency: Mountain Experience
routememo:
  Email from Mark and Lorraine Woodward - Oct 22, 2008

  We had a great time but unfortunately were unsuccessful on the mountain due to other outside influences. However conditions were very good, there had been no avalanches or any new snowfalls and the route look "on" the weather had been very consistent too.

  Gary was having a little difficulty with the altitude and had pressure from his work to return home due to the financial markets collapsing.


  Email from Mark & Lorraine Woodward - 25 Oct 2008

  We members only got as high as 6000m on the 8th, just below our C1 location as the fixed ropes hadn't been set much higher. On the 9th the Sherpas wre trying to fix to C1 but had some difficulty getting past the shrund below the ridge where C1 was to be set (6150m).

  So also on the 9th as we were having a rest day, Gary decided that he wanted to abort the climb. We discussed many options but in the end it was easier to all go out together. Felt very tempted to go and solo it and conditions were as good as it can get.

  Fixed rope: 400-500m (removed before leaving mountain).

  Sherpas:
    Rita Dorje Sherpa, 24/10/77, Phortse, Everest X3
    Ram Chandra Sunuwar, 13/4/68 (1/1/2025), Khijiphalate-1, Okhaldhunga, no 8000ers


expid: TAWO08301
peakid: TAWO
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Venezuela
leaders: Alfredo Autiero
sponsor: Venezuelan Tawoche 2008
countries: Uruguay
approach: Lukla->Namche->Phortse
bcdate: 2008-10-19
smtdate: 2008-10-22
termdate: 2008-10-22
termnote: Abandoned at 6100m due to dangerous route and fatigue
campsites: BC(19/10,5100m),C1(21/10,5800m),xxx(22/10,6100m)
agency: Destination Nepal
routememo:
  BC near small lake (40-50m long) west of Tawoche village
  C1 on SE Ridge on very small lake at about point 5035m.

  22 Oct to 6100m below seracs; stopped here because of dangerous loose rocks, very tired; all 4 members together and Ang Phurba left C1 7:00 am, stopped at 11:00 am taking time to fix rope and then unable to fix amidst loose rocks. Back to BC about 3:00 pm. Route was on SE Ridge east of Ueli Steck's ridge in 2005 spring.

  Sherpa:
    Ang Phurba, 1961, Thami, Everest X3, Cho Oyu X2


expid: TOBS08301
peakid: TOBS
year: 2008
route1: N Face
nation: Japan
leaders: Katsuhito Fujikawa
sponsor: Mt Tobsar Expedition
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-09-07
smtdate: 2008-09-08
termdate: 2008-09-10
termnote: Abandoned at 5300m due to cloudy weather, rocks falling, crevasse on glacier
campsites: BC(07/09,4500m),xxx(08/09,5300m)
achievment: 1st attempt on Tobsar
agency: Family Alpine Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Gorkha, Arughat, up Budi Gandaki to Lukwa, Shyan Khola, Danje, Chhekampa,
    Lamagaon, Mu Gompa

  BC northwest of mountain.

  Impossible to climb from south because of steep rock wall and ridge from north too difficult.

  Sherpas:
    Lakpa Nurbu, 19/7/77 (4/4/2034), Ekuwa, Pathibara, Sankhuwasabha, no 8000ers
    Pema Sherpa, 28/8/73 (12/5/2030), Ekuwa, Pathibara, no 8000ers
    Man Bahadur Gurung, 27/4/64, Sitalpati, Sankhu., Dhaula I X3, Cho Oyu X4, 
      Lhotse X2


expid: TUKU08301
peakid: TUKU
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Francois Remond
sponsor: Tukuche Peak Expedition
approach: Beni->Myagdi Khola->French Pass
bcdate: 2008-10-07
smtdate: 2008-10-16
termdate: 2008-10-20
termnote: Abandoned at 6400m due to bad conditions on mountain and bad weather
campsites: BC(07/10,5200m),C1(09/10,5700m),C2(15/10,6300m),xxx(16/10,6400m)
agency: Churen Himal Treks
routememo:
  C1 on NW Ridge
  C2 on NW Ridge
  High point on NW Ridge.

  Tukuche Peak Expedition led by Francois Remond - 29 October 2008

  On 16 October, while the members waited in C2, two of their "Sherpas" who were fixing rope above C2, stopped at 6400m because of cornices and ice covering the ridge, and because there was very cold strong wind. They were Shree Lal Gurung and Pur Bahadur Gurung. They went back to C2.

  6400m was the team's high point. On the 17th the whole team descended to BC and decided to abandon the climb because of dangerous conditions above C2 and strong wind.

  Their cook, Som Bahadur Tamang, 50 years old from Solukhumbu, badly burned his foot when he spilled boiling water.

  About 20 meters from their tent was a skeleton lying on its side which they were told was that of someone who had died about three years ago.

  Sherpas:
    Shree Lal Gurung, 28/9/85 (2/6/2042), Laprak, Gorkha
    Pur Bahadur Gurung, 21 yrs, Laprak, Gorkha


expid: ANN408301
peakid: ANN4
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge
nation: Switzerland
leaders: Hans Rauner
sponsor: Swiss Annapurna IV Expedition
approach: Via Manang
othersmts: Climbed Pisang Peak
agency: Asian Trekking
routememo:
  Team reached Hongde in Manang valley and looked at the north side of Annapurna IV and saw too much snow at the mountain and decided on 24 Oct to abandon idea of climbing it. Went to Pisang Peak instead, climbed in two days and returned to Kathmandu early.


expid: AMAD08305
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Spain
leaders: Jose Luis Eizaguirre
sponsor: Jun-O-Lehertu Ama Dablam Expedition
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-14
smtdate: 2008-10-20
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to danger of avalanches
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (12 Oct)
campsites: BC(14/10,4600m),C1(19/10,5700m),xxx(20/10,6000m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Phakding, Namche, Pangboche, Dingboche, Chhukung, Island Peak BC, Chhukung, Dingboche

  Arenas, Eizaguirre and Elortza decided to give up climbing on 19 Oct. However, they climbed up to 6000m just to look at the site. The team spent the night in C1 on 20 Oct. Next day to BC. The team returned to Kathmandu on 28th Oct and will leave on 31 Oct.


expid: CHOY08305
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: Spain
leaders: Oscar Marquez
approach: Tingri
bcdate: 2008-09-15
smtdate: 2008-10-06
termdate: 2008-10-10
termnote: Abandoned at 7500m due to cold, too windy
campsites: BC(15/09,4700m),ABC(17/09,5740m),C1(22/09,6200m),C2(01/10,7100m),C3(06/10,7500m),xxx(06/10,7500m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  High point at C3.

  Marquez, Rey and Riba reached C3 on 6 Oct. They stayed the night without sleeping bags as they did not carry them up in order to save the weight. Night was very cold. They got up at 5 am for summit push but decided to abandon expedition as it was too windy. They descended to BC. Left C3 at 10 am and reached BC at 6 pm. Riba skied from C3 to C1. The only section he did not ski was a section on ice cliff. He abseiled about 5m.

  Balaguer, Casellas, Galan, Mena and Moreno reached C1 on 26 Sept. None of them was feeling well after staying one night, so they descended to ABC and stayed there.


expid: MANA08322
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Spain
leaders: Edurne Pasaban
sponsor: Al Filo Manaslu 2008
countries: Poland
bcdate: 2008-09-13
smtdate: 2008-10-05
smttime: 0900
termdate: 2008-10-06
campsites: BC(13/09,4800m),C1(15/09,5750m),C2(29/09,6800m),C3(04/10,7400m),Smt(05/10)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  Al Filo Manaslu 2008, led by Miss Edurne Pasaban - 8 October 2008

  The team did not occupy C2 until 29 September because "every day snowing." The first day of good weather was on the 27th.

  The summit party was composed of all members except Alvaro, who remained at BC during the entire climb, plus two Sherpas, Muktu Lhakpa and Pasang Norbu. They left C2 at 3:00 am on the 5th of October, were on the top at 9:00 am; at 11:00 am were back in C3, where they rested, and all were down in BC at 6:00 pm.

  Sherpas:
    Muktu Lhakpa, 21/8/72, Tashigaon, Makalu-Barun, Everest X2, K2 X1, Dhaula I X1
    Pasang Norbu, 21/12/74, Norbugaon, Walung, Makalu-9, Everest X3, Kangch X1


expid: AMAD08306
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Svevo Mondino
sponsor: Ama Dablam 2008 Expedition
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-15
smtdate: 2008-10-18
termdate: 2008-10-21
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to danger of avalanches
campsites: BC(15/10,4600m),C1(17/10,5800m),xxx(18/10,6000m)
agency: Cultural Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Sigti, Jagat, Simigaon, Beding, Nga, Chukimago, Tasibu, Thami, Namche, Tasibu, Thame, Namche, etc.

  On 18 Mondino climbed up from C1 to C2 reached 6000m and returned to BC [due to danger of avalances]. Mondino returned to Kathmandu on 23 Oct. He said that he will go back to Ama Dablam in Nov. His plan is to leave Kathmandu on 28 Oct for Delhi. Arrive Kathmandu on 10 Nov, leave Kathmandu for Lukla on 13 Nov and arrive BC of Ama Dablam on 16 Nov and will try to summit. Mondino plans to return on 1 Dec to Kathmandu and leave Nepal on 5 Dec.


expid: AMAD08307
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Alexander Ganovsky
sponsor: Couple on Ama Dablam
countries: Bulgaria
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-13
smtdate: 2008-10-17
termdate: 2008-10-23
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to icefall and danger of avalanche
campsites: BC(13/10,4600m),C1(16/10,5800m),xxx(17/10,6000m)
agency: Cultural Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Benka, Namche, Tengboche, Pheriche, Dingboche, Lobuche, Gorak Shep, Lobuche, Pangboche

  Kayatz and Ganovsky left C1 around 9 am on 17 Oct to look the camp site for C2. They reached 6000m around 12 noon. The icefall on the Ama Dablam was frequent and there was danger of avalanche. They returned to BC. The couple returned Kathmandu on 25 Oct and will leave on 29 Oct.


expid: AMAD08308
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Romania
leaders: Cristian Tzecu
sponsor: De Partea Ta - On Your Side Ama Dablam Expedition
countries: Australia
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-14
smtdate: 2008-10-23
termdate: 2008-10-27
termnote: Abandoned at 6584m due to deep fresh snow conditions
campsites: BC(14/10,4600m),C1(17/10,5800m),C2(21/10,6100m),xxx(23/10,6584m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Phakding, Namche, Pangboche, Dingboche, Chhukung, Island Peak BC, Chhukung, Dingboche  

  Ion Mihaila, Tzecu and Torok left C2 at 4 am, reached 6584m at 5 pm. Snow conditions were not suitable to climb further up. Then the team descended. The team members spent the night in an empty tent under mushroom ridge without sleeping bag. It was very cold through out their climbing it was windy and cold.

  The empty tent was about 50m below the usual C3 site. They reached to the tent at 10 pm. Next day Torok slept at C2 and Ion Mihaila and Tzecu descended to BC, exhausted. The team returned to Kathmandu on 29 Oct and will leave on 2 Nov.


expid: LHOT08301
peakid: LHOT
year: 2008
route1: W Face
nation: S Korea
leaders: Kim Young-Mi
sponsor: 2008 Korean Lhotse Expedition
bcdate: 2008-09-13
smtdate: 2008-10-04
termdate: 2008-10-31
termnote: Abandoned at 6500m due to strong winds
campsites: BC(13/09,5350m),C1(02/10,6100m),C2(04/10,6500m),xxx(04,18,22/10,6500m)
agency: NE-KO Treks
routememo:
  C1 at top of Icefall
  C2 in Western Cwm
  High point at C2.

  2008 Korean Lhotse Expedition, led by Ms. Kim Young-Mi - 4 Nov 2008

  One member, Hong Sung-Taek, arrived at BC with the rest of the team on 13 September, stayed only one night and left on the 14th because of personal problems at home.

  The other three members went three times to C2 at 6500m in the Western Cwm, but never went higher. First priority was given to the attempt by Koreans under Park Young-Seok to scale Everest's SW Face by a new route. Three Sherpas were initially assigned by Park to the Lhotse team, but in fact all three were employed on Everest instead.

  The three members, Ms Kim, Lee Han-Koo and Lee Hyeong-Mo, moved up to C2 for Lhotse on 4 Oct, spent two nights there, then down to BC on the 6th; on the 18th, stayed only one night because strong wind broke one tent, and back to BC on the 19th; and on 22nd, spent three nights there, and down to BC on the 25th in very strong wind.


expid: MANA08323
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: UK
leaders: Henry Todd
sponsor: ICE 8000 Manaslu Expedition 2008
countries: Mexico, Switzerland, USA
bcdate: 2008-09-13
smtdate: 2008-10-04
smttime: 0930
termdate: 2008-10-06
campsites: BC(16/09,5900m),C1(16/09,5900m),C2(17/09,6700m),C3(04/10,7400m),Smt(04-05/10)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  De Bourgknecht left Kathmandu on 29 August by bus to Pokhara and took a helicopter to Samagaon, below BC, on the 30th. Jen took a helicopter from Kathmandu to Samagaon and arrived at BC on 13 September. Contreras, Gonzalez and Todd left Kathmandu on 25 August, by bus to Besisahar, trekked via Larkya La and Samagaon to BC, where they arrived 6 September.

  Jen climbed somewhat independently of the other three climbing members. He and Todd went to C1 on the 17th, a day after the other three had reached there. On the 17th, Jen went up to C2 at 3:00 pm the same day, heard from the Jagged Globe team (led by Adele Pennington) that a storm was forecast, slept in C1 because he was not well acclimatized, then went to BC on the 18th. Todd accompanied him from C1 to BC.

  The other climbers went to C2 on the 17th and stayed there that night. The storm arrived during the night with heavy snowfall, and they descended to BC on the 18th.

  The snowstorms continued until 27 September. It was only on the 30th that the four members (not including Todd) returned to C1. Their Sherpas tried to find C2 that day, but they were not successful and returned to C1. On 1 October, their Sherpas made a new C2 at 6400m, 300m lower than the first C2, and later the same day De Bourgknecht and Jen with his Sherpa went up to the new C2.

  Contreras and Gonzalez climbed to new C2 on the 2nd, and in the late afternoon moved up to 6700m, to Jagged Globe's C2, and slept in their empty tent. Jen went even higher to 6900m.

  On 3 October, Jen and his Sherpa made C3 at 7400m while the other three climbing members made a high C2 at 6800m at the North Col.

  On the 4th, Jen and Lhakpa Thundu went to the summit. They went up a day before the others because he wanted to use oxygen, and the others did not intend to do so; he wanted to go at a faster pace than they would be able to manage. Jen and Lhakpa Thundu left C3 at 4:00 am, summited at 9:30 am, and slept in C2.

  The other three climbing members and their two Sherpas, Dorje Gyalzen and Lhakpa Wangchu, moved up to C3 on the 4th and on the 5th all of them went to the top. They left C3 at 4:30 am. De Bourgknecht reached the summit at 10:00 am, Contreras and Gonzalez were 55 minutes behind him. The three descended all the way to BC that night: De Bourgknecht joined Jen there at 10:00 pm and Contreras and Gonzalez were there at 10:00 pm and Contreras and Gonzalez were there at 11:00 pm.

  Non-summiter Todd went above BC only once, on 17 September with Jen, and returned to BC the next day.

  Oxygen: Jen and Lhakpa Thundu used oxygen from C3 to the top. De Bourgknecht used it from about 7700m to the top, taking Lhakpa Wangchu's oxygen; he continued to use oxygen intermittently down to BC. Lhakpa Wangchu used it from 7400m to 7700m, where he handed it over to De Bourgknecht, and used none after that. Contreras was feeling unsteady when he got to 8100m and decided to go onto oxygen; he and Gonzalez used it from 8100m to the top to C3. Dorje Gyalzen, climbing with them, was on oxygen from C3 to the summit to C3.

  Illness: Todd had a mild case of influenza. Pasang Nuru Sherpa got a bad chest infection, spent about a week in BC and left the expedition on 11 September. 

  Sherpas:
    Pasang Nuru, aka Ang Nuru, 13/4/76, Pangboche, Cho Oyu X4, Everest X3
    Dorje Gyalzen, 16/7/82, Pangboche, Everest X3
    Lhakpa Thudu/Thundu, aka Tindu, 20/5/70, Pangboche, Everest X6, 
      Cho Oyu & Annapurna I X1 each
    Lhakpa Wangchu, 20/10/86, Pangboche, Everest X2


expid: AMAD08309
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Canada
leaders: Michel Collins
sponsor: Canadian Ama Dablam Expedition
countries: France
approach: Lukla->Namche->Gokyo->Pheriche->BC
bcdate: 2008-10-13
smtdate: 2008-10-16
termdate: 2008-10-18
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to too much snow and not possible to put fix rope
campsites: BC(13/10,4600m),C1(15/10,5800m),xxx(16/10,6000m)
agency: High Altitude Dreams
routememo:
  Collins, Adrien Stocky, Francois Stocky, Nima Dorje Tamang, Ang Gelu Sherpa and Lama Babu Sherpa climbed up to 6000m and descended to BC due to bad snow conditions. 

  Graton and Simond slept in C1 on 15 Oct and descended to BC on 16th; Turgeon climbed up to C1 on 15 Oct and descended to BC. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 26 Oct and will leave on 29th.

  Sherpas:
    Nima Dorje Tamang, 8/1/80 (24/09/2036), Bakachol-9, Khotang, Everest X2
    Ang Gelu Sherpa, 23/7/70 (08/04/2027), Surke, Chaurikharka-4, Everest X1
    Lama Babu Sherpa, 23/9/68 (08/06/2025), Bung-9, Everest X3


expid: AMAD08310
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Alexandra Robl
sponsor: Hias Gedechtauis Expedition to Ama Dablam
countries: Austria
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-17
smtdate: 2008-10-20
termdate: 2008-10-23
termnote: Abandoned at 6100m due to bad snow conditions, danger of avalanches
othersmts: Climbed Yalung Ri and Parchamo
campsites: BC(17/10,4600m),C1(19/10,5700m),xxx(20/10,6100m)
agency: International Trekkers (Intrek Asia)
routememo:
  Approach: Suridobhan, Chet Chet, Simigaon, Beding, Na, Yalung Ri, Glacier camp near Tashi Lapcha, Parchamo, Thomi, Namche, Deboche

  Robl, Gregor Schmidt, Philipp Schmidt and Chhedar Sherpa left C1 at 8 am on 20 Oct, reached C2 site at 11:30 am, stayed there for ane and half hours. Sherpa told the members that it is too dangerous to put camp due to bad snow conditions and descended to BC. The team returned to Kathmandu on 26 Oct. 

  Philipp Schmidt will leave on 29 Oct. Robl and Gregor Schmidt will leave on 2 Nov.

  Sherpa:
    Chhedar Sherpa, 19/12/63 (4/9/2020), Sisuwa-9, Makalu-Barun, Everest X3


expid: AMAD08311
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Daniel Petraud
bcdate: 2008-10-19
smtdate: 2008-10-31
termdate: 2008-11-04
termnote: Abandoned at 6100m due to fatal fall
campsites: BC(19/10,4600m),ABC(24/10,5380m),C1(27/10,5700m),xxx(31/10,6100m)
accidents: Only fatal fall
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  Jean Mary fell at 11:45 am on 31 Oct when he fell from 6050m on SW Ridge 500m down SE Face of SW Ridge. As he started to fall, Vial heard him say, "Ah Non". His body was badly smashed and his face unrecognizable. Petraud speculates that since Mary was always in a hurry, he had failed to properly clip into the fixed rope. Body brought to Kathmandu from BC on 3 Nov.


expid: MANA08324
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: UK
leaders: Adele Pennington
sponsor: Jagged Globe Manaslu Expedition 2008
countries: Ireland, Slovenia, USA
bcdate: 2008-08-27
smtdate: 2008-10-04
smttime: 0908
termdate: 2008-10-09
termnote: Abandoned at fore-summit
campsites: BC(27/10,3860m),ABC(02/09,4800m),C1(07/09,5800m),C2(01/10,6700m),C3(03/10,7400m),ForeSmt(04/10)
agency: Summit Nepal Trekking
routememo:
  Jagged Globe Manaslu Expedition - 9 October 2008

  There was a long heavy snowstorm on Manaslu in the latter part of September, and this expedition lost C2 (at 6700m). In it were 12 tents, 16 oxygen bottles, 10 cooking sets, food and some personal gear. The storm subsided on the 27th, and two days later their Sherpas found C2 crushed and buried. On 1 October the team was able to establish a new C2 20m higher since they had extra equipment and food supplies.

  Many members left the expedition early, thus making it easy to let Henry Todd's team use theirs at C2.

  The early leavers were:

  Breslin left 26 Sept. He had reached C2 on the 17th but had not slept there. He had other commitments and a fixed departure date of 5 October. He knew he now had no chance of reaching the top.

  Brown, Cartwright, Chambers, Groves, Jakofcic and Wade also left on the 26th because they believed they now had no chance of summiting.

  McIntyre was evacuated from BC on 22 September because he had a serious case of pneumonia. He had reached C1.

  The only other case of illness was Dickens' altitude sickness when she went up to C2 on 1 October. She descended to ABC on the 3rd and recovered.

  The summit party therefore consisted of Anson, Larson, Phethran, Pennington, Potter, Ruthland, Timus, plus Mingma Tshering, Thundu, Nima Gyalzen, Pema Chhiring, and Tshering Pemba. They left C3 at 3:15 am on 4 October, summited at 9:08 am and descended to C2 between 4:00 and 4:30 pm to sleep that night.

  Fixed rope: 2000m (800m from other teams)

  Oxygen:
    Anson in and from C3 to top to C3
    Larson in and from C3 to top to C3
    Pennington from C3 to top
    Phethran in and from C3 to top to C2
    Potter in and from C3 to top to C3
    Rutland in and from C3 to top to C3
    Timms in and from C3 to to top to C3
    Sherpas none

  Sherpas:
    Mingma Tshering, 2/8/70, Beding, Cho Oyu X2, Everest X13, K2 X1, Cho Oyu X2,
      Dhaula X1
    Nima Gyalzen, 18/5/76, Beding, Everest X7, Cho Oyu X1, Manaslu X1
    Pema Chhiring, 17/12/83, Beding, Cho Oyu X2, Everest X6, Lhotse X1
    Thundu, 18/2/78, Beding, Cho Oyu X2, Everest X4
    Tshering Pemba, 22/11/85, Beding, Everest 23/5/07


  Von: Altitude Junkies [mailto:info@altitudejunkies.com] 
  Gesendet: Montag, 21. Juni 2010 12:49
  An: Eberhard Jurgalski
  Betreff: Re: Manaslu Summits

  Hi Eberhard,

  In 2008 both Himalayan Experience and Jagged Globe claimed a summit but they stopped at the foresummit which has a small steep triangular rock on the right hand side.

  Valeri, Tarke and myself continued on a somewhat narrow ridge to the col where we rested. After the Japenese climbers started the final ridge roped up we all followed. The ridge is narrow and exposed and raises and drops for about 40-50 meters until reaching a large rock on the left hand side of the ridge. After this rock it is about 5-8 meters linear and about 2 meters
  vertical to the true summit which was corniced on top of the final rocks that you sometimes see in photos. This is the true final summit as there is nowhere to go higher.

  In 2009 Sammy, Pasang Gumbu and Margaret all reached the rock on the left hand side just before the final 5-8 linear and 2 vertical meters. This is where some of the other groups reached a few days later. Some of the climbers who have summitted all the 14 8000 meter peaks have also reached this point only.

  I think this should be considered the summit for Sammy and company in 2009.

  Best regards
  Phil Crampton


  Ed. note: A published summit photo on the internet shows seven persons on a broad flat summit top; this cannot be the true summit since that is very narrow and can only accommodate one or two climbers at most.


expid: HIML08304
peakid: HIML
year: 2008
route1: E Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Fabrice Pintonato
sponsor: Nickel Feet Himlung Expedition 2008
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-15
smtdate: 2008-10-20
termdate: 2008-10-24
termnote: Abandoned at 6200m due to impassible obstacles
campsites: BC(15/10,4700m),C1(16/10,5400m),xxx(20/10,6200m)
agency: Churen Himal Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Besisahar, crossed Nanum Bhanjyang, following the herdsman trail at 
    right side of the mountain, Koto, Narvia, Kang La, Phu

  BC at Nemjung BC
  C1 at 150m above the lake.

  Pintonato wrote in his email that Arnautou and Pintonato left C1 at midnight of 19 Oct for summit. They tried to find a way directly to the center ridge between Himlung and an unnamed peak, but every time they faced the obstacles of cliffs 100m down. They climbed up to 6200m to find a pass but no way. Then Arnautou and Pintonato decided to give up the climb. Descended to C1 and same day to BC. The team returned to Kathmandu on 12 Nov and will leave on 15 Nov.


  Email from Fabrice Pintonato - Nov 24, 2008

  First we arrived Robert and me on 5 Oct to Ktm.

  We started from Besisahar to Koto on 08 October 2008, but not by the normal way round Annapurna, but by crossing the Nanum Banjiang La (5560m). It took 3 very big days of walking.

  We found Dharamsala each evening to sleep.

  We didn't cross exactly the Nanum Banjiang La who was into cloud and snow, but we found a goatkeeper way at the right of the mountain, approximately 5300/5400 meters height. Nepali people use to cross that way (more than a hundred cairns), but the way is more dangerous if the snow is tough. Crampons must be used.

  After a big descent to Koto, we went to Nar crossing the Kang La from Pisang and Ngawal.
  We arrived in Phu on 14 October and in Nemjung BC on 15 October 2008, which is approximately 4700m high if I remember well!!

  On 16 October 2008, we crossed directly the Nemjung glacier. It took us I hour when we found the best way into this complicated rocky road.

  After we went up to 150m along the river coming from the right side of Nemjung Glacier.

  We dressed the Camp 1 at 5400m, just at the limit at the snow, 150 meters up a clear water lake which is 100m X 100m long. for that we had very easily, during those three days.

  After we came back to BC.
  On 17 October 2008, BC to C1 again, and night at C1 for acclimatization.
  On 18 October, C1 to BC.
  On 19 October, start for summit at midnight.

  We tried to find the way directly to the center ridge between Himal Himlung and un-named peak, but every time the road was bare cliff 100m down. So we tried to go to find a pass, but no way until 6200m. And then, I realized that the only way was to reach the normal way to be able to go on. I did it before, and in some part of our way the snow was 1m 20 depth non stabilize. So I decided that our attempt to reach the summit in alpine style (only one camp) was unsuccessful, and I decided to go back.

  We have folded C1 and reached directly to BC.
  We rested until 23 October, date we started to go to Phu.

  24 October Robert started to go back to Phu, I waited for another friend coming to Phu to reach Lho Mantang by the Mustang pass. So we did at the beginning of November. It took 6 days for us to reach it. We were 3 persons, two French and one Nepali without any support. The first guest house we found was after 5 days of walk. The first Dharamsala was on the 4th day of walk, very dirty.


expid: BARU08306
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Alberto Pellizzari
sponsor: Independent on Baruntse
ascent1: 88th
approach: Mera La
bcdate: 2008-10-25
smtdate: 2008-10-31
termdate: 2008-11-03
campsites: BC(25/10,5400m),C1(28/10,6134m),Smt(31/10)
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  Summit team left C1 at 1 am on 31 Oct. Weather was cold but clear. Snow was hard and good for climbing. Climb was straightforward. No problems at "mushroom." They only stayed on top for 10 minutes due to strong wind and cold. They descended to C1, arrived at 2 pm. The reason why he did not put up a C2 was that the sirdar told him that it was too high to sleep. However, Pellizzari thought that a C2 would have been good to have as it was hard to climb from C1.

  On 1 Nov descended to BC. They left BC on 3 Nov and walked out via Amphu Laptsa.

  Sherpa:
    Lhakpa Sherpa, Zarok, Namche, Khumbu, 11/10/78, Everest X4
      Everest with Duncan Chessell in Spring 2007
      Everest with Russell Brice in Spring 2004, 2005
      Everest with Serhan Pocan in Spring 2006


expid: TILI08301
peakid: TILI
year: 2008
route1: NE Spur
nation: France
leaders: Gerard Vaginay
sponsor: French on Tilicho
approach: Manang
bcdate: 2008-10-18
smtdate: 2008-10-28
termdate: 2008-10-30
termnote: Abandoned at 6300m due to too much snow, bad weather
campsites: BC(18/10,4850m),C1(23/10,5850m),xxx(28/10,6300m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  On 28 Oct team left C2 at 7 am. Weather was nice, but windy. Between C1 and C2 trail was broken and rope fixed by Iranian team. They reached C2 at 2 pm and found their tents that had been put in place were destroyed by the wind. As the snow conditions were precarious they decided to abandon expedition. They also spoke to other teams on mountain that also decided to give up. They descended to BC and arrived at 6 pm.  

  Vaginay also told me about an Iranian climber who died around 24 Oct. He must have slipped at about 6800m during the summit push.

  Sherpas:
    Tashi Sherpa, Everest X2, apparently he is a singer
    Tashi Lhakpa Sherpa, Mathilow, Walung, Makalu-5, 18/11/85, Everest X4, 
      Cho Oyu X1, (Everest X3 with South Koreans, Everest X1 with Greeks)


expid: AMAD08312
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Australia
leaders: Soren Ledet
sponsor: World Expeditions 2008 Ama Dablam
countries: Denmark
approach: Gokyo->Cho La->Dingboche
bcdate: 2008-10-24
smtdate: 2008-10-29
smttime: 1300
termdate: 2008-11-01
termnote: Abandoned at 6250m due to too much danger (ice falling)
campsites: BC(24/10,4700m),C1(27/10,5700m),C2(28/10,6000m),xxx(29/10,6250m)
agency: Sea to Summit Trekking
routememo:
  On 29 Oct team left C2 at 8:30 am. They reached high point at mushroom ridge at 1 pm, stayed for 45 minutes during which lots of rocks were falling down from grey tower. Ledet decided that it was too dangerous. They turned back and descended to C2, arrived at 4:30 pm. On 30 Oct they descended to BC. Generally Ledet thinks that Ama Dablam is getting too dangerous.

  Sherpas:
    Vishnu Gurung, Cho Oyu 2005 with no summit (Ledet)
    Sandesh Tamang, Dharapani, Gorkha, 1977, Ama Dablam, Oct 2007
    Kami Sherpa, Junbesi, Solu, 1948, Ama Dablam 2005 & 2007
    Kazi Sherpa, Salleri, Solu


expid: BARU08307
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Pierre Le Blanc
sponsor: Baruntse 2008
ascent1: 86th
approach: Lukla->Zatra La->Mera La
bcdate: 2008-10-19
smtdate: 2008-10-28
smttime: 1200
termdate: 2008-10-30
campsites: BC(19/10,5450m),C1(22/10,6150m),C2(25/10,6450m),Smt(28/10)
agency: Glacier Safari Treks
routememo:
  Summit team left C2 on 28 Oct at 4 am. Weather good, snow conditions excellent. Ridge very narrow. There was already a fixed rope from previous expeditions. Mushroom at 7000m was also fixed and not too difficult. Good views from summit. Team left summit at 1:30 pm and descended to C2, where they arrived at 4 pm. On 29 Oct they dismantled C2 and C1 and descended to BC. They walked out via Amphu Laptsa.

  Druilhe reached C1 on 25 Oct and 27 Oct, but he never stayed the night. He did not carry on due to breathing problems and problems with altitude.


expid: AMAD08313
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Justin Merle
sponsor: International Mountain Guides (IMG) Ama Dablam 2008
countries: Poland
approach: Pangboche
bcdate: 2008-10-23
smtdate: 2008-11-01
smttime: 1200
termdate: 2008-11-03
othersmts: Climbed Lobuche East
campsites: BC(23/10,4700m),C1(26/10,5700m),C2(29/10,5900m),Smt(01/11)
accidents: Bruised ribs by Reckord
agency: Beyul Adventure
routememo:
  Summit team and Gawlas and Kami Chhiring Sherpa left C2 at 4 am on 1 Nov. Weather was good but snow a bit soft. On mushroom ridge snow beneath was a bit unstable. At about 6200m Gawlas felt uneasy, partly due to fatal accidents by Frenchman and turned back with Kami Chhiring Sherpa to C2. Team summited at 12 noon. They stayed on summit for half an hour. On way down, just below the Dablam, pieces of ice broke off and Reckord was hit by a chunk of the size of a microwave. As he was clipped into fixed rope. He did not take a fall. He was hit in the ribs and thought they were broken but X-ray showed not broken.


expid: AMAD08314
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Russia
leaders: Viatcheslav Skripko
sponsor: Russian Ama Dablam Expedition
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-31
smtdate: 2008-11-03
smttime: 1430
othersmts: Climbed Gokyo Peak (by all members on 26 Oct)
campsites: BC(31/10,4700m),C1(01/11,5700m),C2(02/11,6100m),Smt(03/11)
agency: Himalayan Guiding Institute
routememo:
  Approach: Monjo, Namche, Khumjung, Dole, Gokyo Peak, Kharka before Cho La Pass, Lobuche, Kalapattar, Pangboche

  C1 at 100m below the normal C1 site.

  Filimonov left C2 at about 6:30 am, reached summit at 2:30 pm, stayed on summit about 15 minutes, descended to C2 site at about 5:30 pm. Next day to Pangboche. Filimonov was alone on summit. While descending he met some climbers going up for summit, but he does not know if they reached summit. Summit day weather was very good but cold. The night of 3 Nov was warm due to accumalation of clouds over the mountain. 

  Skripko climbed up to C2 and had to descend to C1 as there was not enough space to put their own tent in C2. Filimonov spent night in C2 in an empty tent of another expedition while making his summit push. 

  Filimonova and Oborotov left expedition from Pangboche on 31 Oct due to fatigue. They arrived Kathmandu on 3 Nov. 

  The team returned Kathmandu 9 Nov and will leave on 10 Nov. Leader will leave after 2-3 days later.


expid: PUMO08302
peakid: PUMO
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Spain
leaders: Arturo Aparicio Diaz
sponsor: Acampada Barrilete Kosmic Pumori Expedition
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-25
smtdate: 2008-10-29
termdate: 2008-10-31
termnote: Abandoned at 5900m due to deep snow
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (18 Oct by all four members)
campsites: BC(25/10,5300m),xxx(29/10,5900m)
agency: Prestige Adventure
routememo:
  Approach: Phakding, Namche, Pangboche, Dingboche, Chhukung, Island Pk, Dingboche,
    Loboche, Gorak Shep

  All four members went up to 5900m on 29 Oct, but it was not possible for them to climb further up due to chest-deep fresh snow, so they descended to BC. The team returned to Kathmandu on 8 Nov. Pastor left on 9 Nov and rest will leave on 11 Nov.

  Fixed rope: 100 below C1


expid: PHAR03101
peakid: PHAR
year: 2003
route1: W Face-SE Ridge
nation: Nepal
leaders: Pramod Shrestha
sponsor: Nepal Mountaineering Association
ascent1: 1st,2nd,3rd
countries: Azerbaijan, Brazil, Croatia, Romania, Russia, Slovenia
smtdate: 2003-05-19
smttime: 1700
campsites: BC(4500m),C1(5200m),Smt(19-20,22/05)
routememo:
  From Nepali Times - 30 May 2003

  While the attention has been focused on Everest in the past week, an all-Nepali expedition scaled the top of the unclimbed Pharilapcha (6017m) in Khumbu. Recently opened by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) to commemorate the Everest Golden Jubilee Celebrations, Dinesh Deokota was the first man on the summit on 19 May. Teammate Pramod "Goofy" Shrestha's maiden attempt was aborted due to technical problems but he made it to the top the following day. Both amateur climbers, Deokota and Shrestha showed great skill on what turned out to be a technically demanding climb up a final 80m vertical rock face. From high camp Deokota battled extreme conditions for 17 hours before reaching the peak. It took the team four days to lay fixed ropes and determine a route, and the two dedicated the climb to their spouses and planted a Tibetan prayer flag at the summit for peace in Nepal. They were supported by Ongchu Sherpa, Namgyal Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa.

  From Nepalnews.com

  KATHMANDU, May 29 (PR) With the world’s attention on the celebration surrounding Mt. Everest, a two-member Nepali team comprising on Dinesh Devkota and Pramod Shrestha have quietly achieved an extraordinary feat. Declared the national Nepali team by the Nepal Mountaineering Association, these two intrepid adventurers are also the first ever officially Nepali expedition team to successfully ascend a Himalayan peak.

  At 5 pm on the 19th of May - Dinesh Devkota became the first person to summit Mt. Pharilapcha (6017m). This was also the first successful summit bid on this unexplored, virgin peak opened as a part of the Golden Jubilee Celebration.


  From other East European internet sources:

  Organizer: Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).

  Members: Slovenia (2), Croatia (3), Russia (3), Romania (3), Brazilia (4), Japonia (7), Nepal (8 serpasi experimentati din echipa NMA).


  From Marcelo Belo - 30 June 2016

  Base Camp altitude and arrival date
    4500m – May 19 or 20
  High Camp altitude and arrival date
    5200m - May 22 at 4:00 am
  Time of summiting
    May 22 about 11:30 am


expid: ANNE06102
peakid: ANNE
year: 2006
route1: S Face of Glacier Dome-E Ridge
nation: China
leaders: Lodue (Lhotse)
sponsor: Chinese Annapurna Expedition 2006
ascent1: 5th w/Pol
bcdate: 2006-05-06
smtdate: 2006-05-21
smttime: 1400
termdate: 2006-06-07
othersmts: Climbed Annapurna I (ANN1-061-04)
campsites: BC(06/05,4130m),ABC(14/05,5400m),C1(16/05,6100m),C2(17/05,7000m),Smt(21/05)
accidents: Lhotse snowblindness
agency: Asian Trekking
primid: ANN106104
routememo:
  Details of climb:

  Lhotse, Pemba Tashi and Dawa Sherpa - 11 June 2006

  During their first summit bid, both members and Dawa moved with the team led by Piotr Pustelnik (Polish), and they camped at the same places on the same dates as his team from base camp on 6 May to C2 on 17 May. On 19 May, Pemba Tashi and Dawa descended to base camp because their team's food supply was not sufficient for all three of them to continue the climb; Pustelnik had told them to bring food for only seven days. This gave Lhotse enough to continue his summit attempt.

  Lhotse continued with Pustelnik's team to their first bivouac at 7460m on 19 May and on 20 May to second bivouac at 7300m. On 21 May at 6:00 am he left with them for the summit and reached the East Summit at 7:00 [2:00?] pm without food, sleeping bag or Sherpa. He therefore was forced to turn back. He spent all night returning to the bivouac at 7300m, which he reached at 5:00 am on 22 May with Pustelnik and Morawaski.

  After sleeping at 7300m, Lhotse found he was snowblind from the difficult climb back from the East Summit. He rested/slept in the bivouac for two days, and then on 24 May started down; he met Dawa, who was coming up with food, between 7300m and C2 at 7000m and they descended together to C2.

  Pemba Tashi had gone up to C1 at 6100m on 24 May. On 25 May all three, Lhotse, Pemba Tashi and Dawa, returned to base camp to rest.

  In their second summit all three went up to C1 on 1 June, to C2 at 7000m on 2 June, and on 3 June to the second bivouac at 7300m, skipping the first bivouac at 7460m.

  On 4 June all three went for the summit. They left 7300m at 2:00 am on the 4th and were on the Main Summit at 11:20 am in windy and cloudy weather. They saw nothing at the top, but Lhotse is certain they were at the Main Summit because he had seen it when he was at the East Summit with Pustelnik. They returned to C2 at 7000m at 9:00 pm, and back safely to C1 at 6100m on 5 June.

  They had one oxygen bottle with their team, and Lhotse used oxygen from it from 7300m to the East Summit in his first summit bid. His oxygen delivery system was broken at the East Summit, and in his descent from there and during the rest of his climb, he had none.

  Bowie to BC 15th with flu; was very useful keeping things intact when 1 Tibetan Sherpa came down to get food for Lhotse. 1st biv on 19 May on ridge at 7460m by Hamar, Morawski and Pustelnik accompanied by Lhotse; 2nd biv on 20 May at 7300m on ridge. 21 May went for summit,  but Lhotse, climbing wth them, got stuck at col between East and Central Summits. Ridge very difficult and found route at 4:00 pm, having left biv at 7:00 am, route by ramp down 100m on North Face of slopes of Central Summit to 7900m and looked for biv site but wasn't any; now it became clear that Lhotse had become partially snowblind, dehydrated, didn't have headlamp and so Pustelnik and Morawski returned to BC with him, having difficult time helping him and reached 2nd biv site at 5:00 am of 22nd. Meanwhile Homor went on to rejoin East Ridge and got to Central Summit at 6:30 pm and Main Summit at 8:45 pm and down to make a biv at or between Central and Main Summit at 10:00 pm. 22nd to 7300m biv where found other members and Lhotse. 23rd Homar down to C2 alone because Lhotse unable to go till 24th; all very weak without food 4-5 days but had to descend and reached C2 without difficulty and exhausted.


  * Dawa Sherpa - he says has no middle name, was born on 27/2/71 and comes from Tanku village, near Phaplu, Salleri VDC, Solu; he summited Cho Oyu with Spaniards in 2001 (but no Spanish team said he was on top with them) and on Everest with Iranians (Iranian leader gave his age as 37, but trekking agency, Thamserku said DOB 19/6/60, came from Mera village, Kanku-9, near Pangkoma, Jubing VDC, Solu). Ministry of Tourism did not list him as a summiter in 2005, but leader added his name to Ministry of Tourism list.


expid: AMAD08316
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Taiwan
leaders: Lee Hsiao-Shih
sponsor: Taiwan Mazu Ama Dablam Expedition
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-24
smtdate: 2008-11-03
termdate: 2008-11-05
termnote: Abandoned at 6200m due to difficult route and fatigue
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (19 Oct)
campsites: BC(24/10,4500m),C1(30/10,5715m),C2(03/11,6200m),xxx(03/11,6200m)
agency: Prestige Adventure
routememo:
  Approach: Phakding, Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche, Gorak Shep, Everest BC,
    Pheriche, Dingboche, Chhukung, Island Peak BC

  Chen, Lee and Gurung arrived C2 on 3 Nov to go to summit on 4 Nov. Next day morning Gurung told the climbing members to descend because he felt that members were very tired and also Gurung told them that team needed more Sherpas to go to summit; the members then descended. Chen slept in C1. Lee descended to BC on 4 Nov. Next day Chen descended to BC. 

  Members said that they were tired carrying the loads, but physically and mentally they were ready to continue for summit. But Gurung insisted that they should stop going up. 

  Ramesh went up to C1, slept there and descended to BC. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 9 Nov and will leave on 10th.

  Hired:
    Prem Bahadur Gurung, 16/12/78, Ilam Pokhari-8, Lamjung
    Ramesh Simkhada


expid: AMAD08317
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Sean James
sponsor: Field Touring Alpine Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
countries: Canada, China, France
bcdate: 2008-10-29
smtdate: 2008-11-04
smttime: 1500
termdate: 2008-11-07
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (26 Oct by all members (except Kass, already sick) and Tshering)
campsites: BC(29/10,4600m),C1(01/11,5800m),C2(03/11,6000m),Smt(04/11)
accidents: Cui fatal fall
agency: Su-Swagatam Treks
routememo:
  Field Touring Alpine Ama Dablam Expedition, led by Sean James - 10 Nov 2008

  The membership was reduced to only three when Kass left BC on 31 October in a helicopter. He had become sick during the Island Peak climb (he was the only member who had failed to reach the summit on the 26th) and his chest infection, plus an apparent altitude problem worsened as he arrived at Ama Dablam BC.

  The remaining three members, Calzarossa, Cui and James, plus Parsu Ram Rai, set out for the summit from C2 on 4 November at 2 am. At 5:00 am, Rai turned around because his feet and hands were very cold; he stayed in C2 to wait for the summiters to return. Calzarossa gave up at 6400m at 7:00 am because he was too slow, and James descended with him to C1.

  Cui carried on up and reached the summit alone at 3:00 pm. He came down to the grey tower at 6200m, but at 10:00 pm he fell from there 500m down the East Face of the SW Ridge; he fell from about the same spot as the Frenchman, Jean Mary, had fallen on 31 Oct and landed about 5 meters from where Mary's body had lain very badly smashed. The cause of Cui's fall is not known; perhaps he was not properly clipped onto the fixed rope. His body was brought to Kathmandu for cremation.

  Hired:
    Parsu Ram Rai, 1969, Rakha-4,  Khotang.


expid: AMAD08318
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: New Zealand
leaders: Steve Moffat
sponsor: Adventure Consultants Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
countries: Australia, Ireland, S Africa, UK, USA
bcdate: 2008-10-23
smtdate: 2008-11-02
smttime: 1400
termdate: 2008-11-06
campsites: BC(23/10,4600m),ABC(27/10,5400m),C1(28/10,5750m),C2(31/10,6000m),C3(01/11,6300m),Smt(02/11)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  C3 at mushroom ridge.

  Adventure Consultants Ama Dablam 2008, led by Steven Moffat - 10 Nov 2008

  The first summit party was successful: Kuehn, Flowerday, Stein, Westgate, Lhakpa Dorje and Sonam Tshering left C3 on 2 Nov at 8:30 am and reached the summit at 2:00 pm. They descended to C3 at 6:00 to 6:30 pm and next day were in BC.

  The second summit party were not so fortunate. Wiedemer and Pemba Chhoti got to C2 on 1 Nov, but Wiedemer was moving too slowly, and Moffat told him he had to go down to BC on the 2nd, and he did under Moffat's escort from C2.

  Other members:

  Austin-Cheval reached C2.

  Drotar and Hochreiter got to 6000m, but didn't like the threat of being hit by pieces of ice falling off the Dablam; they left on 31 October.

  Haydock left on 1 November because of the fatal fall by French climber Jean Mary (on Daniel Petraud's team) the day before.

  Ludwig reached 6000m and left on 1 November because of Mary's fatal fall.

  McCall didn't like the threat from the Dablam, stayed at BC for the rest of the climbing period.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Dorje, 16/11/61, Sanam, Gudel-4, Everest X4, Cho Oyu X3, Makalu X3, 
      Lhotse X1
    Pemba Chhoti, 21/12/73, Thami, Everest 24/5/08
    Sonam Tshering, aka Ang Sona, 1/10/86, Khunde, Everest 24/5/08


expid: AMAD08319
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Australia
leaders: Jay Reilly
sponsor: Pinnacle Sports Australia Ama Dablam Expedition
countries: New Zealand
bcdate: 2008-10-21
smtdate: 2008-11-04
smttime: 1045
termdate: 2008-11-09
campsites: BC(21/10,4600m),ABC(27/10,5400m),C1(31/10,5800m),C2(03/11,6000m),Smt(04/11)
agency: Everest Parivar
routememo:
  Pinnacle Sports Australia Ama Dablam Expedition, led by Jay Reilly - 12 Nov 2008

  The seven-member expedition produced only one summiting member. The non-summiters and their problems were:

  Asquith reached C1, got bored and left on 1 November.

  Emselle reached C2, had stomach problem and didn't like the cold so went no higher.

  Jarrett went to C1, became ill and left on 1 November.

  Reid reached about 6300m on 4 November, turned back to C2 because he was cold and too tired to continue up.

  Warren was Jarrett's boy friend, and when she needed to leave on 1 November, he left with her. He had gotten to C1.

  Reilly got no higher than C2; as leader, he had to look after his ailing members.

  That left for the summit only Hewson with the team's two climbing Sherpas, Lhakpa and Phuri. They left C2 at 1:20 am on November 4 and arrived at the summit at 10:45 am, stayed there for only 15 minutes in the cold (-40 degrees) and the wind, returned to C2 at 4:40 pm and were back in BC the next day.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Sherpa, aka Kongle, 24/1/64, Patle, Everest X1
    Phuri Sherpa, 21/2/1987 (9/11/2043), Patle, no 8000ers


expid: AMAD08321
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Russia
leaders: Andrei Leontiev
sponsor: Pyatigorsk Ama Dablam 2008
approach: Lukla->Namche->Pangboche
bcdate: 2008-10-08
smtdate: 2008-10-14
termdate: 2008-10-16
termnote: Abandoned at 5900m due to too much snow
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (on 20 Oct 2008 by all 3 members)
campsites: BC(08/10,3985m),ABC(09/10,4500m),C2(14/10,5900m),xxx(14/10,5900m)
agency: Royal Mountain Travel
routememo:
  All team started from ABC at 6 am.

  Belokurov couldn't go above 5000m due to route condition. Too much snow, risky to climb.

  Summit Island Peak on 20 Oct by all 3 members.


expid: AMAD08322
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Russia
leaders: Alexander Bichenko
sponsor: Far East Ama Dablam 2008
bcdate: 2008-10-07
smtdate: 2008-10-12
termdate: 2008-10-15
termnote: Adandoned at 6200m due to bad weather, strong winds and tiredness
campsites: BC(07/10,3985m),C1(09/10,5100m),C2(10/10,5700m),C3(12/10,6200m),xxx(12/10,6200m)
agency: Royal Mountain Travel
routememo:
  11 Oct started from Pangboche to C2 and overnight. They had to fix ropes from C2 to C3, came down to C2 for overnight.

  12 Oct started from C2 at 9 am, reached C3 about 18:00 hours. They have decided to abandon the climb due to bad weather conditions, strong wind and snowing. All members felt very tired.


expid: AMAD08323
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Poland
leaders: Ryszard Pawlowski
sponsor: Patagonia Mountain Agency (PMA) Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
bcdate: 2008-11-02
smtdate: 2008-11-09
smttime: 1200
termdate: 2008-11-12
campsites: BC(02/11,4500m),C1(04/11,5700m),C2(07/11,6000m),C3(8/11,6200m),Smt(09-10/11)
agency: Asian Trekking
routememo:
  9 Nov Summit team left C3 at 7 am. Good weather, good snow conditions. Pawlowski says that this year there was more ice between 6300m and 6500m. After summit they descended to C2. Arrived at about 5 pm.

  Pawlowski left C3 at 8 am on 10 Nov. Good snow conditions and weather. He was completely on his own. He descended to C2, arrived at 5 pm.

  Spik reached C3 on 9 Nov, stayed the night and was going to go to summit with Pawlowski. However, she had a bad cough and descended to BC the next day. She left at 8 am and arrived at 10 pm.


expid: AMAD08324
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Austria
leaders: Ernst Meschik
sponsor: Austrian Bergspechte Expedition to Ama Dablam
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-11-08
smtdate: 2008-11-10
smttime: 1245
termdate: 2008-11-14
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (all members and Bhote on 6 Nov)
campsites: BC(08/11,4560m),C1(09/11,5600m),C2(10/11,6000m),Smt(10-11/11)
agency: Karyang Kurung Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Phakding, Namche, Tengboche, Pangboche, Pheriche, Lobuche, Kalapattar,
    Dingboche, Chhukung, Island Peak BC, Dingboche, Pangboche

  Leithner and unterwurzacher left C1 at 5:30 am on 10 Nov, reached summit at 12:45 pm, stayed on summit for 25 minutes, descended to C1 at 6 pm. Weather and mountain conditions were perfect.

  Loipld, Meschik, Scheiber and Phuchhanga Bhote left C2 at 7:20 am on 11 Nov, reached summit at 12:30 pm, stayed on summit for about 10 minutes, descended to C2 at about 4 pm. 

  Next day all climbers and Bhote descended to BC. Weather was perfect and little windy on 11 Nov. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 17 Nov and will leave on 19 Nov.

  Hired:
    Phuchhanga Bhote, 2/4/80 (20/12/2036), Chepuwa-3, Sankhuwasabha


expid: AMAD08325
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Seth Hobby
sponsor: Mountain Madness Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
countries: Portugal
bcdate: 2008-11-10
smtdate: 2008-11-20
termdate: 2008-11-22
campsites: BC(10/11,4600m),C1(13/11,5700m),C2(18/11,6000m),xxx.Mbrs(20/11,6450m),Smt.Sherpa(20/11)
agency: High Altitude Dreams
routememo:
  Mountain Madness Ama Dablam Expedition, led by Seth Hobby - 27 Nov 2008

  The team's three members and two Sherpas left for the summit from C2 at 3:30 am on 20 November. When they reached 6450m at 10:30 am, the members turned back. Morias had a bad cold and Payne's pace was too slow. Furthermore the weather was not in their favor, Hobby felt; a wind was blowing, and clouds coming in from the west suggested snowfall was on its way. The three members and Lama Babu went down to C2 at 3:00 to 3:30 pm. 

  But Pasang Dawa pushed on to the summit and joined them in C2 at about 5:30 pm.

  The team decided that evening to abandon the climb since two members were not fit enough to make another summit bid. 

  Next day they wall went down to BC. While Payne was descending between C2 and C1, he twisted his knee. Despite the pain, he managed to get to BC, but they called for a helicopter, and he was evacuated from BC to Kathmandu on the 22nd. The two other members left BC on the 24th and arrived in Kathmandu on the 26th.

  Fixed rope: 150-200m between C1 & C2.

  Sherpas:
    Lama Babu, 23/9/68, Bung, Solu, Everest X3 (on 16 Oct, he went to 6000m high 
      point with Canadian Ama Dablam team led by Michel Collins)
    Pasang Dawa, 25/5/84 (12/2/2041), Tate, Chaurikharka-7, Solu, no 8000ers


expid: AMAD08326
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Will Cross
sponsor: Will Cross Ama Dablam Expedition
bcdate: 2008-11-15
smtdate: 2008-11-20
termdate: 2008-11-25
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to Cross's chest infection
campsites: BC(15/11,4600m),C1(19/11,5500m),xxx(20/11,6000m)
agency: Asian Trekking
routememo:
  Will Cross Ama Dablam Expedition - 30 Nov 2008

  The day after they had made C1, on 20 November Cross and Nawang Tenzing "aimed for" C3, but "it was pretty crowded," so they just "touched" C2 and descended to BC that day.

  Three days later, on the 23rd, they went up to C1, and on the 24th set out for C2. But Cross now had a chest infection which gave him a bad cough and difficulty breathing, so they turned around at about 5900m and returned to BC. The climb was over.

  On his way up to C2 on the 20th, Cross looked at the Dablam through his telescope, and "it looked badly fractured." Nevertheless they tried to get to the summit. Their plan was to go to C2, stay for a couple of hours while boiling water, leave the camp at 3:00 am when it was still cold, take a stove with them, but no tent, and go for the summit.

  Sherpa:
    Nawang Tenzing, 1/2/60, Phortse, Everest X3, Lhotse X3
      (now lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)


expid: AMAD08327
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Adrian Ballinger
sponsor: Alpenglow Ama Dablam Expedition
countries: Netherlands, UK
approach: Lukla->Namche->Phortse->Dingboche->Chhukung Ri
bcdate: 2008-10-18
smtdate: 2008-10-31
smttime: 1130
termdate: 2008-11-04
campsites: BC(18/10,4800m),C1(22/10,5800m),C2(30/10,6400m),Smt(31/10,01/11)
achievment: 1st ascent of the season
agency: Mountain Experience
routememo:
  On 31 Oct Bockelman, Chisholm, Mahon, Niles, Sargent, Sauer, Phurba Tashi, Dorje Sonam, Ngima Chhiri left C2 at 6:30 am. Dorje and Bockelman reached summit at 11:30 am and by 12 noon rest of members with Sherpas. The climbers stayed on summit less than 30 minutes, it was windy and cold. Bockelman, Mahon, Sauer slept in C2. Chisholm, Niles, Sargent slept in C1 and Sherpas to BC. 

  On 1 Nov Ballinger couple, Siu, Stam, Lhakpa Nuru, Son Dorje and Nuru Gyalzen left C2 at 6 am. Lhakpa Nuru reached summit at 10 am and Ballingers and Sherpas by 12 noon. Siu and Stam turned around from 6600m to C1 due to fatigue. The summiters stayed on summit for 30 minutes; it was a very nice day, not so windy; descended to C1. Next day to BC. 

  Pelkey was with first summit group and had to turn around from 6750m on 31 Oct due to fatigue. Suntum spent nights in C1 on 22nd Oct and went up to C2 on 24 Oct and went down to BC. He was too tired.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Nov and will leave on 10 Nov.

  Fixed rope: contributed 400m from mushroom ridge to summit.

  Sherpas:
    Phurba Tashi Sherpa, 24/5/71, Khumjung, Cho Oyu X5, Everest X12
    Dorje Sonam Gyalzen Sherpa, 24/5/81, Phortse, Everest X9, Cho Oyu X1
    Ngima Chhiri Sherpa, 22/4/72, Phortse, Everest X2
    Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, 18/6/80, Phortse, Everest X3
    Son Dorje Sherpa, 22/5/63, 08/02/2020, Phortse Everest X7
    Nuru Gyalzen Sherpa, 18/8/73, 02/05/2030, Phortse Everest X3 


expid: AMAD08328
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Canada
leaders: Chris Szymiec
sponsor: Field Touring Alpine Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
countries: Australia, UK, USA
bcdate: 2008-11-20
smtdate: 2008-11-25
smttime: 1200
termdate: 2008-11-27
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (all members except Bampton)
campsites: BC(20/11,4600m),C1(21/11,5620m),C2(23/11,6000m),C3(24/11,6370m),Smt(25/11)
agency: Su-Swagatam Treks
routememo:
  Field Touring Ama Dablam Expedition 2008, led by Chris Szymiec - 1 Dec 2008

  The summit party consisted of Bampton, Davis, Szymiec, Wilkinson, Ms. Pasang, Lhakpa and Jangbu. Lhakpa and Jangbu started for the stop on 25 November at 6:00 am, and they all left C3 for the summit between 7:30 and 7:45 am. Ms. Pasang turned back at 9:00 am at 6600m because her feet were cold; she went down to C2.

  The other members of the summit party went on up to the top: Jangbu got there at 12:00 noon while the others summited between 1:00 and 1:30 pm. The members returned to C3 at 4:00 pm, but the Sherpas descended to C2: Ms. Pasang and Jangbu returned to C2 at about 3:00 pm, and Lhakpa, who had stayed close to the members, was in C2 at about 5:00 pm. All members were in BC on the 26th.

  The temperature on the summit was minus 15 degrees Celsius, but there was no wind at the time (it had been windy at the start of the day's climb). Szymiec got slight frostbite on the tip of one finger while he shepherded his members to the top.

  Non-summiting members:

  Bampton was not acclimatizing, developed slight cerebral edema, had no energy; stayed in BC during climbing period.

  Cottam went to C2 on 22 November, thought about his children back home and the danger of avalanching from the Dablam, and decided not to go higher; descended to C1 on the 23rd, left BC on the 24th to go to Dingboche village to send e-mail to his family to confirm he was well.

  The route above C3 had been scoured by avalanching ice from the Dablam so it was all hard ice, and there are many more crevasses above the Dablam. So the route is more difficult and takes much more time to surmount than in previous years when it was covered by snow and the crevasses had not opened. It is also more dangerous with "more pealing off the Dablam." All of the Dablam is going to come down, Szymiec believes. He had been on Ama Dablam twice before; because of the avalanching, "I really don't want to go back again," he said.

  Sherpas:
    Parsu Ram Rai, 39 yrs, Rakha-4, Khotang
    Miss Pasang Futi Sherpa, 24 yrs, Monzo, Chaurikharka-1, Solu
    Lhakpa Sherpa, 1968-69 (2025), Tamku, Lokhim-9, Solu, Cho Oyu 2/10/08
    Jangbu Sherpa, 21 yrs, Sisuwakhola-1, Sankhuwasabha (Lhakpa's nephew)


expid: AMAD08329
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Johann Hofer
sponsor: Italian Ama Dablam 2008
countries: Switzerland
bcdate: 2008-11-13
smtdate: 2008-11-19
smttime: 1200
termdate: 2008-11-25
campsites: BC(13/11,4600m),C1(17/11,5800m),C2(18/11,6000m),Smt(19,21/11)
agency: Monviso Treks
routememo:
  C3 at mushroom ridge.

  Italian Ama Dablam, led by Johann Hofer - 29 Nov 2008

  The expedition's members went to the summit in two parties and put all members and both Sherpas on the top.

  On 19 Nov the first party consisted of Burger, Hainz, Hofer, Pescollderungg, Pedvilla and Lhakpa Temba. They left C2 at 6:00 am, were on the summit between 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm and were back in C2 at 5:00 pm. They descended to BC on the 20th.

  On the 21st, the four remaining members and the team's other Sherpa went to the summit. They were Pilser, Staffler, Studer, Unterfrauner and Tendi. They left C2 at 5:30 am, summited at 11:00 am and returned to C2 at 3:00 pm. They were back in BC on the 22nd.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Temba, 4/8/73, Kurima, Lokhim, Solu, Everest X3
    Tendi Sherpa, 2/12/76 (17/8/2033), Gudel, Solu, no 8000ers


expid: AMAD08330
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Caroline Ogden
sponsor: Jagged Globe Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
countries: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, USA
bcdate: 2008-11-17
smtdate: 2008-11-29
smttime: 1145
termdate: 2008-12-03
campsites: BC(17/11,4000m),ABC(21/11,5400m),C1(22/11,5700m),C2(27/11,5900m),C3(28/11,6250m),Smt(29/11,01/12)
agency: Summit Nepal Trekking
routememo:
  Jagged Globe Ama Dablam Expedition 2008, led by Caroline Ogden - 7 Dec 2008

  The expedition's C3 at 6250m was in a very safe spot on the Mushroom Ridge. They were very comfortable with it. They were on the mountain late in the season when it cold, and no bits of ice fell of the Dablam while they were on the mountain. They were happy to be the only team there and therefore no crowding.

  They went to the summit in two parties. They first one was composed of five members and three Sherpas: Chin, Moriarty, Stirling, Andy Taylor, Wilson, and Sherpas Ang Kazi, Mingma Tsiri and Pasang Tenzing. They left C3 at 7:30 am on 29 November. Chin turned back at 9:30 am when he was at the Dablam at 6500m; he realized that he did not have enough energy to get to the top and return; Mingma Tsiri turned back with him to C3. The others were on the summit at 11:45 am and returned to C3 between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. Chin descended only to C1 on the 30th because he was tired while the others were back in BC that day.

  The second summit party left C3 at 7:30 am on 2 December. They were Goodland, MacHugh, Mesnage, Ogden, and Sherpas Pasnag Dawa/Pa Dawa, Phurba Gyalzen and Thomting, and they all went to the summit. Ogden was the first to reach the summit at 1:00 pm and Goodland was the last one hour later. All returned to C3 between 2:00 and 4:00 pm that day and BC the next day.

  Other non-summiting members: 

  Beare went to C1 on 22 November on an acclimatization climb, but got bronchitis and left the team on 28 October.

  Bentley was in C3 on the 28th with the first summit party, but was too tired to climb above the camp.

  McDonald reached C1 on the 28th, then had an altitude problem and went no higher.

  Stebnyckyj never went above BC because he had a bad head cold and left on the 28th too.

  Robin Taylor got only to C1 on an acclimatization climb, but was not strong enough to do more climbing and he left on the 27th or 28th.

  Sherpas:
    Ang Kazi, 21/8/84 (5/5/2041), Kharikhola, Everest X2
    Mingma Tsiri, 1/8/70 (17/4/2027), Beding, Everest X12, Cho Oyu X2, 
      Dhaulagiri I X1, K2 X1
    Pasang Dawa/Pa Dawa, 18/1/77 (5/10/2033), Pangboche, Everest X10, Cho Oyu X4,
      Lhotse X1
    Pasang Tenzing, 1/10/84 (15/6/2041), Beding, Everest X5, Cho Oyu X2
    Phurba Gyalzen, 24/1/84 (10/10/2040), Pangkoma, Solu, Everest X1, Kangch X1, 
      Cho Oyu X1
    Thomting/Tamting, 19/12/74? 4/9/74 (19/5/2031)?, Beding, Everest X5, Cho Oyu X6


expid: AMAD08331
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Jason Thomas
sponsor: SummitClimb Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland, UK
bcdate: 2008-10-06
smtdate: 2008-10-20
termdate: 2008-10-26
termnote: Abandoned at 6300m due to dangerous conditions on the Dablam
campsites: BC(06/10,4600m),ABC(10/10,5350m),C1(14/10,5600m),C2(25/10,5800m),xxx(20/10,6300m)
accidents: Boersma's crushed rib on trek to BC
agency: Everest Parivar
routememo:
  SummitClimb International Ama Dablam 2008, led by Jason Thomas - 31 Oct 2008

  The expedition established C1 at 5600m on 14 October and the site for C2 at 5800m was visited by almost all of the members in the following days while waiting for their Sherpas to fix ropes to 6300m and the site for C3. During this waiting period, a number of members went down to the villages, even as far as Namche Bazar to receive and send email messages and telephone calls; their six Sherpas were having a difficult time fixing the route to the Mushroom Ridge.

  Then during the night of the 17th, part of the giant serac known as the Dablam fell off, and next day another huge section dropped, setting off an avalanche that cleaned the snow from its path, which was the climbers path also, and left the mountain's surface hard blue ice. The Dablam was now about half the size it had been when the team had first arrived.

  On the 20th three of their Sherpas, Tenji, Thile Nuru and Ang Sherpa, finally fixed the route over a big cornice on the Mushroom Ridge and got to the 6300m site for C3.

  But on the same day the members met in BC and decided that the mountain was too dangerous to go high, and they even started leaving the expedition that day. The rest left during the following few days; the Sherpas pulled out with tents and equipment on the 26th.

  However before they left, six members wanted to climb to 6000m or above to see the terrain; they went up on the 25th. All six Sherpas, Ang Shera, Da Jangbu, Gyalzen, Lhakpa Nuru, Tenji and Thile Nuru went with them. Davis and Korte got to 6200m; Loos to 6100m; Kortens and Matsouka to 6050m; Ruzek to 6000m. Ruzek slept in C2 at 5800m that night while the others went down to BC.

  Thus the members high point was 6200m on 25 October by Davis and Korte. The Sherpas high point was C3 site at 6300m on 20 October by Tenji, Thile Nuru and Ang Shera.

  Two members left the team early:

  Boersma during his trek to BC fell on 2 October in Phakding village and crushed a rib. He nevertheless went on to BC and to ABC, but his ribs were very painful, and he left on the 11th.

  Danilidis left on the 17th: he missed his family.

  Sherpas:
    Ang Shera, 22/4/76 (10/1/2033), Patle, Okhaldhunga, no 8000ers
    Da/Dawa Jangbu, 4/6/79 (2/21/2036), Patle, Lhotse 27/5/08
    Gyalzen Sherpa, 25/1/74 (12/10/2030), Patle, no 8000ers
    Lhakpa Nuru, 21/8/81 (5/5/2038), Phakding, Chaurikharka-5, Solu, Everest 22/5/08
    Tenji Sherpa, 1/6/92, Patle, Everest X4
    Thile Sherpa, 26/5/74, Choplung, Chaurikharka-3, Solu, Everest X3, Lhotse X1


expid: AMAD08333
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Jacques Marmet
bcdate: 2008-10-30
smtdate: 2008-11-01
termdate: 2008-11-02
termnote: Abandoned at 5800m due to the death of French climber Jean Mary
campsites: BC(30/10,4800m),C1(01/11,5800m),xxx(01/11,5800m)
agency: Nepal Trekking & Expeditions
routememo:
  On 1 Nov Marmet was in C1. There was an accident of a French climber who died on the mountain that made Marmet give up his climbing. Marmet returned to Kathmandu on 4 Nov and left Kathmandu  on 10 Nov.

  (Frenchman who fell his death on 31 Oct was Jean Mary, member French team led by Daniel Petraud).


expid: AMAD08334
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Malaysia
leaders: Hachoodan Raman Nair
sponsor: Malaysian on Ama Dablam
approach: Lukla->Namche->Lobuche->Gorakshep->Kalapattar
bcdate: 2008-10-12
smtdate: 2008-10-15
termdate: 2008-10-17
termnote: Abandoned at 5800m due to bad weather conditions
campsites: Bc(12/10,4800m),C1(14/10,5600m),C2(15/10,5800m),xxx(15/10,5800m)
agency: Summit Treks & Adventure
routememo:
  Nair spent night of 15 Oct in C2. Due to bad weather, he descended to BC on 16. Nair returned to Kathmandu on 19 Oct and left Kathmandu on 30 Oct.


expid: AMAD08335
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Henry Todd
sponsor: ICE 8000 Ama Dablam Expedition
countries: Brazil
bcdate: 2008-10-26
smtdate: 2008-11-04
termdate: 2008-11-06
campsites: BC(26/10,4500m),C1(30/10,5750m),C2(03/10,6100m),C3(03/11,6400m),Smt(04-05/11)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  Chandler & Nurbu Bhote on 4 Nov climbed from C1 to top and back to C3. Romancini & Lhakpa Wangchu on 5 Nov, C3 to top to C3.

  Non-summiters: Boscarioli reached C1 on 1 Nov, not well, back to BC 2 Nov; never above C1.

  Todd reached 4900m and never went higher.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Wangchu, 20/10/86, Pangboche, Everest X2, Manaslu 5/10/08
    Nurbu Bhote, 29/5/81, Hatiya, Everest X2


expid: AMAD08336
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Israel
leaders: Nir Koren
approach: Lukla->Namche->Tengboche
bcdate: 2008-11-01
smtdate: 2008-11-13
smttime: 1200
termdate: 2008-11-14
campsites: BC(01/11,4650m),C1(09/11,5800m),C2(10/11,6100m),C3(11/11,6400m),Smt(13/11)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  Koren and Pasang Lama left C3 at 6 am, reached summit at 12 noon on 13 Nov, stayed on summit between 15-20 minutes, descended to C3 at around 2:30 pm. Next day to BC. Koren wrote in his email that he climbed two vertical sections barefoot. The weather on summit day was clear and blue sky but for few hours while going up it was windy. He wrote that while descending from summit Koren and Bhote met one climber from England and another one from Ireland near the Dablam. Koren met the two climbers again in C2 the day after and they told Koren they did go to summit. Koren returned to Kathmandu on 18 Nov and left on 20 Nov.

  Hired:
    Pasang Lama Bhote (26)


expid: AMAD08337
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Poland
leaders: Dariusz Stolarczyk
sponsor: Pole on Ama Dablam (on Himalayan Guides permit)
approach: Standard
bcdate: 2008-10-19
smtdate: 2008-10-23
termdate: 2008-10-23
campsites: BC(19/10,4600m),C1(22/10,5800m),xxx(23/10,6200m)
agency: Mountain Tribes Trekking
routememo:
  Juszczyk, Krajewski, Kubera, Stolarczyk, Dendi and Pasang Gyalzen Sherpa climbed to C2 on 23 Oct. Climbers reaching C2 decided not to continue expedition due to danger of avalanches. Descended to BC and same day went to Namche. 

  Urbanska suffered from cough in BC and left on 21 Oct. She was joined by other members in Namche. They returned to Kathmandu on 29 Oct and left on 1 Nov.

  Sherpas:
    Pasang Gyalzen, 3/9/84 (11/04/2032), Taksindu-5, summited Everest in 2006 with
      Taiwanese, Xixabangma in 2000, Cho Oyu in 2007 with American
    Dendi Sherpa, 22/1/83 (08/10/2039), Deku, Taksindu-5, summited Cho Oyu in 
      15/5/07, Ama Dablam 2007 Oct Canada, Manaslu 2008


expid: AMAD08338
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Hungary
leaders: Gabor Zoltan Kereny
sponsor: Hungarians to Ama Dablam
bcdate: 2008-10-21
smtdate: 2008-10-26
termdate: 2008-10-28
termnote: Abandoned at 6100m due to dangerous conditions; no fixed ropes
campsites: BC(21/10,4600m),C1(25/10,5800m),C2(26/10,6100m),xxx(26/10,6100m)
accidents: Kereny suffered from stomach pain
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  According to debriefing in the Ministry expedition members high point is given 6100m on 26 Oct. Since Umid Bhandari of Himalayan Guides Nepal said that leader returned to Kathmandu on 28 Oct, I presume the above mentioned two members reached the high point most likely with Khatri. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 2 November and all of the expedition members including Kereny left Kathmandu on 5 Nov.

  Hired:
    Dorje Khatri, Lelep-9, Taplejung, 19/12/68, Everest X2
      (Umid said Khatri is Everest summiter)


expid: AMAD08339
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Sweden
leaders: Christian Edelstam
bcdate: 2008-11-05
smtdate: 2008-11-08
smttime: 0700
termdate: 2008-11-08
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (both members on different dates)
campsites: BC(05/11,4600m),C1(06/11,5700m),C2(07/11,5900m),Smt(08/11)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  The team was suppose to go to attempt North Ridge of Ama Dablam but went to SW Ridge. Edelstam wrote in his email of 2 Feb that he had bad throat during his entire trip and realized that he would not be fit enough to try the North Ridge. He wrote that Edelstam had rest for six days in Pangboche while Fransson summited Island Peak and later Edelstam summited Island Peak while Fransson was acclimatizing in C1 on Ama Dablam. 

  Edelstam wrote that he joined Fransson in C1 and moved together to C2. They left C2 at 02:00 hours on 8 Nov in clear weather, slightly windy and cold from C3 upward. They reached summit at 07:00 hours, descended to C2 at 09:00 hours and continued to Pangboche same day. Edelstam and Fransson were the only climbers on the summit on that day, wrote Edelstam. The team returned to Kathmandu on 12 Nov and left on 17 Nov.


expid: AMAD08340
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Tim Mosedale
sponsor: Mosedale Ama Dablam
countries: Ireland
bcdate: 2008-11-10
smtdate: 2008-11-13
termdate: 2008-11-25
campsites: BC(10/11,4600m),ABC(13/11,5400m),C1(16/115750m),C2(20/11,6000m),C3(17/116300m),Smt(13,18,20,22/11)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  Lhakpa Wangchu and Nurbu Bhote had already summited Ama Dablam in early Nov (with Todd expedition). They descended to BC and climbed with this expedition from BC.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Wangchu, 20/10/86, Pangboche, Everest X2, Manaslu X1
    Nurbu Bhote, 29/5/81, Hatiya, Everest X2


expid: AMAD08401
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: S Korea
leaders: Lim Man-Jae
sponsor: 2008 Ama Dablam Expedition
approach: Lukla->Namche->Lobuche BC->Pangboche
bcdate: 2008-01-05
smtdate: 2008-01-16
termdate: 2008-01-20
termnote: Abandoned at 6540m due to very strong wind
othersmts: Climbed Lobuche East (24 Jan by all members & two Sherpas)
campsites: BC(05/01,4500m),C1(08/01,5800m),C2(15/01,6000m),xxx(16/01,6540m)
agency: Discover Adventure
routememo:
  On 16 Jan, Choi, Lim, Thile Nuru and Chungba Nuru left C2 for C3. When they reached 6540m, strong wind started. They could not continue their climbing and descended to C2, slept there. Next day descended to BC. 

  Other members Lee, Ong, Sohn and Song climbed up to C1. 

  The weather was very windy almost every day. Team returned to Kathmandu on 28 Jan and will leave on 9 Feb. Lim said that he will come to attempt Ama Dablam next year.

  Sherpas:
    Changba Nuru Sherpa, 1964, Tate, Chaurikharka-7, Everest X7, Cho Oyu X1, 
      Dhaulagiri I X1
    Thile Nuru Sherpa, 26/5/74 (13/02/2031), Choplung, Chaurikharka-3 
      (Thile said that he had summited Everest X3, Lhotse X1 (dates does not
      remember), Lhotse in 2008 with Everest Parivar & Ama Dablam 2006 or 2007)


expid: AMAD08315
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Angelo Giovanetti
sponsor: Italian Ama Dablam team
approach: Lukla->Namche->Tengboche->Chhukung->Pangboche
bcdate: 2008-10-24
smtdate: 2008-11-04
smttime: 0815
termdate: 2008-11-06
campsites: BC(24/10,4600m),C1(27/10,5300m),C2(30/10,5700m),Smt(04/11)
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
routememo:
  Giovanetti and Pema left C2 at 1 am on 4 Nov, reached summit at 8:15 am, stayed on summit for 30 minutes and descended to BC at 6 pm. Summit day weather was good but windy. 

  Andreatta did not climb and stayed in BC. 

  Beztrici spent night in C2 on 30 Oct and no climbing after. 

  Bonmassar spent a night in C1 on 27 Oct and went down to BC; he did not like to climb again and remained in BC. 

  Walter spent night in C2 on 30 Oct; he did not try for summit saying it was dangerous.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 11 Nov and will leave on 14 Nov.

  Sherpa:
    Pema Chhosang Sherpa, 30/4/72, Everest X1, Cho Oyu X1


expid: ANN108303
peakid: ANN1
year: 2008
route1: N Face
nation: USA
leaders: Tonya Riggs
sponsor: Dare to Dream 2008
approach: Thorong Pass->Jomsom->Kali Gandaki->Marpha
bcdate: 2008-10-17
smtdate: 2008-10-19
termdate: 2008-10-28
termnote: Abandoned at 4500m due to dangerous avalanching
othersmts: Attempted Annapurna IV (ANN4-083-02)
campsites: BC(17/10,4176m),ABC(19/10,4500m),xxx(19,21/10,4500m)
agency: Wilderness Experience
routememo:
  Two members, Riggs and Clement, went first to Annapurna IV and made BC at 4573m on 16 September. They were confined to BC by one week of snowfall and occupied C1 only on the 23rd.

  On 1 October, Riggs and Clement established C3 at 6555m on the southeast side of the Dome. From there they saw ahead of them a small face and walked over to it, gaining no altitude but discovered the impossibility of their surmounting it. They were only two climbers; their two Sherpas did not go above C2, which had already meant that they had taken a long time to move up the mountain. There was no way around this face: its south side was a vertical drop of blue ice, and its north side was heavily corniced.

  They went back to C3 and decded their climb of Annapurna IV was over. On the 4th they returned to C2, on the 5th were in BC, and on the 7th left BC for their bid to scale Annapurna I.

  It took them ten days to make their way through a difficult gorge to their Annapurna I North Face BC, which they pitched at 4176m, lower than most teams' BC site. Here they were joined by the team's third member, Graves, and two days later, on 19 October, the three Americans started up. They established ABC at 4500m, but they were unable to go higher because they discovered that there had been a massive landslide which blocked the route between BC and C1. Furthermore big rocks were still falling from avalanche debris. They searched for an alternative but found none and went back to BC on the 20th.

  A small team of two Czechs and a Slovak led by Martin Minarik, after failing to scale the NW Face, asked to join forces with the Americans on the North Face. The American responded by visiting Minarik's BC; they explained the problem of finding a route, and returned to their own BC.

  On the 21st the Americans returned to ABC, but they still could not find an alternative route above it. They were back next day in BC, from where they saw a wind plume of snow blowing off the summit. The weather forecast they received said that the strong winds would last for five more days. From ABC they had seen a small avalanches come down from the the Sickle. They decided they should abandon this attempt also.

  On the 23rd Minarik's team arrived at the Americans' BC. At 11:30 am huge avalanche came off the Sickle and wiped out the route to about 4900m. That convinced everyone to leave. The Americans had to stay in BC until the 28th waiting for their porter to arrive.

  Fixed rope: 400m (BC->C1)


expid: ANN208301
peakid: ANN2
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge of Annapurna IV
nation: Croatia
leaders: Darko Berjlak
sponsor: Ogulin Himalayan Expedition Annapurna II 2008
countries: Slovenia
approach: Marshyangdi->Hongde->Sabje Khola->SE to BC
bcdate: 2008-10-03
smtdate: 2008-10-15
termdate: 2008-10-25
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due to strong winds
campsites: BC(03/10,4700m),C1(06/10,5700m),C2(12/10,6500m),C3(14/10,6900m),xxx(15/10,7200m)
accidents: Carin's altitude sickness; Pepevnik's frostnipped finger
agency: Everest Trekking
routememo:
  BC at normal site
  C1 at snowfield below the dome of Annapurna IV
  C2 at west of that Dome
  High point at NW Ridge.

  Ogulin Himalayan Expedition Annapurna II 2008 led by Darko Berjlak - 31 Oct 2008

  The expedition planned to leave Kathmandu on 27 September by bus to Besisahar and trek to BC via the Marshyangdi River, but they were delayed by having to wait for one member, Carin, a very busy businessman, who arrived in Nepal only on 2 October. So they flew by helicopter to BC on the 3rd and arrived three days earlier than expected.

  Carin immediately developed cerebral edema was was on oxygen all night on 4/5 October. He left on the 5th by helicopter.

  The expedition encountered numerous problems on the mountain: falling stones, big "waves" of windblown soft snow, deep snow between C2 and C3, snow avalanches, big seracs above C2 which they had to traverse around, deep crevasses above C3, strong wind gusting up to 150 km/hr which blew climbers off their feet. In addition, a cat tore open their food cache at 5400m.

  The expedition's high point of 7200m was reached by Ferencak and Pepevnik on 15 October. It was high on the NW Ridge of Annapurna IV, which mountain they had to cross to get to Annapurna II. The two climbers returned to BC that day and all members were in BC then also.

  The team made a new effort to get higher on the mountain. They wanted to make a new C3, and on the 21 they took gear for the new camp to C2. But the wind drove back their attempts on the 22nd and 23rd to get to the new site; they managed only short distances from C2 on both days. They gave up.

  The only member with a health problem besides Carin with altitude sickness was Pepevnik, whose fingers were frostnipped. Salopek was hit on his left shoulder by a falling stone, but he was not seriously injured.


expid: ANN408302
peakid: ANN4
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Tonya Riggs
sponsor: Dare to Dream 2008
approach: Besisahar->Manang Valley to Hongje and south on Sabje Khola
bcdate: 2008-09-16
smtdate: 2008-10-01
termdate: 2008-10-07
termnote: Abandoned at 6555m due to difficulty with route
othersmts: Attempted Annapurna I (ANN1-083-03)
campsites: BC(16/09,4573m),C1(23/09,5244m),C2(28/09,5945m),C3(07/10,6555m),xxx(01/10,6555m)
agency: Wilderness Experience
primid: ANN108303
routememo:
  High point at 6555m at southeast side of the Dome.

  Two members, Riggs and Clement, went first to Annapurna IV and made BC at 4573m on 16 September. They were confined to BC by one week of snowfall and occupied C1 only on the 23rd.

  On 1 October, Riggs and Clement established C3 at 6555m on the southeast side of the Dome. From there they saw ahead of them a small face and walked over to it, gaining no altitude but discovered the impossibility of their surmounting it. They were only two climbers; their two Sherpas did not go above C2, which had already meant that they had taken a long time to move up the mountain. There was no way around this face: its south side was a vertical drop of blue ice, and its north side was heavily corniced.

  They went back to C3 and decded their climb of Annapurna IV was over. On the 4th they returned to C2, on the 5th were in BC, and on the 7th left BC for their bid to scale Annapurna I.


expid: ANN408303
peakid: ANN4
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Nobuyuki Nishibayashi
sponsor: Nishibayashi Annapurna IV Expedition
approach: Besisahar->Jagat->Tal->Chame->Pisang->Hongde
agency: Cosmo Treks
routememo:
  On 15 October Nishibayashi, Ang Phuri, Shanta Man and Jit Bahadur left Hongde to establish BC. Nishibayashi was very slow, weak at about 4600m. Nishibayashi told Shantaman he could not walk anymore and wants to go back. Same day the team returned to Hongde, rested a night there. Next day left Hongde for Kathmandu. The team returned to Kathmandu on 21 Oct. Nishibayashi left Kathmandu on 25 Oct.

  Farthest on 15 Oct at 4600m at about one and half hour below the BC reached by Nishibayashi, Ang Phuri Lama, Shanta Man Tamang & Jit Bahadur Tamang.

  Sherpas:
    Ang Phuri Lama, 19/2/48 (07/11/2004), Beni-3, Taksindu Solu, summited Makalu,
      Manaslu
    Shanta Man Tamang, 22/8/1974 (06/05/2031), Deusa-6, Solu
    Jit Bahadur Tamang, 20/2/1971 (08/11/2027), Deusa-6, Solu


expid: BARU08308
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Russia
leaders: Oxana Morneva
sponsor: Friendship Baruntse Expedition
ascent1: 87th
countries: Nepal
approach: Mera La->Mera Peak
bcdate: 2008-10-23
smtdate: 2008-10-31
smttime: 0700
termdate: 2008-11-04
campsites: BC(23/10,5400m),C1(24/10,6100m),Smt(31/10)
accidents: Breathing problems by Morneva
agency: Arun Treks (Himalayan Guides pmt)
routememo:
  Summit team left C1 at 1:45 am on 31 Oct. Weather good but windy. Snow conditions were very good. Straightforward climb. They spent 45 minutes on summit. They descended to BC, arrived at 2:30 pm. 

  Oxana Morneva reached the South Summit at 7050m on 30 Oct. Morneva, Pasang and Tamang left C1 at 12:30 am. She had problems with her breathing. All 3 of them decided to return to C1. Arrived at 3 pm. Next day when Pasang and Tamang went to summit, Morvena stayed at C1. They descended to BC together.

  Alaeva reached just below West Col on 24 Oct (5700m). She had breathing problems and abandoned expedition. 

  They walked out via Amphu Laptsa.

  Hired:
    Pasang Sherpa, Taplejung, Lelep-8, 27/4/78, Kangch X1, 2008, Border Sec. Force,
      India, Ama Dablam X5


expid: BARU08309
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Murray Campbell
sponsor: Baruntse Friendship Expedition
ascent1: 92nd
bcdate: 2008-10-29
smtdate: 2008-11-06
smttime: 0830
termdate: 2008-11-08
campsites: BC(20/10,5400m),C1(02/11,6100m),C2(05/11,6400m),Smt(06/11)
accidents: Webber's pulmonary edema
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  BC near lake
  C1 just over West Col's east side
  C2 at lower part of SE Ridge.

  Baruntse Friendship Expedition, led by Murray Campbell - 11 Nov 2008

  The three members and Dawa Sangmu Bhote left for the summit from C2 at 3:00 am on 6 November. At 4:30 am when he was at 6650m, Webber had to turn back because he had pulmonary edema, and Dawa Sangmu went down with him to 6500m to make sure he could descend safely alone, then Dawa Sangmu rejoined the other members. Campbell, Moffat and Dawa Sangmu summited at 8:30 am and were back in BC at 5:00 pm. There was "minimal" wind, blue skies and good, consolidated snow underfoot.

  Meanwhile, Webber had continued to C2 alone. From there he was escorted down to BC by a Sherpa named Pasang whom the members had hired at Baruntse to help Webber, who had not been well from the start of their climb. Webber and Pasang reached BC at 5:00 pm. Webber used the team's medical oxygen at C2 at 7:00 to 7:30 am. and for another half-hour in BC. A helicopter picked him up from BC on the 8th and flew him to Kathmandu.

  Sherpas:
    Dawa Sangmu Bhote, 6/9/77 (21/5/2034), Hatiya-3, Sankhuwasabha, no 8000ers
    Pasang Sherpa, 27/4/78, Lelep-8, Taplejung, Kangch X1
      (he had summited Baruntse on 31 October with a team led by Oxana Morneva 
      from Russia and thus was available to help this team)


expid: BARU08310
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Denmark
leaders: Mads Petersen
sponsor: Danes On Baruntse
approach: Mera La
bcdate: 2008-10-23
smtdate: 2008-10-26
termdate: 2008-11-04
termnote: Abandoned at 6400m due to cold feet
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak
campsites: BC(23/10,5400m),C1(25/10,6100m),xxx(26/10,6400m)
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  On 29 Oct high point team left C1 at 2 am. Weather was clear, but cold. They reached C2 at 3 am. Petersen had very cold feet and decided that he did not want to risk getting frostbite. As they wanted to stay a team they all decided to descend to C1, where they arrived at 3:30 am. In the morning they descended to BC. The reason why they remained at BC for such a long time was that they were waiting for other Arun Trek teams to cross the Amphu Laptsa together. Both members climbed Island Peak.

  Sherpa:
    Lhakpa Rangdu, Sotang-6, Solu, 18/11/1967, Cho Oyu X3, Everest X4


expid: BARU08311
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Spain
leaders: Manuel Gonzalez
sponsor: Expedicion Mujer Andalucia
ascent1: 91st,93rd
approach: Jatra La->Mera La
bcdate: 2008-10-30
smtdate: 2008-11-06
smttime: 0800
termdate: 2008-11-13
othersmts: Mera La
campsites: BC(30/10,5400m),C1(04/11,6150m),C2(05/11,6435m),Smt(06,08/11)
agency: Bochi Bochi Treks
routememo:
  6 Nov summit team left C2 at 3:30 am. Weather was nice but cold. Route was fixed by other teams. They only stayed 10 minutes on summit, it was too cold. They descended to C1, arrived at 1 pm. Next day to BC. 

  8 Nov summit team left C2 at 2:30. Weather was good but cold. No problems. They stayed on summit for half an hour. They descended to C1 where they arrived at 4 pm. Next day to BC.

  Herreria reached C1 on 6 Nov; as she was expedition doctor she was not intending to climb higher. 

  Moron reached 6750m on 8 Nov. She had left with 8 Nov summit team but felt too weak to carry on. She went back to C2 and waited for team to come down.

  Sherpas:
    Temba Nurbu, Makalu-5, Sankhu, 27/4/80, Manaslu Spring 2008 with Hirukyoka
      Kuraoka
    Chhepi Bhote, Honggaon, Hatiya, Makalu, 30/9/74, Everest X2, Makalu X1
      (Makalu in Spring 2008 with Gonzalez)


expid: BARU08312
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Silvio Mondinelli
sponsor: Italian Baruntse Expedition
ascent1: 82nd
bcdate: 2008-10-10
smtdate: 2008-10-20
smttime: 0900
termdate: 2008-10-22
campsites: BC(10/10,5350m),C1(13/10,6100m),C2(19/10,6400m),Smt(20/10)
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
routememo:
  BC at west side of small lake
  C1 on West Col
  C2 at foot of SE Ridge.

  Italian Baruntse Expedition, led by Silvio Mondinelli - 26 October 2008

  C1 at 6100m was occupied by Allegrini, Dalla Rosa, Mabellini and Mondinelli on 13 October. The next day they returned to BC.

  On the 17th, Allegrini, Dalla Rosa and Mabellini went back to C1. The next day Mondinelli joined them in C1, and on the 19th all four went up to C2.

  On the 20th the four members and their two Sherpas, Nuru Wangchu and Sonam Dorje, left C2 for the summit at 3:00 am. At 8:00 am on the SE Ridge, Dalla Rosa turned back; he was not a climber, and this was the first time he had ever used crampons and an ice axe. The other three members and the two Sherpas continued to the top, which they reached at 9:00 am. Dalla Rosa reached BC at 2:00 pm and so did Mondinelli while the four other summiters arrived there at 4:30 pm.

  Two members made no summit bid:

  Magliano, who was the team's organizer, reached 5800m on 13 October and left the next day.

  Lenatti never got above BC. She developed altitude sickness on her first day's trek out of Lukla, reached BC on the 10th with the rest of the team, but her edema got worse there, and she was evacuated to Kathmandu by helicopter on the 12th.

  Sherpas:
    Nuru Wangchu Sherpa, 18/8/77, Pangboche, Everest X5, Cho Oyu X2
    Sonam Dorje (Nuru Wangchu's brother), 18/1/86, Pangboche, Everest X1, Cho Oyu X1


expid: BARU08313
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: New Zealand
leaders: Michael Roberts
sponsor: Adventure Consultants Baruntse 2008
ascent1: 80th
countries: Australia, Austria, Colombia, USA
bcdate: 2008-09-17
smtdate: 2008-09-27
smttime: 1050
termdate: 2008-09-30
othersmts: Climbed Mera Peak (all members and Sherpas on 15 Sept)
campsites: BC(17/09,5450m),C1(20/09,5130m),C2(21/09,6450m),Smt(27/09)
accidents: Josef Hochmeister breathing problem; Rich bronchitis
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  BC near small lake
  C1 east side of West Col
  C2 at bottom of steep part of SE Ridge.

  Adventure Consultants Baruntse 2008, led by Michael Roberts - 5 Oct 2008

  The summit party left C2 at 3:00 am on 27 September: Josef Hochmeister, Lukas Hochmeister, Huber, Lopez, Roberts, Dawa Jangbu, Lhakpa Dorje and Temba. Josef Hochmeister turned around at 3:30 am, when he was at 6500m, because of a breathing problem and descended to BC the same day. All the others went to the top at 10:50 am and were back in C2 at 3:00 pm.

  While the summiters were on their way to the top, a slab avalanche started moving down the mountain close to Huber, but no one was hurt.

  Because of his breathing problem, Josef Hochmeister used oxygen for two hours in C2 before going on down to BC.

  Non-summiting members:

  Josef Hochmeister (see above).

  Irani reached 6000m on Baruntse, and after having summited Mera Peak on 15 September with the other members and Sherpas, he decided he had more than enough climbing. He left Baruntse BC on 21 September.

  Kuehn was a guide on this expedition. He got as high as C2 and was on the mountain till the 25th, when he left to help rescue a Sherpa at Amphu Laptsa.

  Rich turned back at C2 on the 27th because of bronchitis. He left BC with the other members.

  Fixed rope : 300m between 6700m-7100m

  Sherpas:
    Dawa Jangbu, 22/4/73, Pangboche, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X6
    Lhakpa Dorje, 16/11/61, Sanam, Gudel, Cho Oyu X3, Everest X4, Lhotse X1,
      Makalu X3
    Temba Sherpa, 24/6/78, Khumjung, Everest X2


expid: BARU08314
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Turkey
leaders: Tunc Findik
sponsor: Turk on Baruntse
ascent1: 85th
approach: Lukla->Tangnag->Khare->Mera La->Kangmedigma->Seto Pokhari
bcdate: 2008-10-22
smtdate: 2008-10-25
smttime: 1100
termdate: 2008-10-30
othersmts: Climbed Mera Peak (19 Oct)
campsites: BC(22/10,5450m),C1(24/10,6100m),Smt(25/10)
agency: Expedition to Himalaya
routememo:
  BC at beside the lake
  C1 at West Col.

  Findik and Dawa left C1 at 2 am on 25 Oct. They reached summit at 11 am, stayed on summit for 15 minutes (it was very cold and strong wind), descended to C1 at 1:15 pm; same day to BC at 5 pm. While climbing Findik and Dawa had to shelter in an empty yellow tent in C2 (6300m) for 3 hours due to strong wind and very cold. After sunrise wind condition was eased. The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Nov and will leave on 9 Nov.

  Sherpa:
    Dawa Sherpa, record holder for Everest North BC to South BC in 20 hours 15 min.


expid: BARU08315
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Mexico
leaders: Alejandro Perez
sponsor: International Baruntse Expedition
approach: Chutanga->Tangnag->Khara->Mera BC->Mera La->Thungmadinge->Seto Pokhari
bcdate: 2008-10-22
smtdate: 2008-10-29
termdate: 2008-10-30
termnote: Abandoned at 6500m due to lack of acclimatization, lack of time
othersmts: Climbed Mera Peak (all members and Sherpa on 19 Oct)
campsites: BC(22/10,5446m),C1(23/10,6140m),xxx(29/10,6500m)
agency: Himalayan Glacier
routememo:
  Perez and Norbu left C1 at 1:30 am, reached C2 around 4:30 am on 29 Oct. Perez faced difficulty to breathe and they descended to C1 at 5:30 am, same day to BC. 

  Mulkova slept in C1 on 23rd and next day to BC. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Nov and will leave Kathmandu on 8 Nov to Bhutan. Perez couple will return to Kathmandu on 12 and leave on 13.

  Sherpa:
    Norbu Sherpa, 2/5/68 (20/01/2025), Beding, Everest X9, Cho Oyu X7, etc.


expid: BARU08316
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Christopher Walker
sponsor: Adventure Peaks Baruntse Expedition 2008
ascent1: 89-90th
countries: Denmark
bcdate: 2008-10-25
smtdate: 2008-11-02
smttime: 0820
termdate: 2008-11-06
campsites: BC(25/10,5400m),C1(29/10,6100m),C2(30/10,6400m),Smt(02-03/11)
agency: Makalu Adventure
routememo:
  Approach: Poyam, Pangkongma, Na Shing, Dingma, Chalen Kharka, Chumbu Kharka, Khote,
    Tangnag, Khare, Kanadim, Pach Pokhari

  On 2 Nov Quine and Phur Temba left C2 at 2:30 am, reached summit at 8:20 am, stayed on summit for 5 minutes, then descended to C2 at 10:30 am, slept in C2. The weather was very cold and windy. 

  On 3 Nov, Riley, Starkie, Vanshardt, Walker, Walkington, Phurba Wangchu, Pasang left C2 at 2:30 am, reached summit between 9-10 am, stayed on summit for 10 minutes, descended to C2 between 12 noon-2 pm. Walkington had to turn around from South Summit (about 7000m) due to exhaustion. The weather was good, cold and light wind. The mountain was in excellent condition. Next day all members and Sherpas descended to BC.

  Dvid Jakulis had altitude problem on 3 Nov above C2, descended to C2. 

  David Potter did not show up, was suppose to join in Lukla from trek. 

  Michael Ryan evacuated from Nashing by helicopter on 16 Oct, due to kidney stone problem; he left Kathmandu some days later. Thus not to BC.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 11 Nov and will leave on 13 Nov.

  Sherpas:
    Phur Temba Sherpa, 5/1/79 (21/09/2035), Makalu-5
    Phurba Wangchu, 5/12/75 (19/08/2032), Waku-9, Solu (Everest summiter)
    Pasang Sherpa, 20/2/83 (08/11/2039), Balakharka, Makalu-4, Ever X3, Cho Oyu X1
    Pemba Rinjin Sherpa, 1/1/65, Tashigaon, Makalu-5, Everest X3


expid: BARU08317
peakid: BARU
year: 2008
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Spain
leaders: Gerard Suner, Estel Turbau
sponsor: Independent team on Baruntse
ascent1: 83rd
approach: Chutenga->Tangnag->Khare->Mera La->Mera BC->Mera Pk->Seto Pokhari
bcdate: 2008-10-13
smtdate: 2008-10-20
smttime: 1100
termdate: 2008-10-23
othersmts: Climbed Mera Peak
campsites: BC(13/10,5396m),C1(15/10,6120m),C2(19/10,6400m),Smt(20/10)
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  On 20 Oct Turbau, Suner and Dawa Sherpa left C2 at 4 am, reached summit at 11 am, stayed on summit for about 30 minutes, descended to C2 between 2-3 pm, reached BC at 7 pm. 

  Other climbers summited on that day were Silvio Mondinelli, Alice and one more (all Italians with three Sherpas).

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 30 Oct.

  Sherpa:
    Dawa Sherpa, 1/11/71, Damdi, Tapting-9, Cho Oyu 1/10/06


expid: CHOY08306
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: Taiwan
leaders: Lien Chih-Chan
approach: Zangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2008-09-15
smtdate: 2008-10-05
smttime: 1530
termdate: 2008-10-08
agency: South Asian Treks
campsites:
  BC(15/09,5000m),ABC(17/9,5450m),C1(26/9,6500m),C2(01/10,7000m),C3(02/10,7200m),C4(04/10,7500m),Smt(05/10)

routememo:
  Wu left C4 at 2:30 am on 5 Oct. The weather was clear and snow conditions were good. He reached the summit at 3:30 pm. He then descended to C2 where he arrived at about 6 pm.

  Huang reached 7500m on 4 Oct; he did not carry on due to exhaustion and bad weather.

  Lien reached 7000m on 3 Oct; he did not carry on as he found it too hard without oxygen.

  Chiang reached C1 at 6500m on 27 Sept. She stayed one night and did not carry on due to exhaustion and found alpine style too difficult.


expid: CHOY08307
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: USA
leaders: Stuart Remensnyder
sponsor: Field Touring Alpine Cho Oyu Expedition 2008
countries: Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, UK
bcdate: 2008-09-12
smtdate: 2008-10-02
smttime: 0815
termdate: 2008-10-08
campsites: BC(12/09,4700m),C1(15/09,5700m),C2(23/09,7100m),C3(01/10,7600m),Smt(02/10)
agency: Su-Swagatam Treks
routememo:
  Field Touring Cho Oyu Expedition, led by Stuart Remensnyder - 11 Oct 2008

  The summit party members Baker, Castel, Higgott, Kane, Leveille, Mazza, Moody, Remensnyder, Lhakpa Sherpa and Parsu Ram Rai. They left C3 for the top on 2 October at 2:00 am (all times are Chinese Time). At about 3:30 am at 7700m Kane and Parsu Ram turned back because they were too cold.

  Leveille reached 8160m at 2:45 pm; Remensnyder met him there as he, Remensnyder, was coming down from the summit, and told Leveille that it was too late to continue to the top. Leveille descended slowly with Remensnyder through the night; he was suffering from mild cerebra edema, hypothermia (it was very cold, and dehydration). At 6:00 am (3:45 NST) on the 3rd, when he was with Kane at a section where there was no fixed rope, about two or three meters above C3, he sat down, lunged to one side and fell to his death 500m down a vertical slope; his head was badly smashed. His body was buried in a small crevasse near C2.

  The summit was reached by Higgott, Mazza and Lhakpa at 10:30 am (8:15 am NST); Baker at noon (9:45 NST); Castel at 12:15 pm (10:00 NST); Moody at 12:30 pm (10:15 NST); and Remensnyder at 2:30 pm (12:15 NST). Baker, Higgot, Mazza and Lhakpa descended to C2; the others stayed in C3.

  Oxygen was used by Leveille from 150m above C3 till his death (from 2:00 to 6:00 am).

  Other non-summited members:

  Calzarossa's high point was 6900m. He had altitude sickness early in the climbing period, and he stopped climbing altogether when teammate Leveille fell to his death on 3 October.

  Dickson reached C3 on 1 October, but was too slow to go for the summit with other member on the 2nd.

  Haugen reached 6600m; had chest infection and retinal hemorrhage so went no higher.

  Hibbert got to only 6900m because altitude problems.

  Nystrom reached 7200m on 2 October, but had to turn back because of intestinal problem. When he was about 100 vertical meters (200 linear meters) above C2 at 6:00 pm, he fell into soft snow. He was not hurt, but he lost a lot of feathers and got slightly frostbitten toes.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Sherpa, 1968-69 (2025), Tamku, Lokhim-9, Solu, no 8000ers
    Parsu Ram Rai, 39 yrs, Rakha-4, Khotang


expid: CHOY08308
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: Italy
leaders: Nicola Campani
sponsor: Italian Cho Oyu Expedition 2008
approach: Zangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2008-09-12
smtdate: 2008-10-01
termdate: 2008-10-03
termnote: Abandoned at 7532m due to exhaustion and lack of time
campsites: BC(12/09,4854m),ABC(15/09,5593m),C1(19/09,6400m),C2(26/09,7248m),xxx(01/10,7532m)
agency: Pike Expeditions & Treks
routememo:
  BC at CBC/MC - 5297m on 14 Oct.

  Nicola Campani and Silvetti arrived at C2 on 28 Sep. Silvetti went up to C3 site to look for place to put C3 on 1 Oct and returned to C2. It was not possible to put up C3 due to shortage of time and descended both to C2. Next day to BC. 

  Lorenzo Campani remained in ABC. Corsini and Sassatelli climbed up to C1 on 19 Sept, spent night there and descended to BC. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 5 Oct and will leave on 07 Oct.


expid: CHOY08309
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: USA
leaders: Michael Hamill
sponsor: International Mountain Guides (IMG) Cho Oyu Expedition 2008
countries: Canada, Czech Republic, S Africa
bcdate: 2008-09-11
smtdate: 2008-10-05
smttime: 0530
termdate: 2008-10-07
campsites: BC(11/09,4970m),ABC(15/09,5700m),C1(21/09,6400m),C2(03/10,7000m),C3(04/10,7470m),Smt(05/10)
agency: Beyul Adventure
routememo:
  IMG Cho Oyu Expedition 2008 - Group II led by Michael Hamill - 10 October 2008

  The summit party's members were Bergum, Carstens, Dolbeare, Fairhurst, Garry, Hamill, Masek, Schumer and Vernovage (all members except Chapman) plus six Sherpas and two Tibetans.

  They left C3 at midnight of 4/5 October. At 2:00 am at 7680m, Schumer was worn out and turned back; Nima Karma with him descended to C1. The rest of the party were on the top between 5:30 and 6:00 am, and they went down to C1 at 3:00 pm. The successful climbers were Bagum, Carstens, Dolbeare, Fairhurst, Garry, Hamill, Masek and Vernovage; Sherpas Chewang Lendu, Da Sona, Karma Rita, Mingma Dorje, and Phunuru; and Tibetans Tashi Tshering and Tsetan Gyurme.

  Chapman had left the expedition before summit time. His high point was 6700m on 22 September. He as not feeling well, descended from C1 on 3 October, and left BC with IMG's Group I led by Olivia Cussen on the 5th.

  Oxygen: Carstens sleeping in C2 to top to but not in C2; other members in C3 to their high points to C2. Sherpas and Tibetans none.

  Sherpas:
    Chewang Lendu, 19/4/80, Phorste, Everest X2, Lhotse X1, Manaslu X1 
    Da Sona/Dawa Sona, 5/12/65, Pangboche, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X7
    Karma Rita, 21/1/76, Phortse, Cho Oyu X2, Everest X4
    Mingma Dorje, 22/7/65, Phortse, Everest X3
    Nima Karma, 30/6/83, Phortse, Everest X2
    Phunuru/ Phu Nuru, 16/5/80, Phortse, Cho Oyu X6, Everest X3

  Tibetans: 
    Tashi Tshering, 11/5/82, Gyantse Dzong, Cho Oyu 2/10/06
    Tse Dan Qui Mei/Tseten Jigme, 9/9/85, Tsongdu, Nyalam Dzong, Cho Oyu X2


expid: CHOY08310
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: USA
leaders: Dan Mazur, Samuli Mansikka
sponsor: SummitClimb Cho Oyu Expedition 2008
countries: Argentina, Australia, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, UK
bcdate: 2008-09-09
smtdate: 2008-10-02
smttime: 1100
termdate: 2008-10-06
campsites: BC(09/09,4700m),ABC(13/09,5650m),C1(16/09,6330m),C2(25/09,7100m),C3(30/09,7500m),Smt(02-04/10)
agency: Everest Parivar
routememo:
  Cho Oyu Climbing Expedition, led by Mika Mansikka - 9 October 2008

  The expedition went to the summit in three parties on three successive days.

  In the first summit party on 2 October were Falconer, Koponen, Madge, Mazur, Pando and Spencer, plus Jangbu and Lhakpa Gelu. Spencer actually had started his summit push from C1 at 10:00 pm on the 1st. He reached C3 at 4:00 am on the 2nd as the others were leaving for the top, and he was on the summit with them on the 2nd at 3:00 pm, then descended to C2 at 11:00 pm. He did all this without using oxygen at any time.

  The rest of this party left C3 at 4:00 am on the 2nd. Falconer, Madge, Mazur and Jangbu summited at 11:00 am while the others got to the top at 3:00 pm. All of them except Koponen and Pando were back in C3 at 4:00 pm.

  Koponen and Pando did not return to C3 until 6:00 pm. Five of Koponen's fingers became frostbitten. Pando was very slow even though he was on oxygen, and he lost mobility in C1; in Kathmandu he was hospitalized for several days. It was not clear what his medical problem was: Mazur thought it was cerebral edema but doctors in Kathmandu said it was a chest infection. He was able to fly home alone on the 9th.

  The second summit party:

  The members of the second summit party were Aho, Fairweather, Kalliola, Mansikka, Sahney, Turner, Valanne and Zuidweg, plus Tibetans Ishi, Pincho and Ungla. They left C3 on 3 October between 3:15 am, when Sahney started up, and 3:45 am, when Turner set off.

  Zuidweg developed cerebral edema, turned back at 8000m and reached C2 at 3:00 pm. Kalliola turned back with him; he was tired and cold. He rested in C3, then went down to C2. Valanne got no higher than 7700m at 5:00 am, he also was cold and he wanted to protect fingers which had been frostbitten on Everest. He descended all the way to BC. Aho was tired and turned back with Valanne but continued down to C1.

  The successful summiters in this party were Sahney at 9:15 am, and Fairweather, Mansikka, Turner and Tibetan Ishi, at 9:30 am. All went down to ABC except Mansikka, the leader, who stopped in C2.

  The third summit party were just three members, Blair, Kausch, Petersen, and one Sherpa, Pasang Gelu. They started up from C3 at 4:30 am and all of them summited: Pasang Gelu at 9:30 am, Kausch at 10:00 am, Petersen at 10:45 am, and Blair at 11:00 am. They all descended to C2.

  Other non-summiting members:

  Clarke reached C1 several times, the last time on 25 September, but chest infection defeated him and he left ABC on 26 September.

  Cloud got to 6700m, had a back problem and no higher.

  Kallio got to 6600m, but not fit enough for the climb and left on 26 September.

  Kellund got to 7100m, but not strong enough to go higher.

  Leendertse went to C1 only, had a bad cough and left on 26 September.

  Rota got to C2 but developed a very poor appetite and left ABC on 3 October.

  Wasowski reached C2, got cerebral edema and left ABC on 1 September; he was on oxygen from C2 to BC.

  Oxygen:
    Aho from C3 to his point to C1.
    Fairweather, Falconer, Madge, Mazur and Pando from C3 to top to C3.
    Sahney and Turner from C3 to top to C2.
    Wasowski (see above)

  No other members used any oxygen; Sherpas and Tibetans also used none.

  Sherpas:
    Jangbu, 24/5/67, Patle, Okhaldhunga, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X4, Lhotse X1
    Lhakpa Gelu/Gelbu, 13/4/77, Thumduk, Beni, Solu, Everest X3, Lhotse X1
    Pasang Gelu, 28/11/63, Dhimbul, Gudel, Solu, Dhaulagiri I X1, Everest X5

  Tibetans (no biographical data available)


  Fax from Dan Mazur to Elizabeth Hawley - 12 Oct 2008

  Tibetan summiters on 3 Oct 2008:
    Tsering Pinso
    Champa/Qiangba from Gyantse
    Gonga/Onga from Old Tingri
    Norbu Tenzi from Shigatse
    Kezhu/Ketsu from Lingdrushen (near Lhasa)
    Ishi/Tenzi from New Tingri, about 17 yrs


expid: CHOY08311
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: Portugal
leaders: Helder Santos
sponsor: Portuguese Cho Oyu Expedition
approach: By road to BC
bcdate: 2008-10-08
smtdate: 2008-10-09
termdate: 2008-10-12
termnote: Abandoned at 5700m due to only climbers left on mountain
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak (on 27-28 Sept by all members)
campsites: BC(08/10,4700m),ABC(09/10,5700m),xxx(09/10,5700m)
accidents: Feja got Giardia and left BC 9 Oct
agency: Khumbi-ila Mt. & Trekking
routememo:
  Before going to Cho Oyu, the team went to Khumbu and acclimatized by climbing Island Peak with three others on 27 and 28 September. They returned to Kathmandu immediately and left for Tibet on 5 October.

  They arrived at BC on 8 October. By this time, almost all other Cho Oyu teams had finished their climbing and had left BC. When Santos and Felgueiras went to ABC on the 9th and stayed there two nights, there were no other climbers on the mountain (Feja had left the team on the 9th because he had a case of giardia.)

  Santos and Felgueiras decided on the 11th that they should leave too. They were now alone: they had no Sherpa or Tibetan climbers with them; all other teams had either left entirely or had finished their climbs and were ready to leave very soon; even the liaison officer was not there: he had gone to Tingri. They saw that there would be no one to help them if they needed assistance on this 8000 meter mountain. They left BC on the 12th.


expid: CHOY08313
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: Slovenia
leaders: Miha Valic
sponsor: International Cho Oyu Expedition
approach: Standard
bcdate: 2008-09-09
smtdate: 2008-10-03
smttime: 0945
termdate: 2008-10-07
campsites: BC(09/09,4900m),ABC(12/09,5700m),C1(16/09,6400m),C2(24/09,7150m),C3(02/10,7500m),Smt(03/10)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Team originally wanted to climb Cho Oyu, but when Chinese visas not available when they arrived in Nepal, they agreed to Manaslu as an alternative; then belatedly visas were granted, so they reverted to their first choice and went to Cho Oyu.


  Slovenians on Cho Oyu led by Miha Valic - 28 Jan 2008

  Following is based on emails from Tone Skarja, The Slovenian  Alpine Federation, of 13 and 17 January, and Tomaz Repar of 28 January.

  The events of the final days of the Slovenian team on Cho Oyu were the following:

  2 October: Perhaj and Valic climbed from C2 to C3. Valic's health was "very bad: he had diarrhoea and also the first signs of edema (his breathing was noisy, rattling)."

  3 October: Valic was better. According to Repar, Valic "was a very strong and very good climber. I think that he was not well but he still felt strong enough to go up." (Olivia Cussen, the leader of an IMG team who also summited on the 3rd, said that in descent, she and her teammates met Valic on his way up, and he looked strong.)

  Valic summited at 12:00 noon (CST) and waited a few minutes for Perhaj to join him; they saw the top of the Everest pyramid above the clouds. They had not used any oxygen and Valic was looking well. They left the summit at 12:30 pm and returned to C3 at 3:00 pm. They took down their tent and descended to C2, which they reached at 5:00 pm.

  4 October: They slept late in C2 and left it about 1:30 pm. Perhaj left first alone; Valic left a little later with some climbers, mostly Australians, from the Field Touring Cho Oyu Expedition led by Stuart Remensnyder. When he had descended to the first seracs above C1 at about 6800m, Perhaj saw and heard Valic talking to Remensnyder's members at 4:00 pm.

  Valic was "very bad," according to both Skarja and Repar. He was badly dehydrated -- he and Perhaj had no water for two days. He was asking for water and medicine for edema, and they were given to him.

  At the first serac (6800m), it is necessary to use the fixed ropes, and he here he became "nervous" [agitated?], said he had to go down and started descending ahead of them, faster than earlier in the afternoon. But he soon lost consciousness, hanging from the fixed rope, and died, despite the efforts of Ryan Castel from Australia and Arturo Diaz of the Spanish expedition led by Ms. Isabel Asensio to save him. They buried him in "a snow grave."

  Valic's death was initially attributed to a fall. But Repar says, "I think that he did not fall down, but he lost consciousness and died after that."

  According to Ms. Asensio, Diaz and his teammate Ms. Vanesa Ortega, found him as they descended from C1 on the 4th. He was attached to the rope at the bottom of the seracs. They and two unidentified Americans [perhaps Australians] spent two hours trying to revive him, then had to leave.

  On the 5th, Repar got three Sherpas from some other team or teams "to help us bring Miha Valic down to Camp I." During the next two days porter carried him to Chinese base camp, and on the 8th "we brought Valic to Kathmandu."

  Their trekking agency, Monterosa, said his body was sent back to Slovenia.


  Email from Tone Skarja - 17 Jan 2009

  On the evening of Oct 2 at C3, Miha was not feeling fell; he had diarrhea, cough and could not sleep.

  On 3 Oct he was better. At 3 am 4 Chinese and 4 Sherpas left C3 for the top. Valic and Perhaj left C3 about 6 am. At 9 am, they met the Chinese group coming back from the top. Exactly at 12 o'clock, Miha reached the summit, waited a few minutes for Perhaj and told him that the top is very near. Perhaj reached this point, saw the tip of the Everest pyramid above the clouds, and at 12:30 both left the top of Cho Oyu. There were no other climbers there except the Chinese ahead of them. They did not use supplementary oxygen at all. Miha was looking well. At 3 pm they reached C3, took a tent and carried it and put it up again at C2. It was 5 pm.

  4 Oct they slept late and left C2 about 1:30 pm. Perhaj started first alone, Miha a little later with other climbers. Perhaj descended the sec ond serac, but at the next (first) serac he saw Miha and heard how he was talking with the others. Time was 4 pm, when snow storm started. Perhaj continued his descent to C1. At 6:30 pm the weather was good, he left C1 and reached ABC about 10 pm. He was sure Miha was with the others at C1.

  After Tomaz Repar reported that Miha descended from C2 together with an Australian group [led by Stuart Remensnyder] - all of them moved slowly. Before the first (lower) serac (6800-6900m) Miha asked for drugs for pulmonary and cerebral edema and water. He became nervous and moved faster, saying "I must go down." In his descent, he collapsed, stopped, and he ended hanging on the fixed rope (40-50m long), unconscious. Other got him down, but first aid was unsuccessful, and they put him in a temporary grave. 

  Repar climbed up to 7150m only.


expid: DHA108304
peakid: DHA1
year: 2008
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: Pavel Matousek
sponsor: Dhaulagiri 2008 Light Expedition
approach: Pokhara->Jomsom->Alu Bari->Yak Kharka->Tukuche BC->French BC
bcdate: 2008-09-16
termdate: 2008-10-09
termnote: Abandoned due to lack of time and tiredness
othersmts: Attempted Tukuche (TUKU-083-04)
campsites: BC(16/09,4700m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  The expedition tried Tukuche for acclimatization. Four members Belik, Hofmannova, Matousek and Novakova reached Tukuche II (west summit) 6850m. Then back to BC. There was not enough time to attempt on Dhaulagiri I and they were also exhausted. The team returned to Kathmandu on 16 Oct and will leave on 19 Oct.


expid: DORJ08301
peakid: DORJ
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge
nation: Switzerland
leaders: Daniel Silbernagel
sponsor: Swiss Dorje Lhakpa Expedition
approach: Langtang Khola->Langshisa Kharka->north side of Langshisa Glacier
bcdate: 2008-10-27
smtdate: 2008-11-09
termdate: 2008-11-12
termnote: Abandoned at 6600m due to insufficient time to make C3 for summit bid
othersmts: Climbed Yala Peak's south summit
campsites: BC(27/10,4670m),C1(30/10,5350m),C2(04/11,6030m),xxx(09/11,6600m)
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
routememo:
  BC at middle of Langshisa Glacier
  C1 at foot of West Ridge
  C2 on West Ridge
  High point at West Ridge.

  Swiss Dorje Lhakpa Expedition, led by Daniel Silbernagel - 21 Nov 2008

  The first summit push was made by Banz, Baumann and Mueller on 5 November from C2. But they were not well enough acclimatized and reached only 6200m. Mueller's feet became very cold 20 minutes after he left C2, and he returned to the camp. He resumed his ascent after the sun had warmed the air, and he caught up with the other two, but none of them got higher than 6200m and they all descended to BC.

  The second summit push began at BC on 7 November, when Baumann, Santschi and Silbernagel went up to C1 and the next day to C2. On the 9th, Santschi stayed in C2 while Baumann and Silbernagel pushed on higher. Silbernagel stopped at 6500m and waited there while Baumann went on to 6600m, where she arrived at 1:00 pm. They now decided to return to C2 because they were too late to go to the summit and return to C2 during daylight.

  They further decided that the climb was over; they had realized only now the need for a third high camp, and they had no time to establish a C3 and then make a successful summit bid. On the 10th they were in BC.

  On their trek out, the team paused to scale the south summit of the 5742m-high trekking peak, Yala, on the 13th via its west side.


expid: DUDH08301
peakid: DUDH
year: 2008
route1: E Face-S Ridge
route2: E Face-S Ridge (up); NW Ridge (down)
nation: France
leaders: Paulo Grobel
sponsor: French Patrasi Expedition
ascent1: 2nd, 3rd
ascent2: 4th
approach: Juphal->Hurikot->Jagdula Khola->Latang Khola
bcdate: 2008-11-08
smtdate: 2008-11-11
campsites: BC(08/11,4200m),Biv1(09/11,4750m),Biv2(10/11,5100m),C1(11/11,5400m),Smt(11-13/11)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  The expedition planned to reach the mountains by taking scheduled flights Kathmandu/Nepalgunj/Juphal airfield for Dunai, but instead had to fly Kathmandu/Pokhara by scheduled flight and Pokhara/Juphal in a chartered plane. From Juphal, they trekked to the Thuli Bheri River to its junction with the Chang Khola, northwest along the Chang Khola to Hurikot, and north from Hurikot along the Jagdula Khola.

  Their intention was to continue northward and climb Kanjiroba from its western side, but when they got halfway there, they found the way ahead impassable for their porters without fixed rope. They didn't have the necessary rope, so they had to change their objective and decided to climb the 6042m-high Dudh Kundali south of it. They retreated southwards.

  They chose to approach Dudh Kundali from the northwest and made BC on 8 November at 4200m southwest of the Panipatta Khola. On the 9th they bivouacked on the moraine at 4750m and on the 10th on the glacier at 5100m. On 11 November they pitched camp at 5400m on the East Face of Dudh Kundali.

  On the same day, the 11th, Grobel and Cho Temba went up the mountain to make the route to the summit for the others. They left the camp at 11:00 am, climbed the East Face to 5850m, where it met the South Ridge, and followed the ridge to the top, which they reached at 4:30 pm. They rested on the summit for half an hour, then returned to camp at 7:00 pm.

  The South Ridge is steep (40 degrees) and very sharp, and it had a covering of snow. "It was a technical climb."

  The next day, the 12th, Grobel led others to the summit. Gobil, Lapras, Quatrini, Riverieulx, Wagner and Grobel left camp at 7:30 am, arrived at the summit at 12:30 pm, spent half an hour there and descended to BC between 4:00 and 5:00 pm.

  On the 13th, Berthet, who hadn't been feeling very well on the 12th, was ready for his summit bid, so Grobel and he went up from the camp at 7:00 am and were on the top at 11:00 am. They took a different route in their descent: they traversed to the NW Ridge, descended the eastern slope of the ridge and went north to the lake called Jagdula Tal by the local people. They were in BC at 7:00 pm.

  On the 14th, Grobel, Lapras, and Cho Temba bivouacked by the lake at 4650m. The next day they went southwest, crossed a pass westwards to the Ludbu Khola, climbed an 5518m unnamed peak via its easy western slope, and bivouacked at 4200m beside the Khola. On the 16th they followed the Ludbu [Bhitta] Khola southwest to Naphukana and Chotra villages and slept in a house in Chotra. On the 17th they set out for Jumla, where they arrived on the 18th.

  Meanwhile the rest of the team had started trekking to Jumla on the 13th and on the 18th Grobel's party met them there. They all flew by scheduled flight from Jumla to Kathmandu on the 19th.

  All members had reached their camp at 5400m on Dudh Kundali's East Face, but Berthaud, Lechien and Perrette had gone no higher. All three had slight altitude problems.

  Grobel does not claim to have mae Dudh Kundali's first ascent. He gives that credit to Herbert Tichy, who made the first ascent of Cho Oyu in 1954 and in the autumn of 1953 climbed Dudh Kundali but called it Dui Tal Chuli (Two Lakes Peak)

  Sherpa:
    Cho Temba, 5/10/84, Makalu-9, no 8000ers


expid: EVER08304
peakid: EVER
year: 2008
route1: SW Face
nation: S Korea
leaders: Park Young-Seok
sponsor: 2008 Park Everest Southwest Face Expedition
bcdate: 2008-09-13
smtdate: 2008-10-14
termdate: 2008-10-31
termnote: Abandoned at 8400m due to strong winds
accidents: Kang's frostbitten fingers only
agency: NE-KO Treks
campsites:
  BC(18/10,5350m),C1(02/10,6100m),C2(04/10,6500m),C3(10/10,7400m),C4(12/10,7750m),C5(14/10,8400m),xxx(14,25/10,8400m)

routememo:
  C1 at top of Icefall
  C2 in Western Cwm
  C3 on SW Face
  C4 on SW Face
  High point at C5 site.

  2008 Park Everest Southwest Face Expedition - 4 Nov 2008

  Nineteen days elapsed between the expedition's arrival at BC and their occupation of C1 because the government-appointed group to make the route through the Khumbu Icefall, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), assigned only two Sherpas and 1000m of rope to the job. So Park's seven members for Everest, three members for Lhotse, and ten Sherpas went to work on the Icefall with the SPCC men, contributing 1200m of rope, and carrying rope and ladders to where they were to be installed.

  This delay in starting their climb of Everest cost the expedition the summit, Park claimed. If the route had been ready just one week earlier, his team would have summited, but by the time they were in position for a summit bid, the fierce winds had blown up.

  The expedition atttacked Everest's SW Face by a new route well to the left of the Bonington route. Their high point was 8400m, very near the West Ridge. It was to be the site for their C5, and they reached it twice.

  On 14 October the final section of the route to C5 was fixed to the site by two members and a Sherpa, Lee Hyeong-Mo, Shin, and Sangay Phuri, but they did not sleep there. They went down to C2.

  The site was visited again on the 24th, when Kang, Shin, Mingmar Tamang, and Lhakpa Wangdi moved up from C2 to C3 and on the 25th up to C5 site and down to C4. The very strong wind forced their retreat to C4, where they waited on the 26th for another attempt to occupy C5 and to go to the summit, but "too much windy" at 70-80 km/hr. On the 27th they descended to C2 and the climb finished.

  During the night of the 26th well-anchored tents at C2 had been ripped apart by the wind, and all tents at C3 were broken and sleeping bags inside its tents were found in C2.

  Two of Kang's fingers were frostbitten during the last days of his climb. He left BC on the 28th while the rest of the team evacuated BC on the 31st.

  Oxygen was used by all members and Sherpas in and above C4 unless their supplies ran out during their descents.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Wangdi, 11/25/77, Chheskam-2, Solu, no 8000ers
    Mingmar Tamang, 36 years old, Pirangding, Kerung, no 8000ers (but had climbed 
      very high with Korean climber, Um Hong-Gil, on at least one expedition)
    Sangay Phuri, 24/10/70, Makalu-9, Kangch X1


expid: EVER08305
peakid: EVER
year: 2008
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Guilio Savia
sponsor: High CARE 2008 to Everest
countries: Germany
bcdate: 2008-09-21
smtdate: 2008-10-04
termdate: 2008-10-13
termnote: Abandoned at 6400m due to dangerous avalanching & low temperatures
campsites: BC(21/09,5350m),C1(02/10,6100m),C2(04/10,6400m),xxx(04/10,6400m)
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
routememo:
  High CARE 2008, led by Giulio Savia - 19 Oct 2008

  The CARE in the expedition's name is an acronym for cardiology (CA) and research (RE). The main purpose was to collect a great amount of detailed data a high altitudes in a program of scientific research in the field of cardiology.

  Unfortunately the team felt it was impossible to go above C2 because of the dangerous avalanching which came down from Lhotse's West Face, Everest's SW Face and Nuptse's North Face. One avalanche pushed two of the expedition's Sherpas, Phurba Ongel and Nima Tenzing, 200m down from C1 towards the Icefall; luckily they were unharmed. Icefall seracs were crashing down, ladders were crushed and crevasses were opening.

  Furthermore, the weather was very cold. Inside a tent at BC the temperature was minus 10 degrees Celsius. Weather forecast from Austria and Italy predicted 50 km/hr winds and temperatures of at least minus 15 degrees Celsius at the South Col.

  The expedition's high point was C2 at 6400m reached on 4 October by Fisher, Garanzini, Mandrini, Masciaga, Pelfini, Ang Pemba, Dowa Sherpa, Mingmar Dorje, Ngima Sherpa, Nima Tenzing, Phurba Ongdel and Ringi Sherpa. They stayed only one night and went back to BC the next day.

  The team fixed no rope. It was not necessary to fix the route up the easy slope from C1 to C2, and the Icefall route from BC to C1 was fixed by the "Icefall doctors" hired by the SPPC (the quasi-government Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee).

  Other members high points:

  Contini remained in BC through the climbing period. She was a nurse, not a climber.

  Flaemig was a journalist and a not a climber; he went no higher than C1.

  Frassetti had poor health and did not go above BC.

  Iacchini went to C2 on 4 October but did not sleep there; he was vomiting and returned to C1, and never went higher.

  Santambrogio did not go above BC and left the expedition on 3 October; he had a bad leg.

  Savia the leader, did not go above BC.

  Wobst-Wylezol, another journalist, went to C1 only.

  Sherpas:
    Ang Pemba, 1/10/84, Yilajung, Namche-9, Everest X2
    Dawa Sherpa, 25/8/60, Makalu-9
    Mingmar Dorje, Tapting-1
    Ngima Sherpa, 2/12/72, Sikli, Jubing-9, Solu, Everest X2, Cho Oyu X4
    Nima Tenzing, 1980-81 (2037), Paiya, Jubing-7, Solu
    Phurba Ongdel, 30/7/81, Makalu-9
    Ringi Sherpa, 22/5/64, Patle-6, Okhaldhunga, no 8000ers


expid: GANC08301
peakid: GANC
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Nobukatsu Mizoguchi
sponsor: Gangchempo 2008 Expedition
approach: Syabrubesi->Lama Hotel->Langtang->Gangchempo village->Kharka
bcdate: 2008-10-28
smtdate: 2008-11-01
termdate: 2008-11-03
termnote: Abandoned at 6150m due to bad snow conditions (deep snow)
campsites: BC(28/10,4700m),C1(29/10,4900m),C2(30/10,5600m),xxx(01/11,6150m)
agency: Alpine Asian Treks
routememo:
  On 1 Nov Mizoguchi and Gyalbu Tamang left C2 at 5:30 am. They arrived at 6150m at 9:30 pm. Mizoguchi and Gyalbu saw the summit ridge was full of soft snow 2-3 meters deep. It was not possible for them to continue for the summit, so they descended to C2 around 12:30 pm, slept there, and next day to BC. 

  Mizoguchi returned to Kathamandu on 11 Nov and will leave on 5 Dec.

  Hired:
    Gyalbu Tamang, 21/5/77 (08/02/2034), Langtang-7, Rasuwa


expid: GAUG08301
peakid: GAUG
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Hermann Tauber
sponsor: International Gaugiri Expedition
countries: Austria, Italy
approach: Pokhara->Jomsom->Tsarang->Lo Manthang->Yare->Bas Khola
termdate: 2008-10-06
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  On the way to BC, the team put up its last camp at 4750m on 5 Oct. They climbed nearest hill about 5560m on 6 Oct and returned. The team returned to Kathmandu on 9 Oct and will leave on 11 Oct.

  On arrival in Nepal, Tauber said he expected to arrive at BC on 3 October and summit on 5 or 6 October with no Sherpa support.


expid: GAUR08301
peakid: GAUR
year: 2008
route1: E Ridge-SE Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: David Goettler
sponsor: Gaurishankar Expedition 2008
approach: Rolwaling river east to Beding
bcdate: 2008-10-12
smtdate: 2008-10-31
termdate: 2008-11-02
termnote: Abandoned at 6400m due to too dangerous cornices for 2-man team
othersmts: Summited Dolma Kang (Tseringma Peak)(DOLM-083-01)
campsites: BC(12/10,4600m),C1(17/10,5500m),C2(30/10,6000m),xxx(31/10,6400m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  BC south-southeast of summits
  C1 at eastern extension of SE Ridge
  High point at SE Ridge.

  Gaurishankar Expedition 2008, led by David Goettler - 6 Nov 2008

  The team had very little information about Gaurishankar before going there, so they were on uncharted terrain as far as they were concerned.

  After making BC on 12 October at 4600m, on the 15th the two Germans moved from there across the Nolakibug Glacier, which was shaped like a bowl with the south side open, up the south face of the East Ridge to 5500m on the eastern extension of the SE Ridge. This was to be the site for their C1, but they returned to BC that day.

  On the 17th they returned to 5500m, pitched C1 and slept there two nights. On the 18th they moved 500m along the ridge's "many ups and downs" for a vertical gain of 150m. This completed their acclimatization, and on the 19th they descended to BC.

  On the 22nd they returned to C1. The next day they carried their tent and gear west along the north side of this eastern extension of the SE Ridge, which forms the border with Tibet, to 6000m, a distance of two kilometers.

  On the 24th they fixed 200m of rope up the small face that leads to the actual start of the SE Ridge at a point 6333m high. They then descended to BC to rest for a few days.

  They resumed their climb on the 29th, when they again occupied C1. They moved to C2 the next day. On 3 October at 8:20 am they climbed the small face to point 6333m and followed the SE Ridge to 6400m. At 1:00 pm they turned around here: the cornices ahead were too dangerous for a two-man team to try to negotiate. They were back in BC at 6:30 pm with all their gear, tents and rope.


expid: GAUR08401
peakid: GAUR
year: 2008
route1: SW Face
nation: S Korea
leaders: Kang Sung-Woo
sponsor: Corean Alpine Club Gaurishankar West Face Expedition
countries: USA
bcdate: 2008-12-23
smtdate: 2009-01-08
termdate: 2009-01-08
termnote: Abandoned at 5400m due to lack of rope to fix and time running out
campsites: BC(23/12,4080m),Deposit(04/01,4800m),xxx(08/01,5400m)
agency: Universal Trekking Network
routememo:
  Corean Alpine Club Gaurishankar West Face Exped - 25 Jan 2009

  The team planned to climb Gaurishankar via the SW Face, partly by the Americans' route in spring 1979 and partly by a new line they would pioneer themselves. But they never got really close to the face because they had great difficulty to find the normal BC site for the face. Road construction work from Lamabagar village had obscured the trail. They had a guide who said he knew the way, but it turned out he hadn't been there for 20 years, and he was now confused about where to go. They spent two days hacking their way through a forest of bamboo trees and other foliage, and the porters were running out of food.

  They had arrived at Lamabagar on the Bhote Kosi River on 13 December. They trekked for two days north up the river, and then south of Hom village they turned southeast along a small river valley to a spot north of Pt. 4087m and west of Tangapo on the Schneider Rolwaling map. There they camped a day while the guide went off to find the route; he returned to say it was impossible to proceed. He went on a search again while the team's Sherpas searched in a different direction.  All to no avail. They were still a long way west as well as south of Gaurishankar.

  They returned to Lamabagar on the 17th and left on the 18th to move south to Simigaon just east of the Bhote Kosi. They had found on their map that there was a bridge they should cross over the Rolwaling River north of Demdem Kharka and nearly due south of their mountain. On the 20th they went east to a tiny three-house village named Dongwang on the Rolwaling River. They found the bridge, crossed over to the river's north bank, and went north along the west side of a ridge to a spot near Pt 4654m east of Tsermalung valley. They pitched their BC here at 4080m on 23 December.

  They had not yet seen Gaurishankar's SW Face. So they spent the next five or six days trying to gain enough altitude to be able to see where they should place their permanent BC and find access to the face. But fog kept obscuring any view. Also they had been waiting for porters, who were hindered by fresh snowfall, to reach them.

  Finally on the 29th they decided not to move BC. On the next day they started to climb a steep, slippery, grassy rock wall of a "hump" (it did not qualify as a ridge) onto a plateau. They fixed 450m of rope on the wall on the 30th and 31st; on 1 January they reached the altitude of 4600m on the southern slope of the plateau, and returned to BC the same day.

  On the 2nd they were kept in BC by new snowfall but on the 3rd they -- with their two Sherpas, for their first trip above BC, carrying loads -- went up onto the plateau and found a place on the plateau suitable for a camp; here on 4 January they established their deposit camp. Ahn, Jensen-Choi and Lee stayed here that night and the next night acclimatizing.

  On the 6th the three members climbed and fixed rope 300m up a couloir on the south face of a small ridge north of the plateau. On the 7th they rested at deposit camp, and on the 8th they reached the top of a couloir up the ridge to 5400m. It was only here that they finally got a full view of the SW Face. They went down its north side, and walked around in a deep bowl at the bottom of the ridge's north side, and then returned to BC the same day, the 8th.

  Now on the 9th they took stock of their situation. They still had not gotten very close to the SW Face, their supply of rope was considerably depleted (they had brought 1100m), and they were running out of time. They decided to abandon the climb. They spent a few days reconnoitring the area and removing their deposit camp and fixed ropes. They were back in BC on the 15th, and as soon as their porters had arrived, they left BC on 19 January.

  Ahn, Jensen-Choi and Lee were the only active climbing members. Hwang had left the team on 18th December; apparently he had lost interest in the trip. Leader Kang went to the deposit camp three times, but went no higher. Deputy leader Shin also went only to deposit camp.


expid: GYAJ08302
peakid: GYAJ
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge
nation: Iran
leaders: Pooria Parchami
sponsor: Iranian Women Gyajikang Expedition
ascent1: 7th
approach: Besisahar->Tal->Dharapani->Koto->Meta->Kayang->Phu
bcdate: 2008-10-14
smtdate: 2008-10-23
smttime: 1330
termdate: 2008-10-26
campsites: BC(14/10,4750m),ABC(15/10,5400m),C1(17/10,5800m),C2(21/10,6000m),C3(22/10,6400m),Smt(23/10)
accidents: 3 altitude sickness: Jamshidi Pavel, Khademi & Moezi
achievment: 1st Iranian ascent
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  Ketabali Khamseh, Nazarsedeh, Parchami, Sadeei and Mingma left C3 at 4:30 am, reached summit at 1:30 pm, stayed on summit between 30-40 minutes, descended to C3 at 6 pm, slept in C3. Next day to BC. Weather during ascent was good but windy and cold. 

  Jamshidi Pavel went up to C3 on 22 Oct, slept there; she had a headache and did not try for summit. 

  Khademi Tab also slept in C3 on 22 Oct; had headache and did not try for summit.

  Moezi slept in ABC/deposit camp, she had headache and vomit; she remained in BC. 

  Sae Parsa went to ABC and had headache then descended to BC.

  Shabazi slept in C1; did not try for further climb due to tiredness. 

  Valian climbed up to C1, slept there; she went up to about 6000m and descended to BC due to headache.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 0 Nov and will leave on 4 Nov. 

  Sherpa:
    Mingma Thindu Sherpa, 29/4/69 (17/1/2026), Norbugaon, Makalu-5


expid: HIML08305
peakid: HIML
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Markus Walter
sponsor: Diamir Himlung 2008
ascent1: 25th
countries: Austria
approach: Meta->Phu
bcdate: 2008-10-18
smtdate: 2008-10-31
smttime: 1440
termdate: 2008-11-03
campsites: BC(18/10,4820m),C1(21/10,5620m),C2(25/10,6130m),C3(30/10,6380m),Smt(31/10)
agency: Multi Adventure
routememo:
  On 31 Oct summit team and Bruemmer, Horny, Koch, Schreiber left C3 between 7 am and 8:40 am. Bruemmer and Horny turned back at 6500m due to cold at about 8 am and returned to C3. Schreiber reached 6600m, but turned back due to breathing problems at 11 am and also returned to C3. Koch reached 6800m, but turned back at 1 pm due to exhaustion. Summit team left top at 3:45 pm. They descended to C3, where they arrived between 7 pm and 9 pm. On 1 Nov they descended to BC. On way down they dismantled their three camps. They also collected a lot of rubbish that was apparently left by another German team of 4 people. 

  Sandner reached 5700m on 1 Nov; he abandoned expedition due to high pulse rate and a heart conditions.


expid: HIML08306
peakid: HIML
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Kern Buckner
sponsor: Oregon Himlung 2008
ascent1: 24th
approach: Meta->Phu
bcdate: 2008-10-15
smtdate: 2008-10-28
smttime: 1400
termdate: 2008-11-02
campsites: BC(15/10,4500m),C1(21/10,5300m),C2(25/10,6098m),C3(26/10,6298m),Smt(28/10)
accidents: Pulmonary edema by Campbell
agency: Iceland Trekking (Tendi)
routememo:
  On 25 Oct summit team climbed from BC to C2 in about 5 hours. On 26 Oct they moved on to C3 in 3 hours. Rested there on 27 Oct. On 28 Oct they left C3 at 5 am. Snow conditions good, but very cold. Climb straightforward; firm snow, no rope required. Great views of Manaslu from summit. They descended to C3. Buckner and Byrne arrived at 7:45 pm, Corless at 5:45 pm. 

  Campbell reached 5200m (just below C1) on 17 Oct. He did not make it all the way to C1 as he was feeling very exhausted. He descended to BC, same day. He rested the next day. On 18 Oct he felt very sick and was coughing blood. He took Dexamethasone and Nipfedin. On 19 Oct he tried to walk out but was incapable of doing so. Group called helicopter to pick him up the next day. Group watched him all night to make sure he was Ok. Evacuation on 20 Oct to Kathmandu. Went to CIWEC for check up. A week later he went to Besisahar and trekked the Annapurna circuit without problems.

  They walked to Jomsom together and took a jeep from there.


  From Kern Buckner - 11 Aug 2009

  Nepal, Western Manaslu Region, Himlung Himal (7126m)

  Himlung Himal (7126m), West Ridge. In October Keith Campbell, David Byrne, Preston Corless and I set out to climb Himlung Himal by way of the West Ridge. The remote area around Himlung was recently opened up from being a restricted area and has started to see more ascents, with our team being the first American team to summit Himlung. We took 9 days to walk to BC (4663m), arriving on Oct 15. Moving up the mountain Keith developed HAPE and, after attempting self rescue, was flown via helicopter from BC to Kathmandu where he recovered. The three of us went on to establish camps at 5334m and 6096m prior to making a push up the long ridge for the summit by passing C1 and spending one night at C2 and then establishing C3 (6218m) on Oct 26. We summited on Oct 28th. During the fall season the mountain was in good shape and produced cold (below -17C) and windy weather up high. The lower ice fall around C1 had little activity and was very accessible and the upper ice fall, below C2, was mostly filled in with snow.					
  Kern Buckner; AAC Member, Portland OR


expid: HIML08307
peakid: HIML
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Wolfgang Max
sponsor: DAV Ringsee Himlung Expedition
approach: Besisahar->Jagat->Tal->Dharapani->Meta->Phu
bcdate: 2008-10-13
smtdate: 2008-10-23
termdate: 2008-10-25
termnote: Abandoned at 7070m due to cold and strong wind
campsites: BC(13/10,4850m),C1(16/10,5500m),C2(21/10,6040m),C3(22/10,6400m),xxx(23/10,7070m)
agency: Nepal Trans Himalayan Explorer
routememo:
  Ledl, Max, Rohrhirsch, Lhakpa and Damai left C3 at 3:30 am. Max turned around from 6500m to C3 due to excessive cold. Rohrhirsch turned around from 6700m to C3 due to excessive cold and wind with Lhakpa and Damai. Ledl reached up to 7070m at about 10 am and returned to C3 at 1:20 pm, in very strong wind and very cold. The team returned to Kathmandu on 20 Oct and will leave on 31 Oct.

  Sherpas:
    Damai Chhiri Sherpa, 19/5/75 (05/02/2032), Sikli, Jubing-9
    Lhakpa Dorje Sherpa, 2/6/71 (19/02/2028), Surke, Chaurikharka-4,


expid: HIML08308
peakid: HIML
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge
nation: Switzerland
leaders: Gerard Tejedor
sponsor: Swiss Phu Kang Expedition 2008
ascent1: 23rd
countries: France
bcdate: 2008-10-16
smtdate: 2008-10-27
smttime: 1500
termdate: 2008-11-01
othersmts: Had permit only for Phu Kang (PHUK-083-01)
campsites: BC(16/10,4600m),C1(25/10,5500m),C2(26/10,6200m),Smt(27/10)
agency: Pike Peak Trekking
primid: PHUK08301
routememo:
  BC at 150m above the river and 200m below the Himlung BC.

  Swiss Phu Kang Expedition 2008 Autumn

  On 16 October Addor, Blanchard and Tejedor went up along the river to the place where the team originally planned to put up in BC near the lake at 4900m to see the route to Phu Kang. They could not find any possible access to Phu Kang from that area and returned to BC same day.

  On 17 October Addor, Blanchard, Ms Bonard, Ms Jacquemettaz, Krugel and Tejedor climbed up to C1 (5550m) of Himlung to observe once again the probable route along the glacier and returned to BC.

  On 25 October Addor, Blanchard and Krugel went to C1 of Himlung and slept there. On 26 October they climbed to C2 (6200m) and slept there. On 27 October Addor, Blanchard, and Krugel left C2 at 9 am. Blanchard reached summit of Himlung at 3 pm; Addor and Krugel stopped at 200m below the summit. They descended together to C2 at 6 pm slept there. Next day to Phu Kang BC.

  Addor, Ms Bonard, Krugel and Tejedor went to Ratna Chuli BC on 1 November to see the possible way to Phu Kang and returned to BC same day. They saw from Ratna Chuli BC the beginning and end of the glacier and Phu Kang but they could not see the middle part of the glacier.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 7 November. Members planning to visit Chitwan and some other places then will leave the country on 16 November.


expid: JOBO08301
peakid: JOBO
year: 2008
route1: S Ridge
nation: Switzerland
leaders: Stephane Schaffter
sponsor: Swiss Jobo Ribjang Expedition
countries: France
approach: Bhote Koshi to Lunag village, west into Lunag Glacier
bcdate: 2008-10-14
smtdate: 2008-10-27
termdate: 2008-10-29
termnote: Abandoned at 6050m due to lack of rope to fix above 6050m
campsites: BC(14/10,4950m),C1(25/10,5900m),xxx(27/10,6050m)
achievment: 1st attempt on this mountain
agency: Tenzing Asian Holidays
routememo:
  BC at north side of Lunag Glacier
  High point on South Ridge.

  Planned to make movie about Sherpas and Pakistanis as friends and to go to unclimbed peak together. Left cache of equipment at C1 for next autumn. Both members climbed together with Krishna Bahadur Tamang. Fixed 1000m because very steep 80-degree ice climbing in some sections; oute mixed rock and ice most of the way; many cornices but not serious problem. Stopped at 6050m because ran out of rope. This climb was a reconnaissance for a climb next autumn.

  Hired:
    Krishna Bahadur Tamang, 25/9/68, Kanku-5, Solu, Everest X3, Cho Oyu X3


expid: KANG08301
peakid: KANG
year: 2008
route1: SW Face
nation: Sweden
leaders: Joergen Aamot
sponsor: Kangchenjunga Ski Expedition 2008
countries: Norway
approach: Sukhetar to Yalung Glacier
bcdate: 2008-10-01
smtdate: 2008-10-15
termnote: Abandoned at 6960m due to bad weather
campsites: BC(01/10,5160m),C1(08/10,6250m),C2(15/10,6960m),xxx(15,26/10,6960m)
agency: Loben Expeditions
routememo:
  Kangchenjunga Ski Expedition 2008 - 9 November 2008

  After having accimatized by establishing C2 at 6960m, on 15 October, the two-member team with no Sherpas descended to BC on the 16th.

  They stayed at BC until the 25th. The weather forecast said that the jet stream winds were now over the Himalaya but there would be a window of milder wind from the 25th. They returned to C2 on the 26th.

  But now there was heavy snowfall all that night and all the next day, the 27th; they had to remain in camp while 50 cms of new snow was dumped on the mountain. They saw snow avalanches above them. To continue moving upwards would be a very "a very, very hard climb" through so much snow. On the 28th they returned to BC: they skied down from C2 to 5500m, which was the site for many base camps.

  They now decided to abandon their climb: they didn't know how the weather would develop in the near future. They were very much disappointed. "Both of us were in great condition."


expid: KGUR08301
peakid: KGUR
year: 2008
route1: SW Face-NW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Phil Crampton
sponsor: Project Himalaya/Altitude Junkies Kang Guru Expedition
countries: Belgium, Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA, Venezuela
approach: Bhulbhule, up Marshyangdi River->Koto, north to Meta Village
bcdate: 2008-10-23
smtdate: 2008-11-03
termdate: 2008-11-09
termnote: Abandoned at 6980m due to snow conditions too dangerous
agency: Explore Himalaya
campsites:
  BC(23/10,3600m),C1(28/10,4500m),C2(29/10,5100m),C3(03/11,5950m),xxx.Mbrs(08/11,6700m),xxx.Sherpas(03/11,6980m)

routememo:
  BC  at Meta village
  C1  on SW Face
  C2  on SW Face
  High pt at 6700m on West Ridge.

  Project Himalaya/Altitude Junkies Kang Guru Expedition - 13 Nov 2008

  BC was established at Meta village because no one wanted to used the normal BC site where avalanching killed 18 people with the French expedition of autumn 2005.

  C1 was 30-45 minutes climb above the old BC and was safe from avalanching if any occurred (none did while this team was on the mountain).

  The route had some very steep sections: as high as 70 degrees on the SW Face just below the West Ridge, and as high as 80 degrees in the couloir below C3. The couloir was "a very technical climb" on rock and ice, then deep soft snow on the ridge.

  Namgyal and Pasang Gombu reached 6900m on 3 November at the first summit. They descended to BC on the 4th after fierce winds destroyed three of the four tents at C3 (the tents were later replaced).

  The highest point reached by members was at the end of the fixed ropes at 6700m on the 8th. Adolfsson and Hyrylainen took seven hours to climb there from C3 as they made a bid for the summit with Namgyal and Pasang Gombu. Then they turned back when they saw a serious danger of slab avalanches above there.

  The team decided that day, 8 November, to abandon the climb because of the dangerous snow conditions high on the mountain.

  All members reached C3 during the course of the climb.

  Sherpas:
    Namgyal Sherpa, 5/10/77, Rakha, Khotang, Cho Oyu X4, Everest X4
    Pasang Gombu, 28/12/69, Sotang, Solu, Everest X2


expid: KNAG08301
peakid: KNAG
year: 2008
route1: SSW Face (to 6400m)
route2: SSW Face-W Ridge (up); W Ridge-S Face (down)
nation: USA
leaders: Joseph Puryear
sponsor: 2008 Kang Nachugo Expedition
ascent2: 1st
bcdate: 2008-09-21
smtdate: 2008-10-17
smttime: 1400
termdate: 2008-10-19
othersmts: Climbed Parchamo (22 Sept), Yalung Ri, Ramdung Go (1 Oct)
campsites: BC(21/09),Biv(16/10,6400m),Smt(17/10)
achievment: 1st ascent
agency: Climb High Himalaya
routememo:
  BC at Na village.

  American Rolwaling Expedition 2008 - 5 Nov 2008

  All the team's climbs were done in pure alpine style: no fixed ropes, no fixed camps, no Sherpas helpers, no bottled oxygen.

  Before attacking Kang Nachugo, the two Americans made a "good recce" in the area at acclimatize and to get good views of their goal. From there base in Na village, they did "a bit of exploration" in the area, spent some time waiting for better weather, for it to stop raining in Na's Rolwaling River valley and snowing higher up, and climbed a few nearby mountains.

  On 22 September, the day after arriving at Na, they went southeast and scaled Pachermo, 6187m high. They went south-southwest and up to the summit of 5630m Yalung Ri via the east side of its North Ridge. On 1 October they climbed the north side of Ramdung Go, a 5930m mountain south-southeast of Na and southeast of Yalung Ri.

  On Kang Nachugo, they made two bids to reach the summit. First, on 10 October, they left their BC at Na at 4183m, went northwest and bivouacked at 4800m at the base of their 6735m-high mountain's SSW Face. Next day they took their tent to 5900m on the face and camped there.

  On 12 October, they left the tent at 6:00 am and made an attempt to reach the summit. They climbed to 6400m at 1:00 pm, and then the mountain "socked in" with falling snow immediately forming small avalanches, which were "uncomfortable and mildly dangerous." They descended to BC at 6:00 pm. "We raced up the mountain and the storm chased us down," Puryear said.

  In their second summit bid they wanted to try something different and not to camp on the face. Snow fell every afternoon, which meant that a camp on the face was exposed to avalanching. At mid-morning of 14 October, they left BC and moved again to 4800m at the base of the face. At 11:00 pm they resumed their climb and traversed west on the face, climbed to the top of an icefall at the western edge of the face, and reached the West Ridge at 6000m, and camped on the ridge at 6200m. at 3:00 pm on the 15th.

  At 6:00 am on the 16th they climbed about one mile on snow along the crest of the saw-toothed ridge, which was heavily corniced on its northern side. The ridge became very narrow, and they came to a small overhang of soft snow on the ridge; they jumped over this, but they now realized they would not be able to return this way. They reached 6400m and camped at 3:00 pm. "We felt reasonably close to the summit."

  On 17 October they started up at 6:30 am. They left their tent, sleeping bags, stove: "We went really light" and climbed the ridge to the summit -- in fact, to two summits about 10 meters apart -- at 2:00 and 2:30 pm. The western summit, two or three meters higher than the eastern one, was covered by deep snow. They devoted a total of 45 minutes to the summits in fine weather: no clouds, not much wind. They returned to their tent at 6500m.

  On the following day, there were high clouds and high winds that blew their short ropes out horizontally from the mountain side. They retraced their steps westwards down the the ridge for about 300m to a point where they thought they could rappel down the South Face. But they had made a bad choice: at three rappels down they came to a vertical, sometimes overhanging, rock cliff about 300m high. But they found an alternative way and were able to continue down to deep snow and good ice below the cliff at about 5800m. The kept rappeling down to 5200m and then down climbed to 4600m. Here they found running water, and they then hiked all the way to Na village at 6:00 pm.


expid: KOJI08301
peakid: KOJI
year: 2008
route1: NW Face
nation: Spain
leaders: Antoni Fernandez
sponsor: Peak Mallorca Expedition Reconnaisance of Kojichwa Chuli
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-10-19
smtdate: 2008-10-20
termdate: 2008-10-21
termnote: Abandoned at 5625m due to only reconnaissance (plans to climb in spring 2008)
othersmts: Climbed unnamed peak (5625m)
campsites: BC(19/10,5000m),xxx(20/10,5625m)
agency: Sherpa Himalayan Wanderer Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Nepalgunj, Talcha Airport, Lumsa, Dhungedhara, Ladi Khola, Chham Khola,
    Mugu, Kajikhola, Gokichawa Khola

  Alvarez, Fernandez and Da Dorche left BC at 7:45 am, reached the summit of unnamed peak (5625m) at 1 pm, stayed on summit for 15 minutes, descended to BC at 3:30 pm. Weather was very good but there was very strong wind. The climbers saw a big lake from the top on northwest side in Tibet.  Kojichwa Chuli is on the southeast side of the unnamed peak. Fernandez said that to climb Kojichwa from Nepal will be very difficult. The mountains south side is like a solid wall of rocks where as from Tibet side the mountain can be easily summited. because it was gentle slope. Local people of Mugu called it "Kokichewa" Naya (New). 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 30 Oct. Alvarez left Kathmandu on 1 Nov. Rest of mmebers will leave on 11 Nov.

  Robibal stayed in BC. 

  Sherpa:
    Da Dorche Sherpa, 24/11/73 (09/08/2030), Navagaon, Makalu-4


expid: KTEG08301
peakid: KTEG
year: 2008
route1: N Face
nation: Japan
leaders: Katsutaka Yokoyama
sponsor: Shinshu University Kangtega East Expedition
approach: Chitagna->Chera La->Tangnag
bcdate: 2008-10-17
smtdate: 2008-10-27
termdate: 2008-10-31
termnote: Abandoned at 6600m due to fatigue
campsites: BC(17/10,4900m),ABC(24/10,5700m),Biv1(26/10,6200m),Biv2(27/10,6500m),xxx(6600m)
agency: Cosmo Treks
routememo:
  Satoh and Yokoyama started their climbing in alpine style from ABC. The climbers bivouaked at 6200m on 26 Oct and bivouacked at 6500m on 27 Oct. They climbed up to 6600m, route became steep below 200m from the summit and also there were overhangs. Their stove did not work at 6500m and they were out of food and water. Then descended to ABC. Weather during the ascent was very good, mostly clear sky and not so cold. Yokoyama said that one American climber summited from left side of the North Face. The team returned to Kathmandu on 3 Nov, visited Pokhara. Returned from Pokhara on 14 and will leave on 15 Nov.


expid: KTEG08302
peakid: KTEG
year: 2008
route1: N Face
nation: USA
leaders: Kevin Mahoney
sponsor: New England Kangtega Expedition
ascent1: 14th
bcdate: 2008-10-13
smtdate: 2008-10-26
smttime: 1900
termdate: 2008-10-31
campsites: BC(13/10,5500m),ABC(17/19,5700m),Biv(25/10,6200m),Smt(26/10)
agency: Su-Swagatam Treks
routememo:
  BC  one hour up Hinku Valley from Dig Kharka
  ABC at Hinku Nuptse Glacier
  Biv on North Face.

  New England Kangtega Expedition, led by Kevin Mahoney - 5 Nov 2008

  After having established BC and ABC, the three men acclimatized by climbing on 20 October to a point just north of Kangtega marked as Point 5853 on the Schneider Shorong/Hinku map and bivouacked there. On the 21st they were back in BC, and on the 24th they returned to ABC and the start of their alpine-style ascent of their mountain.

  On the 25th up the North Face and bivouacked at 6200m. On the 26th they left their bivouac at 10:00 am, reached the top at 7:00 pm.

  The face was steep, up to 90 degrees. There was a shallow neve with poor protection. "This was real climbing" -- technically difficult especially at about 6000m.

  On the 27th they returned to ABC and took the "long walk" to BC with boulders underfoot.


expid: LHOT08302
peakid: LHOT
year: 2008
route1: S Face
nation: Spain
leaders: Jordi Tosas
sponsor: Spaniard Solo on Nuptse & Lhotse
bcdate: 2008-11-02
smtdate: 2008-11-19
termdate: 2008-11-24
termnote: Abandoned at 7400m due to route too difficult
othersmts: Attempted Nuptse (NUPT-083-01); climbed Chhukung Ri summited (3 Nov) and 6146m unnamed peak
campsites: BC(02/11,4753m),Biv(18/11,6500m),xxx(19/11,7400m)
agency: None
routememo:
  Spaniard solo on Nuptse & Lhotse, Jordi Tosas (only member) - 29 Oct 2008

  Tosas was totally alone during his climbs as they were true solo attempts on the south faces of the two mountains with his base in a room in a lodge in Chhukung village. All his climbing before he attempted Lhotse was to acclimatize for it, and his very early climbs were also to go give him good views of the south faces of Nuptse and Lhotse.

  First, on 3 November he went north and climbed Chhukung Ri's South Ridge to its 5559m peak and back to Chhukung village.

  He rested for two days and then on the 6th moved south along the moraine on the west side of the Ama Dablam Glacier, then east to a very small lake at about 4800m, according to the Schneider Khumbu Himal map, and up on the moraine and rock slabs.  There were several more small lakes as he continued east to the Chhukung Glacier at 5100m. He climbed across the Chhukung Glacier and up the west face of Pt 6146m; this peak is unnamed on the map, but Tosas calls it Amphu Gyabtsen, which he understands is the name used by local people for several peaks nearby. He moved along the north ridge of Pt 6146m to a col between it and Pt 6238m, and from the col he descended the east side the ridge to the Amphu Glacier. He returned to Chhukung village via a path going north and west from the glacier.

  After two more days of rest, on the 9th he returned to the same path that now took him back to the Amphu Glacier and the east side of Pt 6238m. This time he climbed the north face of Pt 6238m; the face included 800m of ice, which was more difficult terrain than he had been on three days before. He descended south along the ridge between Pt 6238m and Pt 6146m to the col and down its east face. Then back to Chhukung village.

  Finally on 12 November he set out to climb the South Face of Nuptse. He went north up the Lhotse Nuptse Glacier and bivouacked at 5000m on the glacier's west side below the 5857m summit of Chhukung.

  Next day he climbed the West Face of Chhukung's North Ridge and joined the Bonington route at 5850m on Nuptse's South Ridge. He made his bivouac that day at 6500m on the South Ridge.

  On the 14th, he decided to go for Nuptse East, a summit on Nuptse's East Ridge. He left his bivouac at 3:00 am, at 6850m moved eastward to Babanov's route to Nuptse East. He reached 7600m at 12:00 noon. But now he was on a very rocky steep face (65-80 degrees), which was too difficult for him to climb alone. He abandoned his bid to climb Nuptse and returned to Chhukung village at 11:00 pm.

  All his efforts up to now had been to acclimatize for Lhotse. He turned his attention to the main goal on 18 November, when he left the village at 5:00 am and moved up the Lhotse Glacier and reached 6500m via the Yugoslav route on the South Face at 5:00 pm.

  On the 19th he started his climb at 7:00 am on bare rock. He got to 7400m on the Yugoslav route up a rocky gully and found icefalls making his solo climb too difficult. He turned around here at 12:00 noon and descended to his bivouac at 4:00 pm.

  His attack on Lhotse was over. He returned to Chhukung village on the 20th, left it on the 24th to trek to Namche and Lukla.


























  All his efforts up to now had been to acclimatize for Lhotse. He turned his attention to the main goal on 18 November, when he left the village at 5:00 a.m and moved up the Lhotse Glacier and reached 6,500 m. via the Yugoslav route on the south face at 5:00 p.m.

  On the 19th he started his climb at 7:00 a.m. on bare rock. He got to 7,400 m. on the Yugoslav route up a rocky gully and found icefalls making his solo climb too difficult. He turned around here at 12:00 noon and descended to his bivouac at 4:00 p.m.

  His attack on Lhotse was over. He returned to Chukkung village on the 20th, left it on the 24th to trek to Namche and Lukla.


expid: MAK208301
peakid: MAK2
year: 2008
route1: W Face
nation: USA
leaders: Steve House
sponsor: Makalu West Face Expedition
ascent1: 29th
countries: Slovenia
approach: Bus to Tumlingtar, trek to BC
bcdate: 2008-10-04
smtdate: 2008-10-16
termdate: 2008-11-05
othersmts: Attempted Makalu (MAKA-083-05)
campsites: BC(04/10,5760m),C2(11/10,6700m),Smt(17/10)
accidents: All members chest infection
agency: Nomad Nepal Treks
primid: MAKA08305
routememo:
  BC at south end of Chago Glacier
  C2 at start of steep section of Chago Glacier via normal route.

  Makalu West Face Expedition, led by Steve House - 31 November 2008

  The main purpose of the expedition, as its name indicates, was to scale Makalu's West Face, and for House, Prezelj and Anderson to climb it via a new route, without Sherpas or fixed rope. But first, they needed to acclimatize via the normal NW Ridge route, and at the same time, the other two members, Cartier and Yardin, would also climb the normal route with their two Sherpas, Lhakpa and Gelbu.

  Cartier and Yardin didn't get very high: Yardin managed to reach C2 once while Cartier got no higher than 6200m. When Cartier decided to leave the mountain early, his partner Yardin left wtih him in a helicopter from Hillary BC to Kathmandu on 18 October. Their Sherpas left soon afterwards.

  The more highly experienced Himalayan climbers, House, Prezelj and Anderson, began their acclimatization climbing on 11 October, when they took their tent to the site for C2 at 6700m, then returned to BC on the 13th. On the 16th, they returned to C2 and set out for the Makalu La (7400m). All three had a chest infection, and House's bad cough bothered him enugh to cause him to stop 100m below the col, but the other two got to the col. The three slept in C2.

  On the next day, the 17th, while House stayed in C2, Prezelj and Anderson moved from the camp north across the glacier and up the West Face of Kangchungtse by a new route. They summited Kangchungtse and returned to C2 via the Makalu La the same day. All three descended to BC on the 18th.

  They made their first summit bid on Makalu on the 30th. They climbed the West Face to the right of the 1982 Polish route, but got no higher than 6300m. Strong wind drove them down and back to BC on the 31st.

  On the 2nd of November House went back alone to the West Face and tried another line farther to the right, near the 1981 route of Macintyre, Kurtyka and Kukuczka. But againt the wind became extremely strong, and he retreated from his high point of 6550m. He returned to BC on the 3rd, and the climb was over.

  Cartier/Yardin Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Sherpa, 27/4/65 (15/1/2022, Makalu-9
    Gelbu Sherpa, 16/6/71 (2/3/2028), Taksindu


expid: MAKA08302
peakid: MAKA
year: 2008
route1: Makalu La-NW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Andrew Slater
sponsor: Independent Briton on Makalu
approach: Tumlingtar
bcdate: 2008-10-19
smtdate: 2008-10-22
termdate: 2008-10-23
termnote: Abandoned at 5650m due to was not intending to go higher
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak
campsites: BC(19/10,4900m),ABC(21/10,5200m),C1(22/10,5650m),xxx(22/10,5650m)
agency: Sherpa Society
routememo:
  High point team left ABC at 8 am on 22 Oct. Weather was good. They arrived at C1 at noon. They stayed one night or rather half a night as they left C1 again at 1 am to descend to Sherpani Col and on to West Col to Baruntse BC where they arrived at 7 pm on 23 Oct. They stayed the night there and continued to Amphu Laptsa the following day.

  Both Nawang and Pasang Pemba Sherpa were part of the Spanish Makalu expedition led by Juan Corro. Nawang reached 8200m with Spanish team.

  Sherpas:
    Pasang Pemba Sherpa, 20 years
    Nawang Sherpa, Lukla, 41 years, Everest X2, Makalu X3, Cho Oyu, Baruntse


expid: MAKA08303
peakid: MAKA
year: 2008
route1: Makalu La-NW Ridge
nation: Greece
leaders: Michael Styllas
sponsor: Independent Greek on Makalu
approach: Trekked to Tumlingtar
bcdate: 2008-10-17
smtdate: 2008-11-01
termdate: 2008-11-05
termnote: Abandoned at 7300m after cook left with American team
campsites: BC(17/10,5760m),C2(30/10,6800m),xxx(1/11,7300m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  Independent Greek on Makalu, Michael Styllas - 13 Nov 2008

  Styllas was on Thamserku Trekking's permit with Spanish team but was an independent climber.

  After arriving at BC, Styllas on 19 October went down to Yangri Kharka to recuperate from a chest infection. He went back up to Hillary BC on the 21st and returned to BC on 23rd; by now he had fully recovered.

  He had one Sherpa with him, Nima Sherpa, and they spent the next few days acclimatizing. On the 24th they went up to the site C1 at 6200m and back to BC the same day. On the 27th they went to C2 at 6800m and again back to BC the same day.

  On 30 October, Styllas and Nima left C2 at 10:30 am, after waiting for the sun to reach the camp, and climbed up to 7300m, 100m below the Makalu La, at 3:30 pm. Now it was warm and no wind, a lovely day, and they stayed there for an hour and a half before returning to C2.

  On the 2nd the weather changed: it was cold and windy, so they retreated to BC. There acclimatization was over.

  Now Styllas hoped to climb Kangchungtse via its normal South Ridge route from the Makalu La. But the weather continued to be cold and windy, and the cook from Nomad Nepal Trekking, the American team's trekking agency, whom he had expected to stay with him, was leaving with the Americans, so the Greek also left with the Americans (led by Steve House) on 5 November.

  Sherpa:
    Nima Sherpa, 18/8/74 (2/5/2031), Taksindu


expid: MAKA08304
peakid: MAKA
year: 2008
route1: Makalu La-NW Ridge
nation: Spain
leaders: Jesus Calleja
sponsor: Desafio Extremo Makalu 2008
approach: Lukla
bcdate: 2008-09-14
smtdate: 2008-09-24
termdate: 2008-10-05
termnote: Abandoned at 7000m due to too much snow, avalanche danger
campsites: BC(14/09,4900m),ABC(16/09,5700m),C1(20/09,6100m),C2(23/09,6700m),xxx(24/09,7000m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  On 24 Sept team left C2 at 8 am. It was snowing. They reached high point at 7000m at 11 am. Snow was hip-deep and very loose. Team decided that carrying on would be too dangerous. They descended to ABC. On 27 Sept team ascended again to C2. Stayed 1 night and descended to ABC on 28 Sept. They remained at ABC and waited for the weather to improve. On 3 Oct they abandoned expedition as ascending again would have been too dangerous.

  Sherpas:
    Chhang Dawa, 30/7/82 (15/4/2039), Nurbu Chaur, Upper Walung, Makalu-9, 
      Cho Oyu X1, Makalu, Lhotse X1
    Pasang Temba, 20/1/83 (6/10/2039), Tashigaon, Makalu-5, Everest X1
    Pasang Tshering, 27/12/73 (12/9/2030), Thami, Everest X2, Lhotse X1, Cho Oyu X1,
      K2 X1
    Pemba Nuru, 3/2/73 (21/10/2039), Pare, Namche-6, Everest X3, Lhotse X1, Makalu X1
    Tshering Wangchu, 16/3/83 (2/2/2039), Thamo, Everest X3, Lhotse X1


expid: MAKA08305
peakid: MAKA
year: 2008
route1: Makalu La (to 7400m)
route2: W Face (to 6300m)
route3: W Face (to 6550m)
nation: USA
leaders: Steve House
sponsor: Makalu West Face Expedition
countries: Slovenia
approach: Bus to Tumlingtar, trek to BC
bcdate: 2008-10-04
smtdate: 2008-10-16
termdate: 2008-11-05
termnote: Abandoned at 7400m due to strong winds
othersmts: Climbed Kangchungtse (MAK2-083-01)
campsites: BC(04/10,5750m),C2(11/10,6700m),xxx(16/10,7400m)
agency: Nomad Nepal Treks
routememo:
  BC at south end of Chago Glacier
  C2 at start of steep section of Chago Glacier via normal route.

  Makalu West Face Expedition, led by Steve House - 31 November 2008

  The main purpose of the expedition, as its name indicates, was to scale Makalu's West Face, and for House, Prezelj and Anderson to climb it via a new route, without Sherpas or fixed rope. But first, they needed to acclimatize via the normal NW Ridge route, and at the same time, the other two members, Cartier and Yardin, would also climb the normal route with their two Sherpas, Lhakpa and Gelbu.

  Cartier and Yardin didn't get very high: Yardin managed to reach C2 once while Cartier got no higher than 6200m. When Cartier decided to leave the mountain early, his partner Yardin left with him in a helicopter from Hillary BC to Kathmandu on 18 October. Their Sherpas left soon afterwards.

  The more highly experienced Himalayan climbers, House, Prezelj and Anderson, began their acclimatization climbing on 11 October, when they took their tent to the site for C2 at 6700m, then returned to BC on the 13th. On the 16th, they returned to C2 and set out for the Makalu La (7400m). All three had a chest infection, and House's bad cough bothered him enugh to cause him to stop 100m below the col, but the other two got to the col. The three slept in C2.

  On the next day, the 17th, while House stayed in C2, Prezelj and Anderson moved from the camp north across the glacier and up the West Face of Kangchungtse by a new route. They summited Kangchungtse and returned to C2 via the Makalu La the same day. All three descended to BC on the 18th.

  They made their first summit bid on Makalu on the 30th. They climbed the West Face to the right of the 1982 Polish route, but got no higher than 6300m. Strong wind drove them down and back to BC on the 31st.

  On the 2nd of November House went back alone to the West Face and tried another line farther to the right, near the 1981 route of Macintyre, Kurtyka and Kukuczka. But again the wind became extremely strong, and he retreated from his high point of 6550m. He returned to BC on the 3rd, and the climb was over.

  Cartier/Yardin Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Sherpa, 27/4/65 (15/1/2022, Makalu-9
    Gelbu Sherpa, 16/6/71 (2/3/2028), Taksindu


expid: MAKA08306
peakid: MAKA
year: 2008
route1: Makalu La-NW Ridge
nation: India
leaders: Shekhar Babu Bachinepally
sponsor: Indian on Makalu
approach: Tumlingtar->Num->Sedua->Tashigaon->Kongma->Dobatu->Yangle->La
bcdate: 2008-09-20
smtdate: 2008-09-28
termdate: 2008-10-09
termnote: Abandoned at 6900m due to deep snow conditions
campsites: BC(20/09,4700m),ABC(23/09,5700m),C2(27/09,6800m),xxx(28/09,6900m)
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  On 28 Sept Bachinepally, Nima Nuru, and Kusang Sherpa left C2 to put up C3. They reached up to 6900m and could not go beyond that point due to deep snow condition. It was very cold and descended to BC. Next four days the weather was very bad. Bachinepally decided to give up the climbing. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 11 Oct and Bachinepally to leave on 17 Oct.

  Sherpas:
    Nima Nuru Sherpa, 15/10/81 (29/06/2038), Phurte, Namche-4
    Kusang Tenzing Sherpa, 16/5/86 (02/02/2043), Lelep-4, Taplejung, Everest 21/5/08


expid: MAKA08401
peakid: MAKA
year: 2008
route1: Makalu La-NW Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Simone Moro
sponsor: Makalu Winter Expedition 2008
ascent1: 111
countries: Kazakhstan
approach: Helicopter Kathmandu to Hillary BC at 4800m
bcdate: 2009-01-20
smtdate: 2009-02-09
smttime: 1353
termdate: 2009-02-12
campsites: BC(20/01,5680m),Biv1(21/01,6100m),Biv2(22/01,6800m),Biv3(08/02,7600m),Smt(09/02)
accidents: Nothing serious: Moro slight frostbite on one foot
achievment: 1st winter ascent of Makalu
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
routememo:
  BC  near start Chago Glacier in gully for protection from wind
  Biv at level area of Chago Glacier
  C2  at steep part of Chago Glacier.

  Makalu Winter Expedition 2008/2009, led by Simone Moro - 15 Febuary 2009

  After acclimatization trekking in Khumbu, the two-man expedition flew by helicopter on 16 Jan from Kathmandu to Hillary BC at 4800m (actually it is not at the site of Hillary's camp but slightly below it; helicopters can't land at the actual camp's site but need the more level area below.)

  On 20 January, they made their BC near the start of the Chago Glacier at 5680m in a gully that protected them from the wind. They began acclimatizing on Makalu immediately: on the 21st they bivouacked at 6100m on a level area of the glacier and on the 22nd they established a camp (which they called C2) at 6800m went on up to 7050m, then descended to BC.

  On 29 January they returned to 6800m, and on the 30th they climbed one of the technically most difficult sections. Most Makalu expeditions climb to the Makalu La for their next high camp by a a slightly circuitous route in an area of large rocks where they are in the sun and can find fixed ropes left by previous teams. Moro and Urubko used a couloir on a direct line; this is out of the sunlight, but it gives protection from the wind and can be climbed much faster. These routes diverge at 7000m. The two men bivouacked at 7350m, 50m below the Makalu La in order to stay out of the wind that sweeps across the La. This day's climb was a recce to make sure that, as they had thought, the couloir was the better choice.

  It was. They returned to BC on the 31st. On 4 February they ran from BC to 6800m bivvy site in one hour and nine minutes, and they ran back to BC in just 28 minutes.

  Finally they made their push to the summit. This time they took three and a half hours to reach 6800m and bivouacked there with their gear on 7 Febuary. On the 8th they took the tent and all gear to 7600m and bivoaucked there. On the 9th they left the bivouac at 5:30 am, were on the summit at 1:53 pm and back at the bivouac at 5:34 pm. On the 10th they were in BC with all their gear and rubbish, plus some Korean rubbish; they had left the bivouac at 8:15 am and returned to BC at 1:00 pm.

  They descended so quickly because the weather forecaster told them by satellite phone from Salzburg, Austria that a hurricane was headed their way. It came on the afternoon of the 10th and the next day there was heavy snowfall. They were in the Hillary BC on the 12th and Kathmandu on the 13th.

  "We have beeen lucky and brave," said Moro.

  On the final day's ascent to the summit, they were always roped together and one member belayed the other as they progressed. The wind speed at the top was 90-100 km per hour with gusts up to 120 km/hr.


expid: MANA08325
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Canada
leaders: Baptista Kwok
sponsor: Independent team on Manaslu
countries: Uruguay
approach: Pokhara->Samagaon by helicopter
bcdate: 2008-09-04
smtdate: 2008-10-02
termdate: 2008-10-03
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due to snowfall (route not opened)
campsites: BC(04/09,4600m),C1(06/09,5600m),C2(01/10,6800m),xxx(02/10,7200m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  High point near to the C3.

  Perez tried to go to C3 and reached 7200m on 2 Oct. Snowfall started and the route was not open. It was not possible to continue climbing. Then Perez descended to BC. The team lost C1 tent and one in C2 with supplies, gas, gears - tents were buried under snow in an avalanche.

  Kwok climbed up to about 5800m on 7 Sept with Mingma, then he gave up climbing due to bad weather condition. Kwok returned to Kathmandu on 6 Oct and will leave on 9 Oct. 

  Perez returned to Kathmandu on 7 Oct and will leave on 10 Oct. Perez stayed in Hotel Shanker, Kwok in Radisson.

  Sherpa:
    Mingma Temba Sherpa, 19/01/80, Yafu-9


expid: MANA08326
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: S Korea
leaders: Kim Jae-Soo
sponsor: Kolon Sport Challenge team Manaslu Expedition
approach: Samagaon by helicopter
bcdate: 2008-10-01
smtdate: 2008-10-14
smttime: 1445
termdate: 2008-10-17
campsites: BC(01/10,4900m),C1(03/10,5400m),C2(06/10,6400m),C4(12/10,7400m),Smt(14/10)
achievment: 7th 8000er for both climbers
agency: Explore Himalaya
routememo:
  Kolon Sport Challenge Team Manaslu Expeditions

  Miss Go Mi-Sun, Kim, Lhakpa and Pasang left C4 on 14 Oct at 7:10 am. They reached summit at 2:45 pm, stayed on summit for 20 minutes and descended to C4 at about 5 pm. Next day members and Sherpas descended to BC. Summit day weather was very windy and very cold, but it was better than the previous day. 

  The team's first attempt on 13th had to abort from 7600m due to very strong wind and cold.

  There were fixed ropes (three rope joined one after another at the beginning it was a Korean white in the middle a red rope and the last one was Korean white rope each of them of 50 meters) to the summit. 

  Kim said Miss Oh Eun-Sun summited on 12 October and one Japanese. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 18 October and will leave on 22. Next expedition of the team will be on Makalu in the Spring.

  Hired:
    Lhakpa Tshering Sherpa, 15/6/75 (01/03/2032), Khumjung, Ever X4, Ann1 X1, 
      Cho Oyu X1
    Pasang Bhote, 17/10/84 (01/07/2041), Hatiya-1, Lhotse 17/5/08


expid: MANA08327
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Japan
leaders: Nobukazu Kuriki
sponsor: Team Kuriki Manaslu Expedition
approach: Pokhara->Samagaon by helicopter
bcdate: 2008-09-19
smtdate: 2008-10-12
smttime: 0945
termdate: 2008-10-16
termnote: Abandoned at fore-summit
achievment: 1st Japanese 'solo climbing'/ski descent
agency: Bochi Bochi Treks
campsites:
  BC(19/09,4800m),C1(24/09,5700m),C2(30/09,6400m),C3(02/10,6900m),C4(11/10,7400m),ForeSmt(8125m,12/10)

routememo:
  Kuriki left C4 at 10 pm on 11 Oct. He reached summit at 9:45 am on 12 Oct, stayed on summit about 20 minutes, made ski descent to C3, slept there. Next day to BC on skis. Weather was very good, clear sky no wind but very cold. Kiriki said he used fixed rope at one point between C3 and C4, difficult place. While skiing down, he had to walk some places where crevasses were dangerous. 

  Fujikawa is BC manager and remained in BC all time. 

  Kadotani climbed up to C3 on 11 Oct. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 21 Oct and leave on 25 Oct.


  Eberhard Jurgalski - 11 Jan 2010

  Kuriki stopped at the fore-summit, as also stated in the Japanese Alpine News 2009.


expid: MANA08328
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Bulgaria
leaders: Petar Unzniev
sponsor: Independent team on Manaslu
countries: Kazakhstan
approach: Samagaon by helicopter
bcdate: 2008-09-17
smtdate: 2008-10-03
smttime: 1400
termdate: 2008-10-06
campsites: BC(17/09,4300m),C1(22/09,5700m),C2(25/09,6200m),C3(02/10,7400m),Smt(03/10)
achievment: Pivtsov's 12th 8000er
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  C2 at below the actual C2 site.

  Pivtsov left C3 at 8 am on 3 Oct, reached summit at 2 pm, stayed on summit about 5 minutes, descended to C3 around 5 pm. Next day to C2 and following day to BC. Weather was perfect, sunny, no wind. 

  Unzniev climbed up to 7900m. Unzniev returned to Kathmandu on 7 Oct by helicopter and left on 8 Oct.


  Letter to Eberhard Jurgalski from Maxut Zhumayev - 5 Nov 2008

  Thanks for your letter.

  I with you completely agree that the top of Manaslu demands special attention, in particular highest point achievement. In the spring of 2008 I the first in a season have risen on peak of Manaslu. Having reached the first rocky tops, I have continued movement on a crest towards distant rocky top. 

  Spring of 2008 at top was not enough snow that has increased danger at achievement of the highest point. 

  I apply 2 photos: one of under tops with a flag and the second a kind on top from rocky top about the main top. 

  The similar situation has occurred to my friend Vasilly Pivtsov. 

  I apply 4 photos made Vasilly at an ascension on top of Manaslu.


expid: MANA08329
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: New Zealand
leaders: Russell Brice
sponsor: Himalayan Experience (Himex) Manaslu Expedition 2008
countries: Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, UK, USA
bcdate: 2008-09-03
smtdate: 2008-10-03
smttime: 1230
termdate: 2008-10-06
termnote: Stopped at 8125m (fore-summit) due to problems with route above high point
agency: Mountain Experience
campsites:
  BC.Sherpas(03/09,4655),BC.Members(06/09,4655m),C1(12/09,5502m),C2(30/09,6329m),C3(01/10,6780m),C4(02/10,7326m),ForeSmt(03/10,8125m)

routememo:
  Himalayan Expeditions Manaslu, led by Russell Brice - 12 Oct 2008

  From 18 to 27 September, there was heavy snowfall, and during this period Brice's expedition lost C2, C3, and C4 under 3-5 meters of fresh snow. (They lost 28 oxygen bottles, 22 tents with sleeping bags, mats, etc. inside the tents, but no personal gear). It was not possible to go above BC during this prolonged snowstorm. When it was over, this teams' Sherpas refixed the route (other teams did no refixing).

  Many climbers went no higher than this expedition but claimed summit success. This team stopped about 50 vertical meters (more than 100 linear meters) short of the top on 3 October because of problems with the route above after days of heavy snowfall.

  The summit party: Ballinger, Jones, Kuraoka, Parker, Robinson, Smith, Stefane, Van der Meer, Phurba Tashi, Dorje Sonam Gyalzen, Son Dorje, Ngima Chhiri and Pasang Kami left C4 for the top on 3 October at 6:00 am. Stefane turned back at 7800m because he was not strong enough to go higher; van der Meer turned back with Stefane becaue of cold toes; and deputy leader Kuraoka turned back with them. The rest of the party reached the team's high point at about 8125m at 12:30 pm. The members descended to C2 only, while the Sherpas went down to BC that day.

  Other member's high points:

  Obermeier and Janice Smith reached C3, left BC on 4 October. Smith had appointments back in Melbourne. Obermeier was too slow and left with her.

  Ragan went to C1's 5502m once on 10 September, but did not sleep there, and left the expedition on the 12th. He had blisters on his heels and didn't really want to be on the mountain.

  Fixed rope: 3500m C1->C2 lost in snow, later refixed.

  Oxygen: 

  All members from C3 to their high points to C4 or C3 as their supplies ran out.

  Sherpas: only Dorje Sonam Gyalzen and Phurba Tashi used oxygen; they used it from C4 to summit to C4. The others used none.

  Sherpas:
    Dorje Sonam Gyalzen, 24/5/81, Phortse, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X9
    Ngima Chhiri/Nima Tshering, 22/4/72, Phortse, Everest X2
    Pasang Kami, 26/7/79, Phortse, Everest X1
    Phurba Tashi, 24/5/71, Khumjung, Cho Oyu X5, Everest X12
    Son Dorje Sherpa, 22/5/63, Phortse, Everest X7


expid: MANA08330
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: France
leaders: Ludovic Challeat
sponsor: Expes.com Manaslu Expedition 2008
approach: Sotikhola->Machha Khola->Jagat->Deng->Namru->Lho->Samagaon
bcdate: 2008-09-11
smtdate: 2008-10-04
smttime: 0830
termdate: 2008-10-06
campsites: BC(11/09,4800m),C1(14/09,5700m),C2(29/09,6400m),C3(01/10,6700m),C4(03/10,7400m),Smt(04/10)
accidents: Gallia suffered from HAS (altitude sickness); Goulevitch died from cerebral edema
agency: Expes.com Treks
routememo:
  Expes Manaslu Expedition 2008 Autumn
   
  Challeat in his email wrote that when Blazer, Challeat, Nima Tamang and Dorchi was ready to leave C4 to summit on 4 Oct at 2 am, Goulevitch did not want to go with them as he was tired and Challeat did not see any sign of sickness on Goulevitch. Then Challeat and team left C4 leaving Gyalzen to look after Goulevitch. Gyalzen gave him oxygen and Goulevitch went back to sleep. Blazer, Challeat, Nima Tamang and Dorchi reached summit at 8:30 am, stayed on summit for 30 minutes and descended to C4 at 10:30 am. Goulevitch told Challeat that he does not want to go down and he is fine in C4. But when Challeat asked him to stand Goulevitch was not stable. Challeat said that it was sign of cerebral edema. Then the members and Sherpas brought down Goulevitch to C3 which took them 8 hours. Goulevitch was on oxygen and unconscious. Goulevitch was put in an hyperbarbic chamber in C1 and was still unconscious. The team reached BC with Goulevitch at 11:30 pm and their doctor tried to reanimate him but no use. He died at 5 am on 5 October. The team brought the dead body to Samagaon on 5th and to Kathmandu on 6th by helicopter with members.

  Bibian and Polge went up to C3. They were exhausted and gave up climbing. Gallia too went up to C3. He suffered from high altitude sickness and descended to BC with Pemba. He left BC on 23 September. 

  Clermidy's high point was C1. 

  Members left Kathmandu on 9 October and the body was dispatched to France on 11 October.

  Fixed rope: 200m contributed

  Sherpas:
    Nima Tamang 30/7/62 (15/04/2019), Kerung-1, no 8000ers
    Dorchi (Dorje) Sherpa, 30/11/73, (15/08/2030), Makalu-9
    Gyalzen Sherpa, 22/4/61, Yilajung, Namche-9, Dhaulagiri I X1, Cho Oyu X1, Ever X1
    Pemba Sherpa, 19/05/2028, Taksindu-6 Everest X6, Cho Oyu X2, Makalu 18/5/08


  Email from Ludovic Challeat - 6 Nov 2008

  Regarding Manaslu:
  - BC on 11th of Sept, 4800m
  - C1 on 14th of Sept, 5700m 
  - C2 on 29th of Sept, 6400m
  - C3 on 1st of Oct, 6700m
  - C4 on 3rd of Oct, 7400m

  - summit on 4th of Oct 8:30 am with Yves Blazer, Nima Tamang and Dorjee Sherpa 
    30 minutes on the top, back to C4 at 10:30 and then rescue Daniel Goulevitch 
    directly to BC (23:30 same day)
  - Franck Gallia, Jean-Marie Bibian and Jean-Louis Polge reached C3 at 6700m
  - Daniel Goulevitch reached C4 at 7400m
  - Gerard Clermidy reached C1 at 5700m
  - We left BC on the 6th of Oct for Samagaon. We took the helicopter
    on the 7th, directly to KTM. 
  - Daniel Goulevitch was tired at C4 and didn't want to leave for summit 
    at 3 am on the 4th of Oct. I left 1 Sherpa (Galzen Sherpa) with him. 
    He gave Daniel oxygen so Daniel wnet back to sleep from 3 am to 7 am. 
    At 3 am I didn't see any sign of big pb that's why we left for summit.
  - When we came back from summit at 10:30 am, Daniel didn't want to go 
    (he told me he was fine at C4). When I pushed him to stand up, I saw 
    he was not able to unclimb the steepest part between C4 and C3 (loose
    of his balance). That was sign of cerebral edema.
    I left him with oxygen and we rescued him down with the Sherpas. It 
    took us 8 hours to reach C3, 6700m. At this point, even with the 
    oxygen, Daniel was unconscious. We took him down to C1 and put him in 
    an hyperbaric chamber (still unconscious). We reached BC at 23:30 on
    the 4th of Oct and tried to reanimate him until 5 am on the 5th of Oct
    with the help of our doctor. He finally died at 5 am.
    We took the body down to Samagaon on the 5th and on the 6th he went
    to Kathmandu by helicopter and then back to France.


  Email from Jeremie Goulevitch - 5 May 2009

  I am the son of one of the last dead alpinist last autumn (2008) on Manaslu, Nepal. You have written that my father died at 7400m. Maybe I do not understand the meaning of this precision into brackets, but I want to explain you that:

  The first symptom of what we call in French "Mal Aigu des Montagnes" and more particularly of a "oedeme cerebral" happended 27 hours before is death at C4, 8400m. Despite is withdrawal, the other members of the commercial expedition underestimated its health level, decided to let him at this camp and to continue to the summit. Because my father could not walk by himself and could not take any good decisions they tried to save him after there return (time was unfortunately up!) at C4 and succeeded to return him to the base camp situated at 4800m, despite he unconscious since C3, 6800m.

  He died at the base camp, around 4800m, and not at 7400m.

  I have decided to give you these extra-information in order to denounce all the errors made by the expedition leader, Ludovic Challeat.

  He actually decided to continue to the summit while my father had symptoms of "MAM" and ordered him to stay at C4, 7400m. He ordered to let the "caisson hyperbare" (the box used in case of problems due to altitude to make a artificial pressure under the real one) at the base camp during their return with my father however unconscious.


  Reply to email from Daniel Goulevitch - 4 May 2009

  Dear Mr Goulevitch,

  When we record altitudes of death, we are actually recording the altitude at which the event that caused the death took place. In this case, that was at C4 (at 7400m, not 8400m since Manaslu is only 8163m high) where your father first exhibited his symptoms of cerebral edema.

  The database is designed in part to facilitate research into deaths in the Himalaya. Most researchers are more interested in situation that caused the death, rather than the true altitude of death if that occurred at a later time. For example, if a climber is injured in a fall at 8000m, and then is carried down to base camp at 4500m where he subsequently dies, we would record the altitude as 8000m. Several years ago we had a case where a Sherpa became sick high on Everest, was carried down to base camp, and evacuated to a hospital in Kathmandu where he died three weeks later. We still recorded the death using the date and altitude of the original event.

  Regards,
  Richard Salisbury


expid: MANA08331
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Italy
leaders: Luca Vuerich
sponsor: Italian Manaslu Expedition
bcdate: 2008-09-21
smtdate: 2008-10-04
smttime: 1115
termdate: 2008-10-10
campsites: BC(21/09,4800m),C1(27/09,5650m),C2(28/09,6400m),Smt(04/10)
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
routememo:
  Benet, Meroi and Vuerich pitched their tent at 5650m on 27 September, moved it to 6400m on the 28th, then went back to BC on the 29th. On 2 October, they left BC and climbed to 6400mm, and on the 3rd they moved their tent up to 6900m.

  On 4 October they for the summit from 6900m. They left their tent at 2:10 am. "The route was not so difficult," said Meroi, and without fixing rope they reached the true summit separately: Benet summited at 11:15 am and went back to the col; Meroi at 11:35 am and down to the col; Veurich to 11:45 am and joined the other two at the col. Together they descended to BC at 8:00 pm.

  The other three members who were still climbing had fixed camps at 5650m for C1 and at 6400m for C2; they moved their tent to 6800m for their third camp on the 12th.

  When all the other members left BC on 10 October, these three, Canova, Morandini and Villosio, moved up to C1 and slept there. On the 11th, Morandini went back to BC alone; she had been to 6500m on 28th September, but now she was not well acclimatized. Canova and Villosio climbed to C3 at 6800m and slept there. On 12 October, Villosio and Canova moved up from C3: Villosio got to 7200m, did not feel well at all, so he too went down to BC while Canova continued up to C4 at 7400m alone.

  On 13th October Canova left C4 for the summit. But he stopped at 7700m because of unfavorable weather -- very cold and windy -- and now he was all alone as there were no other teams above C4 at that time. He descended to BC the same day, and the three climbers decided their climb was finished because the wind was too strong and all of them were tired.

  They had to wait at BC for porters to arrive. They cleared the mountain and left BC on the 17th.

  Benet and Meroi had originally planned to go by helicopter from Manaslu to Annapurna I and knock off one more 8000er, but after their Manaslu climb they cancelled that plan.

  Other non-summiting members:

  Andreatta and Baron reached 6000m on about 3 October, then were too tired to go higher.


expid: MANA08332
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Japan
leaders: Kazufumi Watanabe
sponsor: Independent climber on Manaslu
approach: Via Arughat
bcdate: 2008-09-12
smtdate: 2008-09-30
termdate: 2008-10-04
termnote: Abandoned at 6770m due to respiratory infection
campsites: BC(12/09,4800m),C1(16/09,5700m),C2(30/09,6770m),xxx(30/09,6770m)
accidents: Respiratory illness
agency: Asian Trekking
routememo:
  Email from Tom McMillans about Kazufumi Watanabe - 14 Jan 2009

  Some information of his climb I don't have an exact record of what day Kaz first reached C1, but above is a reasonable estimate. Also, I am not sure if perhaps he did climb above C2, but I don't think so since he was feeling pretty bad at C2. Lost his tent under deep snow at C1. On Sept 27 he arrived at C1 to find he had lost his tent. He dug several hours until about dark he came up to our C1 at 5770m and we invited him to sleep in our tent and shared our food with him. We made arrangements for Ang Dawa to bring up some extra equipment for him on Sept 28 so he could continue his climb. That morning, instead of going to C2 we stayed at C1 and helped him dig for his tent. We gave up at 9 am, but he kept digging until he found his tent and equipment about 11 am. This entire time he drank no water and so we think this experience weakened him and he caught a cold or flu. On Sept 30 he reached C2 at 6770m (the day after us) and placed his tent beside our tent. During the night we could hear him coughing and so Pete went out in the storm and checked his pulse and oxygen saturation, which measurement indicated that he was having a hard time with the altitude. And so Oct 2 when we left to climb to C3 Kaz stayed at C2. We are not sure what day he descended, but I promise that was on Oct 3 most likely.


expid: MANA08333
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: S Korea
leaders: Oh Eun-Sun
sponsor: Eun-Sun Oh on Manaslu Expedition
bcdate: 2008-10-01
smtdate: 2008-10-12
smttime: 1123
termdate: 2008-10-15
campsites: BC(01/10,4700m),C1(04/10,6200m),C2(5/10,6800m),Smt(12/10)
agency: Korean Treks & Expeditions
routememo:
  Moved to C1 then up to C2. 6 Oct to BC and much snowfall. 11 Oct up to C1. 11 Oct midnight with Dawa Wangchuk and Pasang Tenzing left C2 and reached end of fixed rope and stopped there at 11:23 am. Dawa, Wangchuk said this was Ok place to stop; it was very hard climb and she agreed this was good enough; down to C2 at 4:20 pm. 13th to BC - very cold, Oh's face got blue, but not frostbitten.

  Sherpas:  
    Dawa Wangchuk, 17/12/72 (3/9/2029), Mathilow, Walung, Makalu-9, Kangch X3, 
      Everest X3, etc
    Pasang Tenzing, 16/1/1971 [??], Upper Walung, Makalu, Indian Everest 2005 [??]


  Jeevan - 9 Nov 2008

  I met Miss Oh with her Sherpa Dawa Wangchuk. They told me that on summit day 12 Oct Dawa Sherpa was way ahead of Miss Oh by about an hour. When Dawa arrived to the beginning of the couloir leading to the summit, he saw three ropes nearby. Dawa joined the ropes, two white of Korean made/50m each and one red rope of 50m and started fixing it on the route to summit of Manaslu. Dawa was in lead and they reached the summit. On the summit, there was white kata. Miss Oh reached near to the summit point maybe an arms length away, she did not step on the summit point, as she told Miss Hawley during her meeting. Kim Jae-Soo, leader of Kolon Sport Challenge Team Manaslu Expedition that includes Miss Go, both summited on 14 October, also mentioned about three ropes, which they too used on their summit day.


  Oh Eun-Sun - 20 March 2009

  Miss Oh wanted to clarify her Manaslu climb on 12 October 2008. She explained that, although she did not actually stand on the summit, she was only one or two meters below it.

  She, Pasang Tenzing and Dawa Wangchuk went from C2 on 12 October for the top together. Pasang Tenzing stopped 10-20 meters below it; Dawa Wangchuk remained one meter below Miss Oh in order to take a photo of her on the top. She stopped 1-2 meters below it; she had surmounted a rock formation and was now very tired, and although it would not have been too difficult for her to go the final one-two meters, she stopped here.

  After having taken photographs, Dawa Wangchuk descended with her without going the last meters to the summit himself.


expid: MANA08401
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: Milan Wlasak
sponsor: Hannah Mountain of the Spirit Expedition - Manaslu
bcdate: 2008-12-11
smtdate: 2008-12-25
termdate: 2008-12-26
termnote: Abandoned at 5850m due to large crevasses and fresh snowfall
campsites: BC(11/12,4800m),C1(15/12,5700m),xxx(25/12,5850m)
agency: Royal Mountain Travel
routememo:
  Email from Milan Wlasak sent on March 30, 2009 to Royal Mountain

  Team reached BC on 10 December. They reached C1 on 15th and stayed over night. They reached 5800m on 19th and tried to cross the crevasse till 24th. On 24th they reached 5850m; on the 25th they abandoned the climb due to could not cross the crevasse and too much snow.

  No member had any illness, accident or frostbite.


expid: MERR08301
peakid: MERR
year: 2008
route1: SE Face
nation: Spain
leaders: Angel Villan Polo
sponsor: Spanish Merra Peak Expedition 2008
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-09-26
smtdate: 2008-09-28
termdate: 2008-09-28
termnote: Abandoned at 5800m due to bad weather & snow fall
campsites: BC(26/09,4900m),C1(27/09,5600m),xxx(28/09,5800m)
agency: Chomolungma Pilgrimage
routememo:
  Approach: Biratnagar, bus to Basantpur, Chyanki, Gufa Pokhari, Nusum, Pungling,
    Lali Kharka, Khesewa, Mamankhe, Thunjim, Ang Khola, Anda Phedi, Lapsang, via
    Lapsang La, Lumba-Sumba Kharka, Ghunsa, Kangbachen, Kumbhakarna Glacier

  On 28 Sept Nunez and Villan left high camp (5600m) at 5:45 am, reached 5800m at about 6:30 am. Then started snow fall, descended to BC. Same day they reached Kangbachen. The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Oct via Gunsha, Amkilapsa, Amjilasa, Chiruwa, Mitlung, Taplejung then bus to Biratnagar, Nunez and Villan will probably leave on 11 Oct.


expid: NUPT08301
peakid: NUPT
year: 2008
route1: S Face (variation of Bonington rte)
nation: Spain
leaders: Jordi Tosas
sponsor: Spaniard Solo on Nuptse & Lhotse
bcdate: 2008-11-02
smtdate: 2008-11-14
termdate: 2008-11-24
termnote: Abandoned at 7600m due to route too difficult to climb alone
othersmts: Attempted Lhotse (LHOT-083-02); climbed Chhukung Ri summited (3 Nov) and 6146m unnamed peak
campsites: BC(02/11,4753m),Biv1(12/11,5000m),Biv2(13/11,6500m),xxx(14/11,7600m)
agency: None
primid: LHOT08302
routememo:
  BC in lodge in Chukkung village
  High point at ridge on South Face.

  Spaniard solo on Nuptse & Lhotse, Jordi Tosas (only member) - 29 Oct 2008

  Tosas was totally alone during his climbs as they were true solo attempts on the South Faces of the two mountains with his base in a room in a lodge in Chhukung village. All his climbing before he attempted Lhotse was to acclimatize for it, and his very early climbs were also to go give him good views of the South Faces of Nuptse and Lhotse.

  First, on 3 November he went north and climbed Chhukung Ri's South Ridge to its 5559m peak and back to Chhukung village.

  He rested for two days and then on the 6th moved south along the moraine on the east side of the Ama Dalam Glacier, then east to a very small lake at about 4800m, according to the Schneider Khumbu Himal map, and up on the moraine and rock slabs. There were several more small lakes as he continued east to the Chhukung Glacier at 5100m. He climbed across the Chhukung Glacier and up the west face of point 6146m; this peak is unnamed on the map, but Tosas calls it Amphu Gyabtsen, which he understands is the name used by local people for several peaks nearby. He moved along the North Ridge of point 6146m to a col between it and point 6238m, and from the col he descended the east side the ridge to the Amphu Glacier. He returned to Chhukung village via a path going north and west from the glacier.

  After two more days of rest, on the 9th he returned to the same path that now took him back to the Amphu Glacier and the east side of point 6238m. This time he climbed the North Face of point 6238m; the face included 800m of ice, which was more difficult terrain than he had been on three days before. He descended south along the ridge between point 6238m and point 6146m to the col and down its East Face. Then back to Chhukung village.

  Finally on 12 November he set out to climb the South Face of Nuptse. He went north up the Lhotse Nup Glacier and bivouacked at 5000m on the glacier's west side below the 5857m summit of Chhukung.

  Next day he climbed the West Face of Chhukung's North Ridge and joined the Bonington route at 5850m on Nuptse's South Ridge. He made his bivouac that day at 6500m on the South Ridge.

  On the 14th, he decided to go for Nuptse East, a summit on Nuptse's East Ridge. He left his bivouac at 3:00 am, at 6850m moved eastward to Babanov's route to Nuptse East. He reached 7600m at 12:00 noon. But now he was on a very rocky steep face (65-80 degrees), which was too difficult for him to climb alone. He abandoned his bid to climb Nuptse and returned to Chhukung village at 11:00 pm.

  All his efforts upto now had been to acclimatize for Lhotse. He turned his attention to the main goal on 18 November, when he left the village at 5:00 am and moved up the Lhotse Glacier and reached 6500m via the Yugoslav route on the South Face at 5:00 pm.

  On the 19th he started his climb at 7:00 am on bare rock. He got to 7400m on the Yugoslav route up a rocky gully and found icefalls making his solo climb too difficult. He turned around here at 12:00 noon and descended to his bivouac at 4:00 pm.

  His attack on Lhotse was over. He returned to Chhukung village on the 20th, left it on the 24th to trek to Namche and Lukla.


expid: NUPT08302
peakid: NUPT
year: 2008
route1: S Face (W of Bonington rte)
nation: France
leaders: Patrice Glairon-Rappaz
sponsor: Nuptse South Face Expedition
approach: Dingboche to Nuptse Glacier
bcdate: 2008-10-10
smtdate: 2008-10-29
termdate: 2008-10-31
termnote: Abandoned at 7700m due to extreme cold
campsites: BC(10/10,5200m),ABC(15/10,5500m),Biv1(15,26/10,6500m),Biv2(28/10,6800m),xxx(29/10,7700m)
accidents: Frostbite by both members; Glairon-Rappaz stomach problem
agency: Glacier Safari Treks
routememo:
  BC  at left (West) side of Nuptse Glacier
  ABC on glacier just below South Face
  Biv on South Face
  Biv on South Face
  xxx at col west of main summit on summit ridge.

  Nuptse South Face Expedition led by Patrice Glairon-Rappaz - 2 Nov 2008

  The two-man expedition trekked from Lukla airfield, where they landed on 18 September, to Dingboche, Kalapattar, Everest base camp and Ama Dablam base camp, then returned to Dingboche and went north to the Nuptse Glacier, and put their BC on the west side of the glacier at 5200m on 10 October.

  They made ABC at 5500m on the glacier just below Nuptse's South Face on 15 October. The same day at 7:00 pm they left ABC in full moonlight on an avalanche-free face and at midday on the 16th reached 6500m, where they made a small plateau in the snow for their first bivouac, and stayed there two nights. It was very cold (-20 degrees Celsius) and windy; Glairon-Rappaz had stomach trouble and both were very tired. They retreated to ABC and then to BC on the 17th.

  They resumed their climb up from BC on 26 October to ABC. They left ABC at 2:00 am of the 27th, when the temperature was -17 degrees Celsius, and bivouacked at 4:00 pm at their first bivouac site at 6500m. On the 28th they continued forging a new route on the South Face west of the Bonington route and made their next bivouac at 6800m.

  Next day at 5:30 am they moved more or less straight up the face. They encountered the technically most difficult part of the climb in the section from 7000m to 7100m, where there was a little ice on rock 85-90 degrees steep. They continued their ascent and joined the Bonington route at 7500m where it had traversed to the west. They continued 200m up that route to arrive at 7:00 pm at a col on the summit ridge at the western slope of the main summit.

  Here they turned back. It was too cold (-25 degrees Celsius) to go up the final slope eastward to the summit. They returned to their last bivouac (6800m) at 3:00 am on the 30th. They slept there, left at 8:00 am on the 30th and arrived at BC at 10:00 pm.

  Now Benoist was well aware that he had developed three frostbitten toes in -20 degree's cold during the climb of the 29th/30th. They left BC on the 31st and on 1 November flew by helicopter from Namche Bazar to Kathmandu.

  Glairon-Rappaz was luckier about frostbite. His fingers and toes merely became numb during the 29th/30th October climb -- and still were numb a few days later back in Kathmandu.


expid: PHUK08301
peakid: PHUK
year: 2008
route1: S Ridge
nation: Switzerland
leaders: Gerard Tejedor
sponsor: Swiss Phu Kang Expedition 2008
countries: France
approach: Besisahar->Jagat->Dharapani->Koto->Dharmashala->Kayang->Phu
bcdate: 2008-10-16
smtdate: 2008-10-16
termdate: 2008-11-01
termnote: Abandoned due to inaccessible route to the mountain
othersmts: Climbed Himlung (HIML-083-08) (no permit)
campsites: BC(16/10,4600m)
agency: Pike Peak Trekking
routememo:
  BC at 150m above the river and 200m below the Himlung BC.

  Swiss Phu Kang Expedition 2008 Autumn

  On 16 October Addor, Blanchard and Tejedor went up along the river to the place where the team originally planned to put up in BC near the lake at 4900m to see the route to Phu Kang. They could not find any possible access to Phu Kang from that area and returned to BC same day.

  On 17 October Addor, Blanchard, Ms Bonard, Ms Jacquemettaz, Krugel and Tejedor climbed up to C1 (5500m) of Himlung to observe once again the probable route along the glacier and returned to BC.

  On 25 October Addor, Blanchard and Krugel went to C1 of Himlung and slept there. On 26 October they climbed to C2 (6200m) and slept there. On 27 October Addor, Blanchard, and Krugel left C2 at 9 am. Blanchard reached summit of Himlung at 3 pm; Addor and Krugel stopped at 200m below the summit. They descended together to C2 at 6 pm slept there. Next day to Phu Kang BC.

  Addor, Ms Bonard, Krugel and Tejedor went to Ratna Chuli BC on 1 November to see the possible way to Phu Kang and returned to BC same day. They saw from Ratna Chuli BC the beginning and end of the glacier and Phu Kang but they could not see the middle part of the glacier.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 7 November. Members planning to visit Chitwan and some other places then will leave the country on 16 November.


expid: PK4108301
peakid: PK41
year: 2008
route1: W Face of S Smt
nation: UK
leaders: Nick Bullock
sponsor: Khumbu Alpine Style 08
bcdate: 2008-10-04
smtdate: 2008-11-07
termdate: 2008-11-08
termnote: Abandoned at 6250m due to impassible rock buttress
campsites: BC.1(04/10,5000m);BC.2(02/11,5200m),Biv1(05/11,5800m),Biv2(06/11,6100m),xxx(07/11,6250m)
agency: Loben Expeditions
routememo:
  Khumbu Alpine Style 08 - 15 Oct & 15 Nov 2008

  The two orginal members of the team, Bullock and Houseman (with no Sherpas), flew to Lukla on 30 September and trekked for five days east and southeast to BC via Zatrwala, Tuli Kharka, northeast to a small river named Hinku Drangka, north along the river to Tangnag, east to Dig Kharka, again north to the south end of the Hinku Glacier, and finally to the east side of the glacier and to the spot for BC at 5000m south of a sizable lake. They arrived at BC on 4 October.

  On the 5th, Bullock went east on a reconnaissance to find the approach to the East Summit of Peak 41 and back to BC. Next day Bullock and Houseman went closer to the mountain all the way to the base of the SW Face of the South Summit, decided the face gave a good approach to the top, and returned to BC.

  On the 7th, to acclimatize they went south to Mera Peak and up it to 5800m, they spent the night there. They returned to BC on the 8th, and on the 9th they went southwest to Tangnag village at 4300m for a rest.

  Back on the 11th to BC (or, rather the site of BC). There was absolutely nothing there. Tents, sleeping bags, clothes, boots, gear, food, everything had been stolen. It was the day before their planned assault on the mountain.

  They spent that night with an American expedition to Kangtega who were at Dig Kharka enroute to their BC. On the 12th they retreated to Tuli Kharka, on the 13th got to Lukla and were back in Kathmandu on the 14th.

  Bullock hoped his sponsor would could to the rescue with replacement supplies. He did. Noddings unofficially teamed up with Bullock on the 22nd. Houseman had left Nepal on the 16th or 17th; Bullock and Noddings flew to Lukla on the 24th.

  The two men made a new BC on the 26th at a tea house in Tangnag village, and the day after that went to the site of the old BC to pick up any items left by the robbers (not much was there) and returned to Tangnag. On the 29th they acclimatized by spending the night at 5800m on Mera Glacier and back to Tangnag on the 30th. They rested there for two days.

  On 2 November Bullock and Noddings moved east to Dig Kharka and north to 5200m on moraine east of the lake near which Bullock and Houseman had pitched the old BC. They left a cache of gear there, returned to Tangnag, were back there on the 4th and bivouacked there.

  Now the climb could begin. On 5 November Bullock went to the base of the West Face and bivouacked at 5800m on rock in the middle of the Khare Glacier. He started moving again on the 6th at 1:00 am, when the glacier was frozen and he was less likely to fall into a crevasse, and when rock fell and big falling seracs were less likely to come down. He reached 6100m at 1:25 pm on an arret due west of Peak 41's unclimbed South Summit, 6574 meters high. This was a good spot for a bivouac and he was tired, so he stayed there.

  On the 7th he left the bivouac at 7:00 am in "quite cold" weather and encountered mixed rock and sugary snow which wouldn't support any weight. This part of the climb was technically difficult: in parts of it the rock was 100-degree overhang. He kept going, but then he came to a snow runner to a 100-meters-high steep rock buttress at 6250m. He couldn't see any way up this. At its base the snow was fluted; he could see no weakness.

  He turned around at about 10:00 am. He returned to his bivouac, "crept" around the seracs and at 6:00 pm was back on the rock in the middle of the Khare Glacier. He arrived at Tangnag on the 8th of November.


expid: PUMO08303
peakid: PUMO
year: 2008
route1: S Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Fabrigio Zangrilli
sponsor: Four Winds Pumori Expedition
countries: France
bcdate: 2008-10-18
smtdate: 2008-10-27
termdate: 2008-11-06
termnote: Abandoned at 6490m due to members illness and Favre's accident
campsites: BC(18/10,5150m),ABC(25/10,5300m),C1(26/10,6100m),xxx(27/10,6490m)
accidents: Favre's accident; members' chest infections
agency: Karnali Excursions
routememo:
  BC  near lake just east of Kalapattar
  ABC on east face of South Ridge
  C1  in col on South Ridge
  High point at 6490m just below C2 site.

  Zangrilli joined Timothy Rippel's Sherpas fixing rope to C2 on 27 October and then went down to BC. Zangrilli got to 6490m that day (just below the site for C2) which turned out to be his team's highest point.

  On 1 November, Favre, Miller and Zangrilli climbed up to C1. On the next morning, Favre was tired because she had been coughing all night, and she wanted to return to BC to rest. So at 8:30 am on the 2nd Favre and Zangrilli left C1 (Miller left later).

  Favre and Zangrilli had descended to 5900m at 9:15 am when Favre was hit by a huge block of ice that had suddenly fallen from mushrooms on the col 100m above them; it was a one-meter cube, and it hit her squarely in the center of her chest (it had missed Miller by ten meters and Zangrilli by just half-meter). It flipped Favre over so she was left hanging from the fixed rope upside down; she made no movement, said nothing, was apparently unconscious. It had broken numerous bones in her body including all of her ribs and driven some ribs into her lung.

  Zangrilli had a sling, and with this he tied her 5'10" body weighing 60 kg (132 pounds) onto his harness and moved as swiftly as he could to ABC at 5300m, where they arrived just after 12:30 in the afternoon. He had told his cook Lhakpa from Khumjung to come up from BC to ABC, and at 1:00 pm they left ABC, taking turns to carry her piggyback down the difficult terrain of 30-degree sloping scree. Zangrilli had sent Miller on ahead to BC to get out the medical kit, asks porters who had just arrived at BC (with the Adventure Peaks expedition led by Dave Kenyon) to come part way up to ABC, and to use their satellite phone to tell their Kathmandu trekking agent to send a rescue helicopter to Gorak Shep. When Zangrilli, Favre and Lhakpa arrived at BC at 4:00 pm, Favre was semi-conscious, screaming in pain, pleading to be left alone to die.

  Another member, Ohlson, who gone down to Pheriche to recover from a chest infection which had afflicted three other members, had returned to BC this afternoon. He had an advance wilderness first aid certificate so was very helpful tending to Favre, and Dave Kenyon had a stretcher. At 5:00 pm Zangrilli ran from BC to Gorak Shep in 22 minutes to hire porters to carry the stretcher-borne Favre from BC to Gorak Shep. They got her there at 6:40 pm.

  At Gorak Shep Zangrilli found two Swiss doctors and some oxygen. Favre was now ballooning with blood distending her abdomen. The doctors and her teammates stayed up all night caring for her. The helicopter arrived at 9:15 am on the 3rd and took her to Kathmandu airport, where French embassy personnel including their doctor met her and took charge of her. The doctors at B & B Hospital, which was co-founded by an excellent orthopedic surgeon, estimated on her arrival that she had a 50-50 chance of survival.

  Zangrilli returned to BC on the 3rd, then quickly left again and got to Pheriche that evening.  On the 4th he left at 9:00 am and was at Lukla at 5:00 pm. There were no flights to Kathmandu on the 5th, but on the 6th he got a flight -- and had a difficult time finding a hotel room. He made daily visits to Favre's hospital room; on the 9th had no idea when he would be free to go home. But he took satisfaction in the fact that he had kept her alive long enough to get her to Kathmandu.

  Three of the team's seven members had left the expedition on 28 October because of chest infections: Chen, Fioretti and Frisk. Ohlson had left BC on the 25th to recuperate from his ailment, and he fortunately returned to BC on the afternoon of 2 November.


expid: PUMO08304
peakid: PUMO
year: 2008
route1: S Ridge
nation: Canada
leaders: Tim Rippel
sponsor: Peak Freaks Pumori Expedition 2008
countries: Australia, Jordan, Thailand, UK, USA
bcdate: 2008-10-11
smtdate: 2008-10-27
termdate: 2008-10-31
termnote: Abandoned at 6350m due to dangerous snow conditions
campsites: BC(11/10,5350m),ABC(18/10,5700m),C1(26/10,6150m),xxx(27/10)
accidents: Sinus infections
agency: Senge Treks & Expeditions
routememo:
  BC  between 2 lakes southeast of South Ridge
  ABC at foot of South Ridge-East Face
  C1  on South Ridge at start of ridge
  High point at 6350m on South Ridge.

  Peaks Freaks Pumori Expedition, led by Timothy Rippel - 7 Nov 2008

  While members stayed in C1 on 27 October, two of the team's Sherpas went from BC to the top of the fixed ropes already in place and fixed more rope to 6350m and then stopped there because of the unconsolidated snow above. They reported it was too dangerous to go higher; it would be impossible to fix any anchors in such snow.

  Because of the dangerous snow conditions, and the team was running out of time, Rippel decided to abandon the climb.

  No members went above C1. In C1 on the 27th were Bullington, Kijwanichprassevt, Dew, Mangles and Searle waiting to go higher when the ropes were in place.

  The Sherpas who reached 6350m were:
    Kaji Sherpa, Feb 1963, Loding, Solu, Everest X5 and three other 8000ers X1 each
    Dorje Lama, 7/4/71 (25/12/2027), Churung Kharka, Bhakanje-2, Solu, Ever X3, 
      Cho Oyu X2

  Four members left early:

  Irvine went only to ABC, left expedition on the 15th because of a sinus infection.

  Lindstrom also had a sinus infection, climbed to 6100m and left on the 17th.

  Loeffler got to C1, then left on the 20th to return to Canada to receive an award in the field of outdoor recreation, which is the subject she teaches.

  Powys also left on the 20th; she got to 6100m, then ran out of energy.


expid: PUMO08305
peakid: PUMO
year: 2008
route1: S Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Dave Kenyon
sponsor: Adventure Peaks South West Pumori Expedition 2008
countries: Sweden
bcdate: 2008-11-03
smtdate: 2008-11-11
termdate: 2008-11-14
termnote: Abandoned at 6500m due to unstable snow
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak
campsites: BC(03/11,5300m),ABC(07/11,5700m),C1(10/11,6250m),xxx(11/11,6500m)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  BC  at south of small lake east of South Ridge
  ABC at eastern slope of South Ridge (a fluted snow slope)
  C1  at col on South Ridge
  High point at eastern slope of South Ridge.

  Adventure Peaks South Ridge Pumori Expedition led by Dave Kenyan - 21 Nov 2008

  Kenyon came to Nepal well before the members to lead a group on a trekking peak. This expedition was originally scheduled to climb Ama Dablam, but Kenyon's report about the continuing avalanching there led to the decision that, according to Adventure Peaks' website, "due to the unacceptable levels of objective danger on Ama Dablam this year," their goal was switched from Ama Dablam to Pumori two days before the members' arrival in Kathmandu.

  One member, Green left the expedition very early; he arrived at BC with the team, but had a chest infection, didn't go above BC and left two days after having reached BC.

  Unfortunately, all the remaing climbers except Kenyon, Newton and Timms also had bad coughs and chest infections, and by the time all members were down in BC on the 11th, they decided to abandon the climb because of their mild illnesses, fatigue and no desire to go back up for a summit bid with the current unstable snow conditions making it impossible to fix snow anchors. Besides, they had only four more days left in their climbing period.

  They left BC on the 14th, and all seven remaining members plus Phurbu Sherpa summited Island Peak on the 15th before flying to Kathmandu on the 20th.

  Fixed rope: 800m between ABC & C1.

  Hired:
    Pasang Bhote, 17/10/84, Hatiya-1, Sankhuwasabha, Everest X2 
      (son of Phurba Ridar Bhote)
    Phurba/Phurbu Ridar Bhote, 1958/59 (2015), Chepuwa-4, Sankhuwasabha, Everest X3, 
      Cho Oyu X2, K2 X1 (father of Pasang Bhote)


expid: PUMO08306
peakid: PUMO
year: 2008
route1: SE Face-E Ridge
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: Miroslav Caban
sponsor: Caban Pumori Expedition 2008
approach: Lukla->Namche->Gorakshep
bcdate: 2008-10-24
smtdate: 2008-10-24
termdate: 2008-10-25
termnote: Abandoned at 5550m due to dangerous seracs
campsites: BC(24/10,5000m),xxx(24/10,5500m)
agency: Prestige Adventure
routememo:
  High point at 5500m at C1.

  Caban arrived BC on 24 Oct. He went up to 5500m to see the condition of the mountain and descended to BC. Other expedition members told Caban that there are big seracs between C1 and C2 and not possible to cross them. Caban had a Sherpa who was suppose to put up C1 before Cabans arrival to BC. But the Sherpa did not do anything, but just stayed in BC. 

  Caban returned to Kathmandu on 28 Oct. He visited Chitwan Pokhara and returned to Kathmandu on 7 Nov and will leave on 9 Nov.


expid: RATC08301
peakid: RATC
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Toichi Ichimura
sponsor: 2008 Kochi Ratna Chuli Expedition
approach: Besisahar->Tal->Temang Besi->Koto->Meta->Kayang->Phu Gaon->Kharka
bcdate: 2008-09-18
smtdate: 2008-10-04
smttime: 1405
termdate: 2008-10-17
campsites: BC(18/09,5200m),ABC(27/09,5700m),C1(29/09,6200m),C2(02/10,6800m),Smt(04/10)
accidents: Minor frostbite in fingers of Oshioka
agency: Cosmo Treks
routememo:
  Kariya, Yamamoto, Tul, Durge, Dhan, Kitap and Ang Dawa left C2 at 4:30 am, reached summit at 2:05 pm, stayed on summit for 30 minutes, descended to C2 at 6:30 pm. Next day members to C1. Nepali climbers to BC. Members descended to ABC on 6 Oct and 7 Oct to BC. 

  Second attempt by Fukata and Takemura reached C2 on 10 Oct. They were exhausted and gave up. 

  Ichimura, Igaki, Irimajiri, Nakajima and Oshioka went up to C1 and did not try to go further climbing due to tiredness. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 22 Oct and will leave on 29 Oct.

  Fixed rope: 2100m different places.


expid: RATC08302
peakid: RATC
year: 2008
route1: S Face (to 6570m)
route2: S Face-W Ridge (to 6300m)
nation: France
leaders: Reiner Wacker
sponsor: Ratna Chuli European Expedition
countries: Germany
approach: Besisahar, up Marshyangdi->Phugaon & Yak Kharka
bcdate: 2008-11-15
smtdate: 2008-11-18
termdate: 2008-11-24
termnote: Abandoned at 6570m due to very cold strong wind
campsites: BC(15/11,5400m),Deposit(16/11,5700m),C1(17/11,6080m),xxx(18/11,6570m)
agency: South Asian Treks
routememo:
  Ratna Chuli European Expedition 2008, led by Reiner Wacker - 2 Dec 2008

  The team reached BC from Phugaon to Yak Kharka and north on the unnamed glacier running south from the south side of Ratna Chuli. BC was placed on moraine on the left side of the glacier. Their deposit camp was 300m higher on ice near the moraine. C1 was the bottom of the face, which other teams have called the south face, but this team says was facing southwest more than south.

  C1 was established on 17 November. On the 18th Wacker went to the site for C2 alone to acclimatize and to find the route above C1. He climbed on the left side of the face, found a "very stony" place at 6570m, but had no tent with him (he had not planned to set up a camp) so returned to BC thad day. It turned out that 6570m was the highest point reached by anyone from this team.

  Also on the 18th, Flandre and Marietti moved halfway to the West Ridge while their two Sherpas fixed rope as they climbed towards the ridge to join the route which a Japanese expedition had scaled the previous month. The Sherpas fixed 250m of rope to an altitude of 6300m and then stopped; they reported to the two members that the route ahead became very steep and was too difficult for the members to climb -- the Frenchmen were not skilled enough for it. The four climbers also descended to BC the same day.

  Krez had not acclimatized well enough to join his teammates on the 18th, but on the 20th he, Flandre and Wacker returned to C1. Flandre and Krez wanted to see if they could climb part of the ridge, while Wacker wanted to make a bid for the summit via the face. Marietti remained in BC since there would be no tent for him.

  Flandre and Krez went over to the ridge at 6300m on the 21st. During the night of the 21st/22nd, a strong wind blew up and the temperature dropped. Everyone descended to BC on the 22nd because of the cold windstorm, which continued all that day. They decided the climb was over.

  Fixed rope: 250m

  Sherpas:
    Mingma Tshering, 30/6/87 (16/3/2044), Khumjung, no 8000ers
    Ongchu Sherpa, 1970, Pawai-1, Solu, no 8000ers


expid: SARI08301
peakid: SARI
year: 2008
route1: NE Face/Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Paulo Grobel
sponsor: French Saribung Expedition 2008
ascent1: 6th
approach: Jomsom->Lo Mangtang->Damodar Kunda->Namta Khola
bcdate: 2008-10-06
smtdate: 2008-10-11
smttime: 1100
termdate: 2008-10-15
campsites: BC(06/10,5250m),C1(08/10,5750m),C2(10/10,6050m),Smt(11/10)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
othersmts:
  Summited two 6225m peaks on Oct 12, 6226m peak on Oct 13 (aka Alfred's Belvedere), and Kumlung (KUML-083-01)

routememo:
  BC at east end of Namta Khola
  C1 north of mountain on glacier
  C2 at Saribung pass, NNE of summit.

  French Saribung, led by Paulo Grobel - 26 Oct 2008

  The Saribung summit party consisted of all members except Mrs. Mary Cler and Grobel, who on 11 Oct climbed to the tops of two 6225 meter peaks (Sonam Himal and Karsang Peak) just north of Saribung in order to take photos of the team on Saribung, and also to scale some unclimbed mountains. Mrs. Cler and Grobel left C2 at 8:00 am and summited their two peaks at 11:00 am and 12:30 pm, were back in C2 at 2:00 pm.

  The Saribung summiters, Michel Cler, Le Disque, Milteau, Naude, Pueyo, Stellato and Vulin, plus Cho Temba and Rinji, left C2 on 11 October at 8:00 am also and climbed the easy 30-35 degree slope to the top, which they reached at 11:00 am. They stayed on the summit for half an hour and returned to C2 at 2:00 pm.

  On the 12th, Le Disque and Milteau scaled one of the 6225m peaks (Karsang Kang or Sonam Himal) while Mary and Michel Cler with Naude descended to a different BC at 5050m, the normal site for Bhrikuti base camps, from which they would trek out via Phu.

  On the 13th, Grobel, Milteau, Pueyo and Stellato scaled a 6226-meter peak (aka Alfred's Belvedere) northeast of Saribung via its east ridge, which was 45-degree bare rock. They left C2 at 7:00 am, summited at 12:00 noon, stayed an hour and a half enjoying the scenery, and returned to C2 at 4:00 pm. On the same day, Le Disque and Vulin went up one of the 6225m peaks.

  On the 14th, Grobel and Vulin went from C2 to Kumlung, a 6355m mountain north-northeast of Saribung and south of C2. They started from C2 at 9:45 am and were on its summit at 1:00 pm via the west face of a pass at 6273m to Kumlung's NW Ridge and the snow-covered flank of the ridge when the ridge itself turned into very loose rock. From Kumlung, they went down to the team's new BC. It had been a very difficult climb, but very beautiful.

  By the 14th the entire team had gathered at the new BC, and on the 15th they trekked from there to Phu.

  Sherpas:
    Cho Temba Sherpa, 5/10/84, Makalu-9, no 8000ers
    Rinji Sherpa, 24 yrs, Walung village, Makalu-9, no 8000ers


expid: SARI08302
peakid: SARI
year: 2008
route1: NE Face/Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Laurent Vivien Raguet
sponsor: Terres d' Adventure Saribung
ascent1: 5th
countries: Belgium
approach: Jomsom->Lo Mantang
bcdate: 2008-10-05
smtdate: 2008-10-08
smttime: 1100
termdate: 2008-10-09
campsites: BC(05/10,5200m),C1(07/10,5700m),Smt(08/10)
agency: Adventure 6000
routememo:
  Team left C1 at 5:30 am on 8 Oct. Cloudy and windy ascent about 30 degrees. When they arrived at summit they had good views. On the way down they crossed Saribung Pass, which lies at 6000m on the side. 

  They camped at 5200m on other side near moraine. On 9 Oct they went to Phu, stayed two nights. On 11 Oct two nights in Meta.

  Hired:
    Suk Bahadur Gurung, Laprak-7, Gorkha, 24/8/79 (2036/5/18), no expedition peaks


expid: SARI08303
peakid: SARI
year: 2008
route1: N Face
nation: France
leaders: Jean Annequin
sponsor: Expes.com Saribung Expedition 2008
ascent1: 7th
countries: Belgium
approach: Jomsom->Tsarang->Lo Manthang->Digaon->Guma Thati->Damodar Kunda
bcdate: 2008-11-15
smtdate: 2008-11-20
termdate: 2008-11-15
campsites: BC(15/11,5300m),C1(17/11,5850m),Smt(20/11)
achievment: Skiing from high camp (C1)
agency: Expes.com Treks
routememo:
  All 14 members and 4 Sherpas left high camp around 8 am, reached summit at 12 noon. All 14 members and Pemba skied down to East Face, then camped at 5500m at 4 pm. Spent night. Next day explored some other peaks and skied on glacier. Its a fantastic area for skiing. On 22 Nov the team reached Phugaon. The team returned to Kathmandu on 29 Nov and will leave on 1 Dec.

  Sherpas:
    Pemba Sherpa, 4/9/71 (19/05/2028) Taksindu-6, summited Everest, Cho Oyu, 
      Xixabangma, Manaslu 1997, Makalu X1
    Ngima Tamang, 30/7/62 (15/04/2019), Kerung-1, Manaslu 4/10/08, Manaslu 97 Swiss,
       Everest 01 Spanish, Tilicho 92 French [unconfirmed], Churen 90 Himal Koreans, 
       Xixabangma 2006 Swiss
    Dorchi Sherpa, 30/11/73 (15/08/2030), Makalu-9
    Gyalzen Sherpa, 22/4/61, Yilajung, Namche-9, Dhaula I X1, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X1

  (These are the same Sherpa as those who summited Manaslu with Ludovic Challeat, French, on 4 Oct 2008).


expid: SITA08301
peakid: SITA
year: 2008
route1: E Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Simon Currin
sponsor: Medex Hidden Valley Expedition 2008 Aut 2008
countries: Netherlands, S Africa, USA
approach: Beni->French Pass
bcdate: 2008-10-18
smtdate: 2008-10-18
termdate: 2008-10-22
campsites: BC(18/10,5050m),xxx(18/10,5300m)
agency: Sherpa Brothers
routememo:
  The expedition team did not attempt to climb the peak due to:

  1) not enough time
  2) climbing route looks too difficult
  3) Research BC was too far from the peak.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Nov and will leave on 8 Nov.


expid: TILI08302
peakid: TILI
year: 2008
route1: NE Spur-N Ridge
nation: Spain
leaders: Fernando Errecalde
sponsor: Aragon Tilicho Expedition 2008
approach: Besisahar->Jagat->Dharapani->Chame->Pisang->Manang->Tilicho BC Hotel
bcdate: 2008-10-20
smtdate: 2008-11-01
termdate: 2008-11-03
termnote: Abandoned at 6500m due to lots of fresh snow and strong wind
campsites: BC(20/10,5000m),C1(22/10,5800m),C2(30/10,6300m),xxx(01/11,6500m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  Alejandre, Errecalde and Lombas were in C2 on 30 Oct. It was windy and very cold. Lombas descended to BC on 31 Oct. Alejandre and Errecalde waited in C2 for good weather. They tried to summit on 1 Nov and left C2 at 6 am, reached 6500m at about 7:15 am, but they had to turn around to C2 due to very strong wind and lots of fresh snow and also it was very cold. Same day Alejande and Errecalde descended to BC. The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Nov and will leave on 10 Nov.

  Fixed rope: 200m between C1 & C2


expid: TILI08303
peakid: TILI
year: 2008
route1: NE Spur-N Ridge
nation: Iran
leaders: Hassein Amani Shahry
sponsor: Iranian National Tilicho Expedition
ascent1: 33rd
approach: Besisahar->Tal->Dharapani->Koto->Manang->Kitagsar
bcdate: 2008-10-17
smtdate: 2008-10-28
termdate: 2008-10-31
campsites: BC(17/10,4900m),C1(22/10,5800m),C2(27/10,6200m),Smt(28/10)
accidents: Bahaeloo-Horeh fell down from 200m above C2, about 600m at 8:30 pm while descending
achievment: 1st Iranian ascent on Tilicho
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  First group consisting of Hajibagloo, Maani Golestan, Sadmousavy, Tahmooresi, Chuldim and Wang Dorchi left C2 at 6 am. Second group consisting of Amani Shahry, Araj, Bahaeloo Horeh, Maghaddam, Naeeini and Rahimihaji Firoozi left C2 at 7:30 am. All members and descended to C2 at 11 pm. Next day to BC. Weather during ascent was windy and cold. The team returned to Kathmandu on 2 November and will leave on 4 Nov.

  Sherpas:
    Chuldim Sherpa, 23/7/64 (08/04/2021), Khumjung
    Wang Dorchi Sherpa, 27/4/79 (14/01/2036), Makalu-9


expid: TILI08304
peakid: TILI
year: 2008
route1: NE Spur-N Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Francois Marsigny
sponsor: Frenchmen on Tilicho
approach: Bhulbhule->Jagat->Dharapani->Chame->Pisang->Manang->Camp Hotel
bcdate: 2008-10-21
smtdate: 2008-10-30
termdate: 2008-11-04
termnote: Abandoned at 6300m due to bad snow conditions, danger of avalanche and very strong wind
othersmts: Climbed unnamed nearby peak just north of 5982m (Marsigny)
campsites: BC(21/10,4900m),C1(25/10,5750m),C2(30/10,6300m),xxx(30/10,6300m)
agency: Khumbu Shangri-La Nepal
routememo:
  On 31 Oct morning when the members and Sherpas got up they found lots of fresh and deep snow and very strong wind. The snow conditions above C2 were dangerous of avalanches and decided to call off the expedition. The members and Sherpas descended to C1. Next day to BC. 

  Girod and Rolin went up to C1 on 25 Oct. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 7 Nov and will leave on 9 Nov.

  Fixed rope: 300m before C1.

  Sherpas:
    Nima Kancha Sherpa, 19/7/75 (03/04/2032), Pare, Namche-6, Everest 18/5/06
    Ang Nima Sherpa, 14/5/84 (01/02/2041), Pangboche, Everest X3, Cho Oyu X1
    Mingma Tshering Sherpa, 21/3/76 (08/12/2032), Khunde
    Ang Namgyal (Tshering Namgyal)


expid: TILI08305
peakid: TILI
year: 2008
route1: E Spur-NE Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Kim Bodin
sponsor: French Tilicho Expedition
approach: Pokhara->Jomsom (3 days via Mesokanto Pass)
bcdate: 2008-10-20
smtdate: 2008-11-01
termdate: 2008-11-03
termnote: Abandoned at 6400m due to strong wind, bad snow conditions
campsites: BC(20/10,5000m),C1(24/10,5000m),C2(01/11/6400m),xxx(01/11,6400m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  Gandillet-Ezingeard, Tashi and Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa climbed up to C2 spent the night. Next morning they faced strong winds and it was not possible to continue climbing, so they descended to BC. Ezingeard slept in C1. 

  Leader Bodin left BC on 24 Oct saying that he had cerebral edema, but Ezingeard couple suspected Bodin was not sick. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Nov and will leave on 10 Nov.

  Sherpas:
    Tashi Lhakpa, 18/11/85, Mathilow, Walung, summited Everest in 2004, 2005, 2006,
      2007, Cho Oyu X1
    Lhakpa Sona Sherpa, 2/12/1985, Pangkoma, Jubing-8, 1s time on expedition peak


expid: TILI08306
peakid: TILI
year: 2008
route1: NE Spur-N Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Jean Roland Michaud
sponsor: French Tilicho Expedition
countries: Switzerland
approach: Pokhara->Jomsom by plane, high Kharka and 3 camps
bcdate: 2008-10-21
smtdate: 2008-10-28
termdate: 2008-11-02
termnote: Abandoned at 6300m due to high wind and bad snow conditions
campsites: BC(21/10,4900m),C1(25/10,5600m),C2(28/10,6300m),xxx(28/10,6300m)
agency: Khumbu Shangri-La Nepal
routememo:
  BC northwest of lake.

  Carlod, Michaud, Quenet, Ang Tshering, Phu Dorje and Da Nurbu spent night in C2 on 28 Oct and next day descended to BC due to high wind and bad snow conditions. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 5 Nov. Michaud, Morris & Besson left Kathmandu on 7 Nov. Rest of the members on 8 and 9 Nov. 

  Gallay climbed up to 5800m on 26 Oct; he was tired and gave up climbing. 
  Morris went up to 6300m on 26 Oct. 
  Besson and De Sainte-Marie went up to 6000m on 26 Oct.

  Sherpas:
    Ang Tshering Sherpa, 22/4/80 (10/01/2037), Choplung, Chaurikharka-3, 
      Cho Oyu X1, Everest X2
    Phu Dorje, 7/12/75 (21/08/2032), Phortse, Khumjung-9, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X1
    Dawa Nurbu, 22/11/76 (07/08/2033), Kharikhola, Jubing-1, Everest X7


expid: TKPO08301
peakid: TKPO
year: 2008
route1: NE Face (center of face direct)
route2: NE Face-N Ridge (to 6250m)
nation: Japan
leaders: Yasushi Okada
sponsor: Japanese Tengkangpoche Expedition
ascent1: 3rd
bcdate: 2008-10-28
smtdate: 2008-11-15
smttime: 1045
termdate: 2008-11-23
agency: Cosmo Treks
campsites:
  BC(28/10,4350m),Biv1(12/11,5000m),Biv2(13/11,5500m),Biv3(14/11,6150m),Smt(15/11); Biv1(19/11,5600m),(20/11,6000m),xxx(21/11,6250m)

routememo:
  BC at Thengpo in a lodge.

  Japanese Tengkangpoche Expedition - 27 November 2008

  After establishing BC on 28 October, the expedition trekked east to Tashi Labtsa on 3 November, then west to Thami on 5 November to rest. They returned to BC on the 9th.

  The expedition now split into two two-man teams to climb two routes on the NE Face. The first team of Manome and Okada left BC on 12 November and scaled the mountain via a new route directly up the center of the face in a series of three bivouacs. The route was technically difficult on mixed rock, snow and ice, and it was very steep in places, varying from 50 to 85 degrees.

  On the 12th they bivouacked below the face at 5000m. They fixed 80m of rope to make the route "easy to climb up on the first day." (This was the only rope they fixed on the mountain). On the 13th their bivouac was at 5500m and on the 14th at 6150m.

  At 2:30 am on the 15th they set out for the summit, reached it in windy weather and a snow shower at 10:45 am, and were back in BC at 0:30 am on the 16th in nearly full moonlight.

  Now it was the turn of the other pair, Arai and Nagato, to climb a line left of the Okada-Manome route to get onto the North Ridge. They too bivouacked on their ascent: their first bivouac was at 5600m on the 19th and the second at 6000m on the 20th. On November 21 they reached 6250m, but now there were technical difficulties: the snow was like sugar and the face was 70 degrees steep. Perhaps they should have gone slightly farther to the left, where the face is not so steep and not so technical, but perhaps that line would have been no better. Anyway, they turned around, returned to 6000m to bivouac there a second night, and descended to BC on the 22nd.

  Okada and Manome had stayed in BC while their teammates were on the face, waiting to be sure they returned safely to BC. Then Okada and Manome left BC the 23rd. Arai and Nagato left BC the next day.


expid: TUKU08302
peakid: TUKU
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge
nation: Slovenia
leaders: Matjaz Serkezi
sponsor: Slovenian Tukuche Expedition
ascent1: 21st
approach: Beni->Tatopani->Ghasa->Marpha->Yak Kharka
bcdate: 2008-10-13
smtdate: 2008-10-23
smttime: 1500
termdate: 2008-10-31
othersmts: Climbed Dhampus, Thapa Peak and 5824m peak
campsites: BC(13/10,5060m),C1(18/10,6000m),Smt(23/10)
agency: Wilderness Experience
routememo:
  Slovenian Tukuche Expedition

  On 23 October Ajnik, Jerman, Pahovnik, Rozman and Snepf left C1 at 6 am. Jerman, Rozman and Snepf were slow and turned around from 6400m to BC. Ajnik and Pahovnik reached summit at 3 pm. They stayed on summit for about 30 minutes and descended to C1 at 7 pm. Both members skied down from C1 to BC same day. The weather was good but cold (-17 degrees) and windy.

  Dusic and Pinter slept in C1 on 23 October. It was very cold for them and descended to BC next day.

  On 24 October Knop and Serkezi left C1 at 6:30 am reached West Wummit (6890m) at 1 pm; it was late for them and they descended to BC same day. It was -20 degrees, strong wind, sunny and warm, most of the time there were avalanches on the summit ridge.

  On 29 October Habjan, Kremser and Karel started from C1 at 6:30 am, reached 6620m at 11 am, then storm started and they descended straight to BC.

  Dhampus summiters:
    Snepf on 14 October
    Kremser, Serkezi and Karel on 15 October.
    Ajnik, Pahovnik and Pinter on 16 October.
    Jerman and Rozman 25 October.

  Thapa Chuli summiters
    Knop, Pinter and Karel on 25 October.

  Unnamed peak 5927m located separate and not connected to other ridge in front of Sita Chuchura
    Serkezi on 14 October
    Dusic and Pahovnik on 29 October.

  Fixed rope: 60m between 6660m-6720m


expid: TUKU08303
peakid: TUKU
year: 2008
route1: N Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Makoto Kobayashi
sponsor: Japanese on Tukuche
approach: Pokhara->Jomsom->Marpha->Yak Kharka->Thapa Pass
bcdate: 2008-10-05
smtdate: 2008-10-16
termdate: 2008-10-18
termnote: Abandoned at 6600m due to very strong wind
campsites: BC(05/10,5000m),C1(11/10,5460m),C2(15/10,6320m),xxx(16/10,6600m)
agency: Cosmo Treks
routememo:
  Kobayashi, Ram Kazi, Tika and Chepa left C2 at 10 am on 16 Oct. When they reached at 6600m. There was very strong wind at about 12 noon. Then the team descended to C2 at about 2 pm. Next day descended to BC. Kobayashi returned to Kathmandu on 24 Ocat and will leave on 29 Oct.

  Hired:
    Ram Kazi Tamang, 10/6/77 (28/02/2034), Deusa-6
    Tika Bahadur Tamang, 36 yrs, Rampur-8, Ramechap, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X1
    Chepa Sherpa, 29/10/83 (12/07/2040), Sotang-6

  Fixed rope: 2200m above C1


expid: TUKU08304
peakid: TUKU
year: 2008
route1: N Ridge
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: Pavel Matousek
sponsor: Dhaulagiri I Light Expedition
approach: Pokhara->Jomsom->Alu Bari->Yak Kharka(4880m)->Tukuche BC->French Pass
bcdate: 2008-09-16
smtdate: 2008-10-03
termdate: 2008-10-09
termnote: Abandoned due to lack of time & soft snow conditions
othersmts: Had permit for Dhaulagiri I (DHA1-083-04)
campsites: BC(16/09,4700m),C1(24/09,5500m),C2(26/09,6250m),xxx(03/10,6850m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
primid: DHA108304
routememo:
  BC at 4700m at Dhaulagiri BC
  High pont at 6850m at Tukuche II.

  On 3 Oct  Belik, Hofmannova, Matousek and Novakova left C2 at 7:30 am for the main summit. Climbing was difficult because of ice snow. The team reached top of Tukuche II 6850m at 3:20 pm, but to go to main Tukuche Peak, they have to go down and climb again. Since there was not enough time to go to main peak and return, the team decided to give up the attempt on main peak, and descended to C2 and next day to BC. 

  The expedition plan was to attempt Dhaulagiri I as the main expedition and Tukuche as acclimatization peak. Kolar and Churav slept in C2 on 2 Oct. They were exhausted and did not climb further. The team returned to Kathmandu on 16 Oct and will leave on 19 Oct.


expid: TUKU08305
peakid: TUKU
year: 2008
route1: NNW Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Stefan Herrmannspahn
sponsor: Tukuche Peak Expedition 2008
approach: Beni->French Pass
bcdate: 2008-10-09
smtdate: 2008-10-25
termdate: 2008-10-28
termnote: Abandoned at 6850m due to not enough time, tired & bad snow condition
othersmts: Climbed unnamed peak (5882m) and Dhampus Peak
campsites: BC(09/10,5050m),C1(13/10,5600m),C2(24/10,6245m),xxx(25/10,6850m)
accidents: Anders suffered from headache at BC (used oxygen)
agency: Adventure Geo Treks
routememo:
  BC at Hidden Valley
  High point at 6850m.

  Auerswald and Erkelenz left C2 at 8 am on 25 Oct. Erkelenz reached West Summit at about 1:30 pm, stayed on West Summit about 15 minutes. It was windy, snow condition was not stable and it was late to continue for the Main Summit. Then descended to C2 around 3 pm with Auerswald who had stopped at about 6800m due to tiredness. Next day to BC. 

  Anders suffered from headache and left BC with trekking group on 10 Oct. 

  Bogatin, Gust, Hermannspahn, Hilsberg and Neumann climbed up to 6000m. They were tired and did not attempt the main peak. 

  Roeger did not attempt on Tukuche but he did go to summit of unnamed peak 5882m, south of Dhampus Pass and north of Tukuche Peak. 

  On 23 Oct climbing route was North Ridge-BC-Summit-BC in one day. 

  Auerswald, Bogatin and Hilsberg summited Dhampus via West Ridge on 22 Oct (no permit). 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 1 November and will leave on 2 Nov.


expid: URKM08401
peakid: URKM
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge via Tilman's Pass
nation: Australia
leaders: Steven Williamson
sponsor: Rusty Tin Urkinmang Expedition
countries: Germany, UK
approach: Dhunche->Langshisa Glacier->Langtang->Kyanjin Gompa
bcdate: 2008-12-01
smtdate: 2008-12-07
termdate: 2008-12-09
termnote: Abandoned at 5900m due to ran out of time, lack of experience of members & cold weather
campsites: BC(01/12,4200m),C1(02/12,5100m),C2(06/12,5400m),xxx(07/12,5900m)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  BC at Langshisa Kharka
  C1 on the moraine halfway upto Tilman's Pass
  C2 on Tilman's Pass.

  On 7 Dec Williamson and Poefzschner left C2 at 7 am. They arrived at 5900m at about 2 pm. It was late and they decided to turn around and descended to C2 by 4:30 pm (about) sleep there. On 8 Dec to C1 and to BC. They had meal at BC and arrived Kyanjin Gompa about 5 pm same day. 

  Kedgley slept in C2; she was exhausted and also had stomach problem and descended to BC with Gyalbu Tamang. She returned to Kathmandu on 9 Dec and left on 10th. Williamson returned to Kathmandu on 11 Dec. Poefzschner returned to Kathmandu on 10 Dec and left on 11 Dec. He stayed with Williamson in Tinchule.

  Hired:
    Gyalbu Tamang 20/4/77 (08/01/2034), Langtang-7, no previous climbing


expid: URKM08402
peakid: URKM
year: 2008
route1: W Ridge via Tilman's Pass
nation: Australia
leaders: Steven Williamson
sponsor: The Titilean Sport Urkinmang
countries: New Zealand
approach: Dhunche->Langshisa Glacier->Langtang->Kyanjin Gompa
bcdate: 2009-01-24
smtdate: 2009-01-31
termdate: 2009-02-05
termnote: Abandoned at 5500m due to lack of time
campsites: BC(24/01,4200m),C1(25/01,5100m),C2(30/01,5400m),xxx(31/01,5500m)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  On 31 Jan Massiani and Williamson left C2 at about 7 am for summit. When they reached about 5500m Massiani told Williamson that "she could not do it (climb today)." She was not sick - physically she was fit. Then both the climbers descended to C2 slept. On 1 Feb C1 and on 2 Feb to BC. 

  At BC Williamson got message from Gyalbu Tamang that Williamson has to be in Kathmandu  for his wife's Australian visa processing. Williamson left BC on 5 Feb and returned to Kathmandu on 7 Feb. Massiani left BC on 8 Feb for trek to Gosainkunda and some other villages. She may return to Kathmandu on about 25 Feb. Massiani was nominated leader.


expid: CHOY08315
peakid: CHOY
year: 2008
route1: NW side
nation: China
leaders: Dong Fan
sponsor: China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) Mountaineering Association
smtdate: 2008-10-02
smttime: 0425
campsites: BC,ABC,C1(6500m),C2(7200m),C3(7500m),Smt(02/10)
routememo:
  18 members and 3 Tibetan coaches
  (4 members and 2 Tibetans summited on 2 October)

    Dong Fan, 6:40 am (CST) summit
    Dechen Ngodup, 6:40 am (CST) summit (Tibetan)
    Zhang Yu, 8:40 am  (CST) summit
    Gao Lin, 8:40 am (CST) summit (female)
    Yuan Fu-Dong, 8:40 am (CST) summit (also Olympic Torch summiter)
    Tsering Dendu, 8:40 am (CST) summit (Tibetan)


expid: DUDH53301
peakid: DUDH
year: 1953
route1: E side
nation: Austria
leaders: Herbert Tichy
ascent1: 1st
campsites: Smt(Nov)
primid: GHYM53301
othersmts:
  Recon Patrasi Himal (PATR-533-10); climbed Ghyuthumba Main (GHYM-533-01), Dong Mar, Milchberg Peak and Thorungse Dong Mar (all 1st ascents); approached Saipal (SAIP-533-01)


expid: MANA08334
peakid: MANA
year: 2008
route1: NE Face
nation: Serbia
leaders: Dragan Jacimovic
sponsor: Extreme Summit teams to Manaslu 2008
countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Montenegro, Slovenia
bcdate: 2008-09-06
smtdate: 2008-10-04
smttime: 0800
termdate: 2008-10-06
campsites: BC(06/09,4900m),C1(15/9,5800m),C2(21/09,6800m),C3(03/10,7400m),Smt(04/10)
agency: Himalayan Guides
routememo:
  Summit team left C3 at 3:30 am. Weather was perfect clear, but cold (-20 degrees). Group were behind Jagged Globe group. They summited middle peak with prayer flags. Good view. They descended to C2, arrived at about 6 pm. On 5 Oct BC.

  Gafic reached C1 on 15 Sept; due to pulmonary problems, she did not carry on and left BC on 16 Sept. 

  Jacimovic reached C1 on 13 Sept, did not stay night. He remained at BC for rest of time to manage the expedition.

  Maric Zdenko reached BC; he had hernia problems, but remained at BC till end of expedition.

  Mitrovic reached C1 on 15 Sept, stayed 1 night; he had kidney problems, which got better; remained at BC for rest of expedition.


  8 April 2009

  Leader Dragan Jacimovic denied that his team reached only 8125m and stated that they had continued on up the col to the ridge, turned left onto the ridge and followed the ridge to the top. Pasang Dawa and Lhakpa Thundu [from Todd's team] reached the summit at 8:00 am on 4 October and were the first people on the top that day. Most of his summiters were mixed in among the climbers on Adele Pennington Jagged Globe expedition around 9:30-10:00 am.


  Sherpas:
    Pasang Dawa (Pa Dawa), Pangboche, Khumbu, 1984, Everest X3, Ama Dablam X2, 
      Cho Oyu X1


expid: KUML08301
peakid: KUML
year: 2008
route1: NW Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Paulo Grobel
ascent1: 1st
approach: Jomsom->Lo Mangtang->Damodar Kunda->Namta Khola
bcdate: 2008-10-06
smtdate: 2008-10-14
smttime: 1300
termdate: 2008-10-15
campsites: BC(06/10,5250m),Smt(14/10)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
primid: SARI08301
othersmts:
  Summited Kharsang (KARS-083-01), 6226m peak on Oct 13 (aka Alfred's Belvedere), and Saribung (SARI-083-01)

  Climbed Saribung (SARI-083-01) and Kharsang (KARS-083-01)

routememo:
  BC at east end of Namta Khola.

  On the 14th, Grobel and Vulin went from C2 to Kumlung, a 6355m mountain north-northeast of Saribung and south of C2. They started from C2 at 9:45 am and were on its summit at 1:00 pm via the west face of a pass at 6273m to Kumlung's NW Ridge and the snow-covered flank of the ridge when the ridge itself turned into very loose rock. From Kumlung, they went down to the team's new BC. It had been a very difficult climb, but very beautiful.


expid: TILI08307
peakid: TILI
year: 2008
route1: NE Spur-N Ridge
nation: Switzerland
leaders: Franco Demarchi
sponsor: Ticino Tilicho Expedition
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2008-11-23
smtdate: 2008-11-23
termdate: 2008-11-29
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to strong winds, danger of avalanches, lack of motivation
campsites: BC(23/11,4950m),xxx(29/11,6000m)
routememo:
  Approach: Kagbeni, Muktinath ,Thorang La, Leder, Chulu West BC, Manang, Khangsar beside Tilicho Lake.

  Did not climb higher than 6000m due to strong wind, danger of avalanche and lack of motivation. The team returned to Kathmandu on 6 Dec and left on 8 Dec.


expid: AMAD08341
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Andrew Williamson
countries: Australia
approach: Phakding->Namche->Tengboche->Dingboche->Pangboche
bcdate: 2008-10-30
smtdate: 2008-11-09
termdate: 2008-11-10
termnote: Abandoned at 6300m due to high altitude sickness of Williamson
campsites: BC(30/10,4800m),C1(04/11,5800m),C2(08/11,6100m),xxx(09/11,6300m)
accidents: Williamson & Michael suffered from HAS
agency: Himalayan Guides permit
routememo:
  Erskine, Williamson, Mingma and Tshering left C3 on 9 Nov at 2 am. They reached at 6300m at about 8 am. Williamson started vomiting, then all descended to C2. Two Sherpas descended to BC. Erskine and Williamson camed down to BC on 10 and same day arrived at Pangboche. Michael climbed up to C1 on 3 Nov. He got headache and descended to BC same day. 

  Erskine and Williamson returned to Kathmandu on 12 and left on 13 Nov. Michael returned to Kathmandu via Jiri on 13 and left on 14 Nov.

  Fixed rope: 300m contributed 

  Sherpas:
    Tshering Pemba Sherpa, Beding, Dolakha, 22/11/85 (7/8/2042), Everest 23/5/07,
      Manaslu last autumn (Jagged Globe) 4/10/08
    Mingma Tshering Sherpa, 19/7/70, Beding, brother of Nima Gomba, Everest X13,
      Manaslu X1, Cho Oyu X2, K-2 X1, Dhaulagiri I X1


expid: AMAD08342
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: China
leaders: Lik-Hang Herman Poon
sponsor: Chinese on Ama Dablam
approach: Lukla->Namche->Lobuche->Kalapattar->Dingboche->Pangboche
bcdate: 2008-10-08
smtdate: 2008-10-17
termdate: 2008-10-20
termnote: Abandoned at 5500m due to route not open, lack of time
campsites: BC(08/10,4500m),C1(12/10,5100m),xxx(17/10,5500m)
agency: Himalayan Treks (Him Treks) (Monterosa Treks pmt)
routememo:
  Poon and Rai left C1 on 17 Oct at about 8 am. When they arrived at about 5500m, the route was not open and they could not do it; so then decided to give up and descended to BC same day. 

  Poon returned to Kathmandu on 22 Oct and left on 23 Oct.

  Hired:
    Jaya Prakash Rai, 28/3/74 (15/12/2030), Makalu-6
      Summited Ratna Chuli in 2008 [??], 99. Tukuche 1999 (Japanese) [??], 
      Gyaji Kang 2008 [??], Makalu on 8 May 2008 (French, Ludovic Challeat)


expid: AMAD08343
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Yoshihide Toyoda
approach: Likla->Namche->Pangboche->Dingboche->Lobuche->BC
bcdate: 2008-11-11
smtdate: 2008-11-16
smttime: 1230
termdate: 2008-11-17
othersmts: Summited Lobuche East on Nov 8 by all members and Ang Temba
campsites: BC(11/11,4500m),C1(14/11,5700m),C2(26/11,6200m),C3(15/11,6200m),Smt(16,28/11)
agency: Himalayan Guides permit
routememo:
  Kato, Toyoda and Pasang Dawa left C3 at about 7:30 am on 16 Nov, reached summit at about 12:30 pm, stayed on summit about 15 minutes, descended to C3 slept there. On 17 Nov descended to BC.

  Sherpas:
    Pasang Dawa, 18/1/77, Pangboche, Everest X10, Lhotse X1, Cho Oyu X4
    Lhakpa Wangchu, 23/10/86, Pangboche, Everest X3, Manaslu X1


expid: PURK09101
peakid: PURK
year: 2009
route1: S Face
nation: Japan
leaders: Hidekazu Takahashi
sponsor: Juntendo University Alpine Club Expedition to Mt. Purkhang
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2009-03-15
smtdate: 2009-03-19
termdate: 2009-03-20
termnote: Abandoned at 5700m due to difficult, steep face
campsites: BC(15/03,4800m),C1(18/03,5600m),xxx(19/03,5700m)
agency: Cosmo Treks
routememo:
  Approach: bus to Bhulbhule, n to Dharapani, w to Chana & Pisang village Ledab, 
    & east side of Thorang Phedi.

  BC south of the mountain
  C1 on South Face.

  South Face was very easy 45-degree climb on ice to 5700m, but from 5700m face steepened to 60 degrees to 6000m and 90 degrees from 6000m to top at 6120m. Became very difficult above 5700m.

  Hired:
    Pasang Tamang, 4/12/68, Deusa, Solu


expid: TKPO08302
peakid: TKPO
year: 2008
route1: N Face
nation: Spain
leaders: Simon Barasoain Elias
sponsor: Spaniards on Tengkangpoche
approach: Namche->Gokyo->Tengkangpoche
bcdate: 2008-10-27
smtdate: 2008-11-05
termdate: 2008-11-05
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to bad ice conditions
campsites: BC(27/10,4300m),xxx(05/11,6000m)
agency: Kalapathar Trek/Pemba Sherpa
routememo:
  In the Ministry's debriefing Elias wrote that they climbed the wall but did not go to summit due to bad weather. Explorers web.com dispatch on Jan 5, 2009 wrote that Barrientos, Cordova and Gallego climbed up an ice ramp (70/90 degrees) to the saddle between Tengkangpoche's and Ramdang's summits, opening a new 2300m-long route on the North Face of Tengkangboche. The climbers turned back only meters away from the summit ridge, due to bad ice conditions. The team returned to Kathmandu on 16 Nov and left on 20 Nov.


expid: AMAD08105
peakid: AMAD
year: 2008
route1: SW Ridge
route2: W Face
nation: Italy
leaders: Francesco Fazzi
sponsor: Free Tibet 2065 Expedition
countries: Norway, Slovakia, Spain
bcdate: 2008-04-18
smtdate: 2008-04-22
smttime: 1700
campsites:
  BC(18/04,4600m),C1(19/04,5500m),C2(20/04,5900m),Smt(22/04); Biv1(30/01,5330m),Biv2(01/05,6200m),Smt.Biv2(02/05,6814m)


expid: AMAD09101
peakid: AMAD
year: 2009
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Austria
leaders: Stefan Bitriol
sponsor: Team Vorarlberg Ama Dablam Expedition 2009
bcdate: 2009-04-23
smtdate: 2009-05-04
termdate: 2009-05-05
termnote: Abandoned at 6200m due to blowing wind and Bartl's cold feet
campsites: BC(23/04,4600m),ABC(27/04,5400m),C1(28/04,5800m),C2(02/05,6000m),xxx(04/05,6200m)
agency: High Country Trekking
routememo:
  ABC to cache gear, slept in one night only
  High point at Grey Tower.

  Team Vorarlberg Ama Dablam Expedition 2009, led by Stefan Bitriol - 7 May 2009

  Bartl and Bitriol made the team's bid for the summit on 3 May. They had pitched only two camps above BC, with their highest camp C2, quite low, at 6000m. They knew the fixed ropes ended at the grey tower at 6200m. So they set out for the top from their high camp in the dark at 10:30 pm.

  They reached to Grey Tower at 5:30 am on the 4th. At about 5:00 am, clouds had started to accumulate, there was a strong wind blowing, and Bartl was now very cold (his feet were especially cold). So they turned around at 5:30 am, returned to C2, where they stayed three hours and warmed themselves, then descended to BC, where the arrived at 2:00 pm.

  Now there was no time left for Bartl and Wohlrab to make another summit attempt, and Bitriol did not want to climb alone. Their expedition was over.

  Wohlrab had reached C1, developed a bad headache, returned to BC and stayed there.


expid: AMAD09102
peakid: AMAD
year: 2009
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Russia
leaders: Victor Bobok
sponsor: Seven Summits Club Ama Dablam 2009
approach: Lukla->Namche->Kalapattar->Island Peak
bcdate: 2009-04-10
smtdate: 2009-04-17
smttime: 1500
termdate: 2009-04-19
campsites: BC(10/04),ABC(13/04,5400m),C1(14/04,5800m),C2(15/04,5900m),C3(16/04,6200m),Smt(17/04)
agency: Royal Mountain Travel
routememo:
  On 10 April Andrei Luis and Victor Serov decided to abandon the climb and left for Lukla. They considered themselves not fit enough, didn't want to risk their lives.

  Bobok, Perepelkin and Sonam Bhote started from C3 at 6 am on 17 April, summited at 3:00 pm, spent 30 minutes, returned to C2 for overnight at 6:00 pm.

  15 April met 1 Belgium and 1 British climber in C2 who were returning after summit.


expid: AMAD09103
peakid: AMAD
year: 2009
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Semen Gubergritz
sponsor: Ama Dablam Expedition 2009
countries: Russia
approach: Tumlingtar->Makalu BC->Baruntse BC->Mingbo La
bcdate: 2009-05-19
smtdate: 2009-05-19
termdate: 2009-05-20
termnote: Abandoned at 5700m because team was too tired and didn't have enough time
campsites: BC.C1(19/05,5700m),xxx(19/05,5700m)
agency: Royal Mountain Travel
routememo:
  The group was very tired after the trek from Tumlingtar via Makalu BC and Mingbo La.

  19 May the team climbed the ridge from Mingbo La side and came to standard site of C1.

  Same day they came down to Pangboche.


expid: AMAD09104
peakid: AMAD
year: 2009
route1: SW Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Jean-David Kaltenmark
sponsor: French Ama Dablam Expedition
bcdate: 2009-04-21
smtdate: 2009-05-02
termdate: 2009-05-05
termnote: Abandoned at 6250m due to not enough rope
campsites: BC(21/04,4600m),ABC(23/04,5400m),C1(24/04,5800m),C2(01/05,6000m),xxx(02/05,6250m)
agency: Mountain Tribes Trekking
routememo:
  Fixed rope: 800m from C1 to 6250m

  Kaltenmark couple and two Sherpas left C2 at 1 am of 2 May for higher camp at 6250m. There was icy traverse which was dangerous and there was not enough rope. Then they descended to C1, slept there. Next day to BC.

  The couple returned to Kathmandu on 7 May and will leave on 11 May.

  Sherpas:
    Da Tenji, 28/8/71 (10/05/2028), Kharikhola, Solu
    Rinji Nuru, 27/4/87 (14/01/2044), Taksindu-8, Solu


expid: AMAD09105
peakid: AMAD
year: 2009
route1: SW Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Andrew Brown
sponsor: Brown Brothers on Ama Dablam
approach: See route details
bcdate: 2009-04-23
smtdate: 2009-04-28
termdate: 2009-05-03
termnote: Abandoned at 6300m due to lack of fix ropes (Sherpa refused to bring more ropes from BC)
othersmts: Climbed Lobuche East on 17 April
campsites: BC(23/04,4600m),C1(26/04,5800m),C2(29/04,6000m),Mbrs.xxx(29/04,6000m),Sherpas.xxx(28/04,6300m)
agency: Makalu Adventure
routememo:
  Approach: Namche->Dingboche->Lobuche->Kalapattar->BC->Dingboche->Namche->Pangboche.

  Brown brothers spent night in C2 on 29 April. Sherpas established C3 at 6300m and told Brown that the ropes are finished. When asked to bring up more ropes which are available in BC, Phu Tenzing refused to do so. So Browns decided to descend to BC. On 3 May things were retrieved from camps. The weather was good, enjoyable. 

  Sherpas:
    Phu Rinji, 25/11/81 (10/08/2038), Patle-4, Okhaldhunga
    Da Tendi, 24/5/1975, Garma-2, Solu

  Fixed rope: 800m from C2 to C3


expid: AMAD09106
peakid: AMAD
year: 2009
route1: SW Ridge
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: Patrik Bartuska
sponsor: Czech to Ama Dablam
approach: Phakding->Namche->Tengboche->Dingboche->Pangboche
bcdate: 2009-04-25
smtdate: 2009-04-29
termdate: 2009-05-03
termnote: Abandoned at 6000m due to lack of fix ropes above C2
campsites: BC(25/04,4600m),C1(26/04,5800m),C2(29/04,6000m),xxx(29/04,6000m)
agency: Makalu Adventure
routememo:
  Bartuska spent night at C2 on 29 April. His Sherpa got sick, stomach pain. Then descended both to BC. Bartuska returned to Kathmandu on 22 May and to leave on 30th.

  Da Tendi Sherpa did not come to the agency office after the expedition.

  Fixed rope: 800m from C2 to C3.

  Sherpa:
    Da Tendi, 24/5/75, Garma-2, Solu


expid: ANN109101
peakid: ANN1
year: 2009
route1: S Face-E Ridge
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: Libor Uher
sponsor: K & K Annapurna Expedition
bcdate: 2009-03-31
smtdate: 2009-04-07
termdate: 2009-04-18
termnote: Abandoned at 5700m due to route difficulty
othersmts: Attempted Everest (EVER-091-29)
campsites: BC(31/03,4200m),C1(03/04,5000m),C2(07/04,5700m),xxx(07/04,5700m)
accidents: Behun slight altitude sickness only
agency: Iceland Trekking (Tendi)
routememo:
  BC at South Annapurna Glacier east side
  C1 west of Tent Peak
  C2 on ridge of East Ridge east of Rock Noir
  High point at C2.

  Down from C1 to collect equipment and returned to C1 6 April and C2 7 April. Not above C2 because difficult: many crevasses and snow cornice overhangs. Ddown to C1 on 8 April and BC 9 April. Had originally planned to go to Cho Oyu but border closed then. Nnow leave Kathmandu for Everest from Tibet.


expid: ANN109102
peakid: ANN1
year: 2009
route1: S Face (near Humar 2007 rte)
nation: Italy
leaders: Romano Benet
sponsor: Italian Annapurna-Kangchenjunga Expedition
bcdate: 2009-03-30
smtdate: 2009-04-05
termdate: 2009-04-22
termnote: Abandoned at 5600m due to extreme difficulty reaching east end of South Face
othersmts: Attempted Kangchenjunga (KANG-091-02)
campsites: BC(30/03,4150m),Depot(04/04,5100m),C1(05/04,5600m),xxx(05,18/05,5600m)
accidents: Romano Benet's mild chest infection
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
primid: KANG09102
routememo:
  BC at west side of South Annapurna Glacier 1 hour from South Annapurna BC
  C1 at 7 km from BC
  High point at C1.

  Italian Annapurna I/Kangchenjunga Expedition, led by Romano Benet - 24 April 2009

  Annapurna I

  Roman Benet and his wife, Nives Meroi, were unable to reach the foot of the South Face to start their ascent to the East Ridge because of the terrible condition of the glacier below the face. Crevasses were opening up and widening day by day. A crevasse that was two meters wide when they first arrived in just a few days became 20 meters wide; other crevasses widened to 50 meters across; it was impossible to descend down into them and climb up the other sides. Fallen seracs littered the glacier and were difficult to maneuver around. The face itself was in good condition: "perfect, snow, no ice." But getting to it was a nightmare.

  They placed their BC on 30 March at 4150m on the north side of the South Annapurna Glacier one hour up from the South Annapurna BC site, which is marked on trekking map.

  On 2 April they reached 5100m, made a deposit of gear there and returned to BC.

  On the 4th they returned to the deposit camp and slept there. On the following day, they moved farther east and gained altitude to 5600m; they pitched C1 there. It was seven kilometers away from BC, below the South Face on the left side of an icefall. They had been climbing near Tomaz Humar's autumn 2007 route.

  They returned to BC on the 6th, and now there was a period of bad weather with snow falling at BC, but not much new snow covering the face. But now seracs started falling.

  On 12 April they were able to return to the deposit site at 5100m. But now Benet had developed a chest infection, so they went back to BC the same day.

  On the 18th they set out for C1. It took them 12 hours to reach the camp because the glacier and the mountain side had been changed by the fallen seracs. They considered the site unsafe and packed it all up and descended 200m to bivouac in a safer place.

  They had seen no safe route beyond the C1 site to cross an icefall above it. They were back in BC on the 19th, and they now decided to abandon the climb and left BC on the 22nd to return to Kathmandu and go to Kangchenjunga. They were the last of three teams to leave the base camp area, and were back in Kathmandu on the 23rd with plans to leave on the 25th.


expid: ANN109103
peakid: ANN1
year: 2009
route1: S Face (Bonington rte) (to 6400m)
route2: S Face-E Ridge via Roc Noir (up); NE Face Dome (down)
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: Martin Minarik
sponsor: Minarik Annapurna I Expedition
countries: France, Slovakia
bcdate: 2009-03-18
smtdate: 2009-04-19
termdate: 2009-04-23
termnote: Abandoned at 8026m due to Minarik tired and they had no more food and drink
othersmts: Climbed Annapurna East (ANNE-091-01)
campsites: BC(18/03,4200m),E Smt(19/04,8026m)
agency: Iceland Trekking (Tendi)
routememo:
  High point at East Summit.

  Minarik's Annapurna I Expedition led by Martin Minarik - 25 April 2009

  According to Ms. Elisabeth Revol, the only remaining member since Kopold's early departure and Minarik's disappearance and presumed death, the three-member team established their BC on 18 March on the eastern side of the South Annapurna Glacier at 4200m. They had no Sherpa climbers with them and pitched no fixed camps above BC, but moved in pure alpine style with a series of bivouacs up and down the mountain.

  They started moving up from BC on 21 March intending to climb the South Face of Roc Noir to acclimatize before attempting to reach the main summit of Annapurna I via the Bonington route farther west. On the 21st they bivouacked at 4500m and the next day at 5000m. Then snow began falling and they were back in BC on the 23rd.

  On the 26th, the three men moved up again and again bivouacked at 5000m. They stayed there the next day because snow was falling again. On the 28th they tried to continue up, but one meter of new snow had fallen, and it was impossible to make more than fifty meters of progress in the deep snow. Furthermore, they had seen big seracs above. So at 5050m they retreated to BC the same day.

  Now they decided to do their acclimatizing on the Bonington route itself. On 1 April they went to 5000m at the bottom of the face and bivouacked there. The next day they were on the south ridge of the Bonington route and bivouacked on it at 6100m. On the 3rd, they had reached 6400m when snow began falling and it became very windy. So back to their 5000m bivouac site and on the 4th they were again in BC.

  The poor weather kept them in BC till 10 April. Kopold had to leave the mountain by 18 April, and he decided to leave now. The remaining two members, Minarik and Revol, moved to Machhapuchhare BC and spent that night in a lodge there at 3700m. They resumed their assault on the mountain on the 11th and bivouacked at 5000m beside the West Annapurna Glacier.

  On the 12th, Minarik and Revol went to 5500m and bivouacked near Fluted Peak aka Singu Chuli. Their route on the 13th went up and down and up; they had arrived at only 5600m, past the east side of Fluted Peak, when they made their next bivouac.

  On the 14th, they moved to 6000m onto a plateau east of Glacier Dome (Tarke Kang) and made their next bivouac there. On the 15th they moved west and bivouacked at 6700m near Roc Noir (Khangsar Kang). A wind had blown up, so they spent all day at this site. On the 17th they gained Annapurna's East Ridge and bivouacked on the ridge at 7000m west of Glacier Dome and east of Roc Noir.

  On the following day, they climbed to the summit of Roc Noir and bivouacked at 7500m between Roc Noir and the East Summit of Annapurna I. On the 19th they gained Annapurna I's East Summit (8026m) and then returned to the site of their 7500m bivouac of the 18th. On the 20th, they continued to their 7000m bivvy of the 17th.

  On the 21st, they moved towards Glacier Dome to a col at 7100m. Revol climbed to the NE Face and stopped on it at 7500m. Minarik apparently stayed on the ridge; she waited an hour for him to join her, but he did not turn up, and it was no impossible to see more than a few meters because of the wind-blown snow.

  On the 22nd she did see him at 6700m coming down the NE Face of Glacier Dome. Then again she couldn't see very far and so lost sight of him. She descended the face to the glacier at 6500m. On the 23rd, she moved to 4100m and a lodge halfway between Tilicho Lake and Manang village. The last sight she had of Minarik was this day when he was on the ridge between Roc Noir and Glacier Dome.

  She thinks he tried to descend the NE Face. Now they had no food or anything to drink; they had taken only three or four days supplies with them. Martin had become very tired, and his face and hands were swollen by edema. They were not well acclimatized. She had spent four nights above 7000m and he five nights. She had no idea what finally happened to him. A search for him by helicopter found no sign of him, and two Sherpas who went on foot up to 5000m saw nothing also.

  On the 24th, she reached Manang village, where a helicopter sent by their trekking agent picked her up and flew her to Pokhara. She flew by scheduled flight to Kathmandu on the 25th for a flight home on the 26th.


expid: ANN109104
peakid: ANN1
year: 2009
route1: N Face (to 5600m)
route2: NW Face (to 4900m)
nation: Russia
leaders: Valeri Babanov
sponsor: Annapurna West Face Russian Expedition
approach: Kali Gandaki->Lete
bcdate: 2009-04-03
smtdate: 2009-04-06
termdate: 2009-04-19
termnote: Babanov lacked motivation for NW Face and N Face too dangerous from avalanching
campsites: BC(03/04,3950m),xxx(06/04,5600m),xxx(12/04,4900m)
agency: Windhorse Trekking
routememo:
  High point at above C1 on North Face.

  Annapurna West Face Russian Expedition led by Valeri Babanov - 26 April 2009

  The two-member team left Kathmandu on 22 March with no climbing Sherpas but with 30 porters to carry their loads to BC. They followed the Kali Gandaki River north to Lete, where they arrived on the 23rd and from where they turned east on the 24th to reach BC. But the route from Lete is difficult, and the porters were not prepared for this; on the 24th they quit. The party returned to Lete; here the Russians waited for the return of porters who had carried loads to the normal North Face BC site for a Korean expedition. On the 3rd of April they arrived at the Russians' BC site, which is only 50 minutes from the North Face BC site.

  On the 4th, the Russians, their cook and kitchen boy rested and had their puja. On the 5th they went over to the North Face route to acclimatize and followed the Koreans fixed rope to C1 at 5000m to bivouac there. The next day they moved up to a new bivouac at 5450m and climbed above it to 5600m. They now realized that the North Face is a dangerous place to be because of seracs everywhere threatening to fall. They returned to their own BC to rest on the 7th.

  A few days of bad weather followed. Then on 12 April they decided to do more acclimatizing on the Czechoslovakian autumn 1988 route on the NW Face (Babanov calls it the West Face), which is to the right of the Russians proposed route on this face. The climbed to 4900m and returned to BC on the same day.

  They spent the 13th resting. On the 14th, Babanov found that he had no motivation to attempt the NW Face. He cannot explain why. He had been doing a lot of climbing in recent months, and it would seem that perhaps he was simply burned out.

  Afanasyev was ready to try their face, but he understood how Babanov felt and agreed with Babanov to go back to the North Face for an attempt there. On the 16th they went over to the North Face and up to C1 at 5000m. But they could see no safe route on this side, so they went back to their BC, and their climb was over. They left BC on the April 19, were in Lete on the 21st, in Beni on the 23rd and in Kathmandu on the 24th.


expid: ANN109105
peakid: ANN1
year: 2009
route1: N Buttress-N Face
nation: S Korea
leaders: Park Tea-Won
sponsor: 2009 Gyeonggi-Do Korea Annapurna I Expedition
ascent1: 50th
approach: Lete->Beri Kharka->Raxi Khola->Thulo Odar
bcdate: 2009-03-26
smtdate: 2009-04-21
smttime: 1108
termdate: 2009-04-28
campsites: BC(26/03,4200m),ABC(30/03,5100m),C1(03/04,5600m),C2(19/04,6200m),C3(20/04,6800m),Smt(21/04)
accidents: Nam frostbite of three fingers of each hand (left and right)
agency: Trekking Camp Nepal
routememo:
  Sherpas:
    Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, 30/7/1980 (15/04/2037), Sedua, Makalu-9, Ever 8/5/08
      summited Makalu with Kim.
    Phurba Ongel Sherpa, 30/7/81 (15/04/2038), Sedua, Makalu, [Ever X3, Pumori??]
    Pemba Sherpa, 28/2/80 (16/11/2036), Sedua, Makalu-9

  According to emails of Kang, apparently Kang, Chhiji Nurbu and Phurba Ongel left C3 at 10 pm on 20 April (calculated on the basis of elapsed time of 13 hours 8 minutes written by Kang in his email). They reached summit at 11:08 am. The team descended to C3 in 8 hours (at 7 pm).

  Other member's high points were 
    Kim Cha-Nyun 5100m
    Kim Cheol-Soo 8000m
    Ko Nak-Young 6800m
    Nam Sang-Won 7800m
    Park Bok-Kyun 7200m
    Park Tea-Won (leader) 5700m
    Seong Nak-Sin 8000m

  Kim Cheol-Soo, Nam, Park Bok-Kyun and Seong: all these members might have started with Kang and two members turned around from 8000m, one member from 7200m and Nam from 7800m due to his frostbite and used oxygen [above 8000m?].

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 2 May and left on 4 May.


expid: ANN409201
peakid: ANN4
year: 2009
route1: NW Ridge
nation: Bangladesh
leaders: Mohammad Musa Ibrahim
sponsor: North Alpine Club of Bangladesh Expedition to Annapurna IV
ascent1: 33rd
countries: Nepal
approach: Besisahar->Jagat->Danaki->Chame->Hongde
bcdate: 2009-06-03
smtdate: 2009-06-14
smttime: 1154
termdate: 2009-06-15
campsites: BC(03/06,4600m),C1(11/06,5400m),C2(13/06,6650m),Smt(14/06)
achievment: 1st Bangladeshis on Annapurna IV
agency: World Himalaya Expeditions
routememo:
  Fixed rope: 1600m between C1 and C2 and some part above C2.

  Hossain, Ibrahim, Sarin, Som, Ganesh and Kailash started at 2:30 am on 14 June from C2. The team reached summit at about 11:54 am, stayed on summit for about 15 minutes and descended to BC where they reached at 8 pm. The weather on summit day was good at the beginning. The weather started to become cloudy from 7300m till the top, for some time it was completely white-out. The team returned to Kathmandu on 20 June and trying to leave on 25 June.

  Nepali Member:
    Sarin Prakash Pradhan, (10/04/80), Ason Tole-15, Tansen, Palpa

  Hired:
    Som Bahadur Tamang, 53 yrs, c 24/6/31, Kanku-5, Solu
    Ganesh Bahadur Rana Magar, 53 yrs, 20/3/57, Kerung-8, Solu
    Kailash Tamang, 13/2/82 (2/11/2038), Kanku-5, Solu, Everest 15/5/07


  This ascent has been disputed by multiple sources from Bangladesh (see following commentary):

  Rahman Mohammad Mustafizur - 25 May 2010 (by email)

  Dear Sir/Madam

  One Bangladeshi name Mr. Musa Ibrahim claimed that he climbed Mount Everest (North Col) on 23rd May 2010. 

  Mr. Iswari Paude of Himalayan Guides Nepal, Treks & Expedition Pvt. Ltd. Tel.: 4268211, 4260205 is claimed the organizer of his climb. But we didn't find any clue anywhere that support his claim!! I personally checked the 23rd May climb list where I didn't find his or that companies name. Your support providing any information regarding this will be highly appreciated.

  Also please note that we found his/his group name in your list "Annapurna IV Ascents - Summer 2009" later inquired as false.

  Regards

  Rahman Mohammad Mustafizur
  Director
  Inpace Management Services Limited
  Phone: 8802 9127062, 8802 8119536
  Fax: 8802 8124715
  Mobile: 880 1711 530016


  Richard Salisbury - 25 May 2010 (response to above email)

  A couple of points about Muntasir Imran's comment:

  (1) Chame would most likely be the closest location for transmitting reports to the outside world. This does not mean that all of the reports were written there, but could have been sent there by a messenger. So a report from base camp could have been sent to Chame and then dated June 9, the day of transmission.

  (2) It is a reasonable 3-day walk from Annapurna IV BC to Chame going downhill. If Ibrahim left BC on the morning of June 16, he easily could be in Chame on June 18. I was on this trail myself in 1991.


  The Daily Star - 18 June 2009 (Musa Ibrahim, from Chame, Nepal)

  Bangladeshis Conquer Mt Annapurna IV

  Musa Ibrahim, a sub-editor of The Daily Star, and Tawhid Hossain hold the Bangladesh flag along with other climbers at the peak of Annapurna IV, which they conquered without supplementary oxygen. Photo: STAR

  It was 11:54am Nepalese time on June 14. Two Bangladeshi mountaineers achieved a feat many compatriots dreamt of. Musa Ibrahim and Tawhid Hossain conquered the Mt Annapurna IV, a Himalayan peak at the height of 24,682ft, as first Bangladeshis without supplementary oxygen after tremendous hardship.

  They were accompanied by Nepalese climber Sarin Prakash Pradhan. All three are members of the North Alpine Club Bangladesh (NACB).

  There was shivering cold with 2-3 degrees Celsius, mighty wind, continuous snowfall and whiteout. And there were chances of falling into crevasse and avalanches, the height and the acute mountain sickness. But teamwork was the key factor that beat all odds.

  Sherpa Sardar Som Bahadur Tamang, Ganesh Magar and two-time Everest climber Sherpa Kailash Tamang were in the lead to set the route from camps one and two to the summit. High altitude cook Tashi Tamang and porter Sardar Dawa Tamang were the next great help in achieving the feat.
  A support team of 22 porters and three sherpas had started the journey from Kathmandu on May 29, the day that commemorates Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's climbing the Mt Everest. The team reached the Annapurna IV base camp at 15,091ft height on June 03.

  The three NACB members reached the base camp on June 08.

  The sherpas established camp one at a height of 17,716 ft on June 06 and camp two at a height of 21,817ft on June 08. After resting on June 09, the NACB team moved for camp one on June 11. Having a training on climbing rock and ice the team reached camp two the next day.

  It was approximately 2:30am on June 14 when the final ascent to the top of Annapurna IV started. The six-member team moved with headlamps and full climbing gears. But the team got stuck halfway from camp two to the summit as all of a sudden a 6 ft crevasse gaped ahead of them.

  The sherpas had to open a new route. Climbers had nothing to do but wait for around two hours, standing on an ice wall of 60 degrees gradient and braving snowfall with strong wind.

  Finally, group leader Musa Ibrahim--a sub-editor of The Daily Star, Tawhid Hossain and Sarin Prakash Pradhan reached the summit of Annapurna IV at a height of 24,682ft without supplementary oxygen. They flew the Bangladesh national flag as a new history for Bangladesh was recorded.

  Another group of NACB, consisting of Dhrubo Jyoti Ghosh Mukul, MH Jaiedi Tusher, Abdul Halim, Munira Farzana Tania and Sk Badruddin Omar, finished the amazing Annapurna Circuit trek that started on May 29.

  The NACB team is supposed to reach Kathmandu on June 20 and Dhaka on June 25.

  Navana Group was the title sponsor for the NACB's endeavour. Mattra, Summit Group, Kohinoor Chemicals, and Destiny Group co-sponsored the trekking while Channel i was its media partner. Incitaa Tourism and Muktinath Holiday's Pvt Ltd were the event partners.


  Internat comment to above article - Thursday, June 18, 2009 09:56 AM
  Muntasir Mamun Imran

  I am really happy to learn about the endeavor they made with the name of Bangladesh. As I love mountains I know that every summit has a sheer pain and joy like giving birth of a child! I am really surprised to see that our mountaineer claimed they have started their summit push on 14th June 2:30am and reached the crest in a same day from a height of 21,817 ft even they had to face troublesome crevasse on the way to summit! I really wonder how fast the team could climb at that altitude so that they have reached to the top only in few days from Basecamp.

  As far as the route is concern its a dedicated 16 to 20 days climbing route for the summit of Annapurna IV (from BC to BC). Again the time our mountaineer has chosen to start their bid it was quite optimistic. Since from the classic Annapurna I French expedition (1950) which was the first ever successful expedition to any 8000, expedition leader Maurice Herzog was about to killed due to the delayed of the climbing period as monsoon has already out broke. Climbing in Annapurna region is not at all suitable during monsoon even then our mountaineers could tackle their fate and climbed the mighty mountain with that very short span of time! For this mountain a standard itinerary says it takes nearly 40 days from the start to end including 16-20 days climbing period from Basecamp to Basecamp and establishing 3 or more camps after the Basecamp.

  Another article has been published in DS on 9 June 2009 reported by the same person from the same place where from he wrote today's report. But in this report he said they have reached to Basecamp on 8 June. My question is how does he do that? As far the standard itinerary is concerns Chame is far away from the Basecamp (BC) which will take nearly another 3 days (Day 05: Besisahar - Nagdi | Day 06: Nagdi - Jagat | Day 07: Jagat - Tal | Day 08: Tal - Chame | Day 09: Chame - Pisang | Day 10: Pisang - Sabji Khola | Day 11: Sabji Khola - Annapurna 4 th Base camp) to reach to the BC. In a same way how fast does he decent to Chame and write this report within 4 days after the summit? And how can the team reached to BC on 8th and write a report from Chame on 9th?

  Another thing, reporter Mr. Musa Ibrahim have mentioned that the other team of 5 have successfully finished the amazing Annapurna Circuit trek but as I know Mr. Dhrubo Jyoti Ghosh-who is still in Nepal and other members of the team came back to Dhaka before completing the course- MH Jaiedi Tusher (team member of the trekking team) confirmed.

  Few days ago we have found another interesting article in The Daily Prothom Alo regarding mountaineering in Bangladesh, where it was clearly written previous expedition lead by the same person who lead this expedition. That article was written by his team member and also he was member of the most of the expeditions claimed successful summit without reaching to the top.

  Years back after claiming successful summit of Mt. Chulu West, he wrote many articles to many news papers but after some days he has published the real story of the expedition, where he confess they could not summit that peak but claimed that instantly due to media manic behavior.

  After this summit ISPR wrote a complain letter after their news expressing some facts about heights mountains ever climbed by any Bangladesh till that day. But they tactful managed that complain.


  Mahbud Azad - 1 October 2010 (by email)

  Dear Ms. Hawley,

  I want to begin with a salute for the amazing documentation you have been administering for decades. 

  A curious case arose to which I want to draw your attention.

  Musa Ibrahim from Bangladesh claimed to have summited Annapurna-IV on June 14, 2009. 

  Here is a short description of his expedition for your perusal, written by himself: 

    http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=93071
    (this article is printed above)

  Musa Ibrahim had made summit claims earlier, which were dubitable, and at least 2 of them have been proved to be untrue. He claimed a certificate from NMA for Chulu West, without having summited [he admitted it in one of his articles written in Bengali], and claimed another for Langsisa Ri for having summited on December 01, 2008 which he did not actually achieve [admitted by his fellow climber] [Mir Shamsul Alam Baboo (see below)]. 

  Annapurna-IV is a difficult peak, and in mid-June, it is also challenging. I have discussed with other teams who have tried to scale this peak, but failed, and they have opined that it is nearly impossible to summit this peak within 4 days.

  Musa wrote that he and his two fellow climbers [without any mountaineering training] left the base camp on 11th for camp-1 [17,716 ft] and camp-2 [21,817 ft] on 12th. Members of other expeditions that attempted this peak before, mentioned that this is nearly impossible for Annapurna-IV. One of his fellow trekkers [Mr. Dhruba Jyoti Ghosh (see below)], who helped to pitch the first camp, mentioned in an interview that they had no ladder, and without that, bridging the crevasses was impossible. Musa also mentioned that his Sherpas pitched camp-2 on June-8th, is another false statement, attested by his fellow trekker who were at the base camp on June 8th with the Sherpas. Without any ladder, how could they even pitch camp-2 at an altitude of 21,817 ft? Besides, the route is so difficult that climbers usually make 3 camps, and intermediate camps in between. 

  Apparently, they did not care to acclimatize, and just kept moving on [with two mountaineers, who are from Bangladesh at sea-level altitude and one of them suffering from severe headache due to altitude] and bagged the peak like an apple. The pictures they showed to media were certainly dubitable, and do not feature any of the geographical signs expected around a peak.

  Musa Ibrahim covered every expedition with one common guide named Som Bahadur Tamang, who testified for the false claim of summiting Chulu West and Langsisa Ri, as well as in Annapurna-IV.

  I request you to take these facts into account, and if you have little time, express your opinion on these facts. Please let me know if you want to examine his summit pictures.

  Have a nice weekend.

  Best regards,

  Mahbub Azad
  Kassel, Germany


  Statement by Mr. Dhruba Jyoti Ghosh - 4 October 2010 (by email from Mahbub Azad)

  SOLO ANNAPURNA TRAIL TREKKING, ANNAPURNA-4 B.c. & C-1 & CROSS THORUNG LA PASS

  I, Dhrubajyoti Ghosh Mukul, join with Annapurna-4 Expn. 2010 during pre-mansoon, but I can't perticipat as a climbing member. Seperetly I took permisson from Nepal Government's tourism authority of Annapurna Conservation Area Unit Conservation Office Bhujung VDC, Lamjung, on 29th May 2009. My Entry Permit no.66 dtd. 29.05.09.
    
  I got a permit for solo trek on Annapurna trail & B.c., Camp-1 of Annapurna-4.

  On 2 June reach Humde. Stay at night. 3 June departure for B.camp of Annapurna-4, and reach wher expedition's sherpa mate Shom Bahadoor Tamang pitching 4-twomen tent, 2-kitchen tent  (1-dining & 1-cooking space). Shom Bahadur allow to use me one tent which was pitched extr. northern side of B.c.
   
  4 June rest day. On that day cheque all mountaineering equibments. I have not seen any Al.ladder which will be used to cross the hazardous way on the crevasse field. At B.c 3-sherpas, 1-porter met. 2-cook mets & myself only stay in.

  5 June: all sherpa members & myself going to camp-1 to rekky & dumping on NE cwm near to rock buttres wher we have seen abanden camping materials of previous mountaineering team and back to B.c. 

  6 June Shom, Koilas, Pasang, Ganesh, Ang Kami going up for dumping fix rope, al.pegs, ration, H.A.-tent. I am also going up with them. After noon we back B.c. Porter mate (mail runner) come back from Humde & meet with us at B.c in the evening.

  On 7 June Sherpas are going to serching way on the Hanging gl. for right way to reach the ride  Wher lying three Domal spar point (aprox. 2500ft.-4000ft.) above C-1. I gaze top of the spar long ridge with vast deep snow field going up SW towards the Annapurna-4 peak. Its very tough to catch the ridge with out technical ice craft and with out ladder. Though it's a good mansoon  weather. and climbers favourable weather. I can say it's dry mansoon on the Himal. Snow line rise 17,oooft. Gl. are flowing with stone back. Snow diposition are poor due to global warming. 
  Last day at B.c: that is 8 June 2009, sherpas are ready to go up & I am to desending to go Humde for solo trek Annapurna trail (total H.A. Way 325Km.+50 Km.=375Km..) and cross Thorang La (18,000ft. aprox). Its my noble misson. Ater few hours I meet Nepali mountaineer Sargn Ater then Mountaineer Musha and 100ft. back Rajeeb climbing up.in the forest 5Mint.spent friendy & humbly attitude. See of them I asening lonely Jangle Wild way Solo with R.S. load on back.
  I have not seen L. officer on the way to Humde. I leave Humde on 9 June. March on ward to MuktinatH on 12 June 2009 in the good morn. Alone cross the Thorung La > I am the First Bangladeshi With out porter & guide Solo cross the Thorang La pass. Even Iam first Exotic person, Cross this pass(it's my demand). Trekking long 

  route:Vulvule>Jagat>Dharapani>Barga>Humde>B.cAnnapurna-4 C-1, (5dys.) Humde>Yak kharak>Fadi>U.camp><THORUNG LA12.June>Muktinath Ranipwa>Jomsom>Ghasa>Tatopani>Sikha(upper)>ghorepani><Poone>Nayapool(18 June). 

  Mountaineer Dhrubajyoti Ghosh Mukul,

  `NANIVILLA'Melandah -2010, Jamalpur, BANGLADESH
  04 Sept. 2010.


  Statement of Mir Shamsul Alam BABOO - 6 October 2010 (by email from Mahbub Azad)

  Langsisa-Ri Expedition.

  North Alpine Club, Bangladesh arrange there 1st Mountaineering Expedition in Nepal in 2008. The peck was Langsisa-Ri. Hight 21,081 ft. I was in Langtang area.

  The Expedition leader is Musa Ibrahim.
  Member - Towhid Hossain Razib & Rafa Uddin Siraji from NAC, B. Afrin Khan, Rimon Khan & Mir Shamsul Alam Baboo (me) from Team Extreme.
   
  Among the Member Musa, Rimon & I have Mountaineering Course.
  Musa has Basic & Advance Course from HMI.
  Rimon has Basic Course from HMI.
  I have Basic, Advance, MOI & S&R Course from HMI & NIM.
  Afrin also doing lot of trekking in Bangladesh & Everest Base Camp.
  Other two member Towhid & Rafa has trekking in Bangladesh.
   
  We start on 15 November by Air from Dhaka. The agency was Muktinath Holidays. Guide was Som Bahadur Tamang & Gonesh Magar with 9 other Sherpa. Climbing equipment was taken from Bangladesh & Nepal.
   
  Before Base Camp after 4 day trek Afrin get sick. If she can get one day full rest then she can go again, But Musa told her to go Back. For that Her brother Rimon also back with her.
   
  After reach to Base Camp we take rest of two days & start rope fixing up to Camp-1. Its need 3 more days. I also do the rope fixing. After that on November we move to Camp-1 in 29 of November evening.

  Next day the Guides want to the Summit route the see the way to Summit. At the evening they came & told us that we can not go up to Summit of Langsisa-Ri because of have crevasses & lack of equipments. In that time we do not have more time & money to stay there for more days.
   
  Then Som Bahadur told us that we can go higher ten the Camp-1 & get photo there. The height maybe more then 20500ft.

  Musa agree to do that, I told Musa that we can go there but we can not claime the summit. He agree to me. 
   
  Next day on 1 December in morning 6 am we start. At 10 am we reach that place, We took Photo there, I get the height of that point was 20600 ft in my altimeter, which is less then 481 ft of the actual Langsisa-Ri.
   
  After Back to Khatmundu & Bangladesh, Musa told everyone that we summit Langsisa-Ri. He told the height of Langsisa-Ri is 20600 ft. But the actual height of the Langsisa-Ri is 21081 ft.
   
  Mir Shamsul Alam Baboo


expid: BARU09101
peakid: BARU
year: 2009
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Sweden
leaders: Michael Zettergren
sponsor: Baruntse Expedition
bcdate: 2009-05-01
smtdate: 2009-05-10
termdate: 2009-05-12
termnote: Abandoned at 7000m due to impassible crevasse
campsites: BC(01/05,5350m),C1(05/05,6100m),C2(09/05,6400m),xxx(10/05,7000m)
agency: Climb High Himalaya
routememo:
  BC above of Lake
  C1 just over east side of West Col
  High point just before fore-summit.

  Baruntse Expedition, Michael Zettergren - 18 May 2009

  Zettergren, Da Sange Sherpa and Phai Lama Tamang on 5 May, after Zettergren had recovered from a stomach ailment that had laid him low for three days, went up from BC across the West Col and established C1 just over the Col's east side at 6100m. They returned to BC the next day, rested on the 7th, and on the 8th returned to C1 to move up on the 9th and pitch C2 at 6400m.

  On the 10th the three men began their attempt to reach the summit. C2's site was close to a crevasse, which they now had to cross. It was less than one meter wide, and they managed to get across by front-pointing up its far side, which was higher than the near side. From there, they moved up the slope to the SE Ridge, and climbed the ridge to 7000m. They fixed 250m of rope as they ascended from 6750m to 7000m.

  They had started from C2 at 2:00 am and were stopped at three hours later at 7000m by a much larger crevasse across the ridge. For them it was impassable. It was two meters wide, too wide to jump across, and they could see no way around it: at the left end was a long drop-off, and to the right it became even wider. They retreated and were in BC at 1:00-1:30 that afternoon. As they descended from C2 to C1, Zettergren and Tamang fell into one crevasse each: wind-blown snow had camouflaged the crevasses. They were not hurt.

  Late that afternoon a bad snowstorm arrived, and on the next day there was no snowfall. On the day after that, the 12th, they decided in the morning to abandon the climb as snow continued to fall. They couldn't cross the big crevasse that had confronted them at 7000m, so there was no point in waiting for better weather when they would be unable to go any higher than that. They left BC that day.

  The team's only health problem was Zettergren's stomach trouble at the beginning of May.

  Sherpas:
    Da Sange Sherpa, 26/4/71 (13/1/2028), Bhakanje-1, Solu, Lhotse X1
    Phai Lama Tamang, 17/7/76 (2/4/2033), Haku-8, Rasuwa, no 8000ers


expid: BARU09102
peakid: BARU
year: 2009
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Australia
leaders: Soren Ledet
sponsor: World Expeditions 2009 Baruntse Expedition
countries: Denmark
bcdate: 2009-05-20
smtdate: 2009-05-24
termdate: 2009-05-30
termnote: Abandoned at 6420m due to bad weather
othersmts: Attempted Mera Peak
campsites: BC(20/05,5440m),C1(22/05,6120m),C2(24/05,6420m),xxx(24/05,6420m)
agency: Himalayan Guiding Institute
routememo:
  ABC just over West Col
  C2  just below start of SE Ridge
  High point at C2.

  World Expeditions 2009 Baruntse Expedition, Soren Ledet - 3 June 2009

  For preliminary acclimatization, the team went first to Mera Peak. All members and Nepalese climbers attempted to reach its summit on 18 May, but very strong wind turned them back before the top.

  The eight members and three Nepalese climbers arrived at BC on 20 May, C1 on the 22nd and set out from C1 to C2 on 24 May. In the crevasse field halfway between the two camps, Ms. Skirka became very tired and decided to turn back; her partner, Thomas, descended with her to C1, where they stayed, unable to move farther down because of the onset of a snowstorm.

  The remaining six members continued to C2 on the 24th and reached there at 1:00 pm. The weather was good that morning and early afternoon, but very soon it started snowing and by 2:00 pm the wind was strengthening and there was a whiteout. They were pinned down in C2 by strong winds and constant snowfall; it was impossible for them to go higher. By the morning of the 26th, a meter and half of fresh snow had fallen on C2.

  On the morning of the 26th, they decided that the weather could get only worse, and they started down at 9:00 am, abandoning their tents. It was snowing and quite windy, and it took them 11 hours to descend to C1 and join Skirka and Thomas.

  They all left C1 at 10:00-10:30 am on the 27th after recovering from the previous day's 11 hour descent and after digging out the tents from the newly fallen snow. It was extremely slow work breaking trail; by 10:00 pm, they had covered one and a half km sto reach 5900m, only halfway to BC. They stopped here. Everyone was cold and tired, and Barton discovered that all his toes had become slightly frostbitten. They "crashed out" here in the tents they set up.

  Finally by the morning of the 28th, it had stopped snowing and they could leave this temporary camp. While they were moving slowly, breaking trail again, the kitchen staff was coming up from BC with hot soup. The two parties met at noon, and all were safely back in BC (5440m) about 2:00-2:30 pm.

  The next day they rested at BC, and on the 30th they left BC at 8:00 am. They descended through more deep snow and arrived at Seto Pokhari at 5200m at 2:00-2:35 pm. It would be impossible for them to cross Mera La to get to Lukla, so Ledet called for a helicopter and the team camped here.

  On the 31st there was white-out and the helicopter couldn't land at Seto Pokhari. It night-stopped at Lukla while the climbers spent another night here. At 6:30 am the helicopter reached them and took all the climbers to Rumjitar in half an hour. It went back later for their baggage and kitchen staff, then carried all of them to Kathmandu, where they landed at about 9:00-9:30 am.

  Hired:
    Balram Rana Magar, 25/5/69 (12/2/2026), Tharpu, Gorkhali-8, Gorkha, no 8000ers
    Kami Sherpa, 14/4/47 (1/1/2004), Mopung, Beni-5, no 8000ers
    Lhakpa Tamang, 4-5/77 (?/1/2034), Lura, Salleri-9, Solu, no 8000ers


expid: BARU09103
peakid: BARU
year: 2009
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Nepal
leaders: Sumit Joshi
sponsor: Himalayan Nomad Baruntse Expedition
countries: Australia, Canada, France
bcdate: 2009-04-25
smtdate: 2009-05-03
termdate: 2009-05-05
termnote: Abandoned at 6900m due to time constraint
campsites: BC(25/04,5400m),C1(29/04,6100m),C2(02/05,6400m),xxx(03/05,6900m)
agency: Nomad Nepal Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Lukla, Chuthanga, Jatra La, Thoktok, Kothey, Thagnag, Khare, Mera La, Khoyoma, Digma, Seto Pokhari.

  Summit push: started at 2 am on 3 May by 6 members and 4 Sherpas. The team reached at 6900m at about 8 am. Last one to arrive at this point was at 10 am. Summit is still far away to go. The turn around time agreed was 12 noon. The team calculated the distance and the time of turn around; that could not be done. Then the team decided not to go further. They stayed in 6900m for an hour. The weather was clear but bit windy. They had nice view of mountain and descended to C1 at about 5 pm, slept there. Next day to BC. 

  Caskie slept in C2 and did not try to go further. 
  Ms. Hall climbed up to C1 that was enough for her. 
  Robinson had bad cough and stayed in BC. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 11 May, Cohrs & Hollingworth left Kathmandu on 12 May, rest of the members on 13 May. Joshi to leave on 22 May.

  Fixed rope: 750m from BC to West Col to above C2.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Sherpa, (10-04-2025), Tamku, Lokhim-9, Solu
    Pasang Sherpa, 1/8/77 (17/04/2034), Tapting-5
    Pasang Jongba Sherpa, 1/12/67 (15-08-2024), Yaphu-9, Sankhuwasabha
    Tendi Sherpa, 2/12/76 (17-08-2033), Gudel-4


expid: BARU09104
peakid: BARU
year: 2009
route1: E Ridge-NE Face (to 6400m)
route2: E Face (to 5550m)
nation: USA
leaders: Ben Clark
sponsor: Baruntse Ski Traverse 2009
bcdate: 2009-04-27
smtdate: 2009-05-14
termdate: 2009-05-20
termnote: Adandoned at 6585m due to route difficulty
accidents: Miller's edema; Clark's mildly frostbitten toes
agency: Mountain Tribes Trekking
campsites:
  TempBC(27/04,5180m),ABC(30/04,5335m),Biv1(06/05,5935m),Biv2(07/05,6000m),Biv3(08/05,6400m),xxx(14/05,6585m)

routememo:
  The team flew from Kathmandu on 16 April to Tumlingtar, trekked north to Makalu's Hillary BC, went northwest to the moraine of the Barun Glacier to a point due to north of the Sherpani Col, then westwards to temporary BC on 27 April at 5180m. On 27 April at 5180m. On the 30th they mde their ABC at 5335m on a shelf northwest of their temporary BC and north of Peak 4 (6730m, which itself is due north of the West Col).

  ABC functioned at their base. They had no fixed camps above it, only bivouacs as they moved up and down searching for a feasible new route. On 6 May, they bivouacked on the East Ridge at 5975m, and on the 8th on a shelf below the NE Face at 6000m. They climbed onto a rib on the NE Face to 6400m for their third bivouac.

  A snowstorm pinned them down in the third bivouac until 14 May. They tried to go higher on the 14th, but Miller was developing cerebral edema. Butson reconnoitered 185m higher [on a rib of the NE Face], saw hanging glaciers very difficult to surmount or very exposed to try to get around. They abandoned this route and on the 15th descended to ABC, Butson and Clark helping Miller down.

  On the 18th, Butson and Clark tried a different line. They attempted to climb the East Face and got up to 5550m at the base of a glacier. Butson called off this attempt because he would be too tired to help Clark down if Clark had a problem. They went back to ABC and their climb of Baruntse was over.

  They left ABC on the 20th and descended directly to the area where Makalu expeditions had their base camps. From there they trekked for four days to Tumlingtar and flew to Kathmandu on the 27th.

  Besides Miller's edema, the only other health problems was Clark's mildly frostbitten toes.


expid: BARU09105
peakid: BARU
year: 2009
route1: SE Ridge from E
nation: Spain
leaders: Juan Vallejo
sponsor: Makalu West Pillar Expedition
ascent1: 94th
bcdate: 2009-04-14
smtdate: 2009-04-24
smttime: 1100
termdate: 2009-05-22
othersmts: Attempted Makalu (MAKA-091-05)
campsites: BC(14/04,5300m),Biv1(22/04,6100m),Biv2(23/04,6500m),Smt(24/04)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
primid: MAKA09105
routememo:
  The team went to Baruntse first, as a warm up for tackling the West Pillar of Makalu, their ultimate goal. They made their BC on 14 April to serve their climbs on both mountains at 5300m, just northwest of the junction of the Chago and Barun Glaciers, not far from low base camps for Makalu expeditions.

  From their BC, Inuarteggi, Vallejo and Zabalza went southwest to Sherpani Col and bivouacked there at 6100m on 22 April. On the 23rd they moved northwest of their first bivvy site and bivouacked at 6500m west-southwest of point 6730m, called Peak 4, at the top end of the Lower Barun Glacier.

  They left the bivouac at 8:00 am on 24 April and all three were on the summit of Baruntse at 11 :00 am via the SE Ridge, then back in BC at 5:00 pm.

  Next they went to Makalu to acclimatize further via its standard route, which goes up the West Face to the Makalu La before turning right onto the NW Ridge. The three men bivouacked at 6700m on hte 28th and on the Makalu La at 7400m on the 29th. On the 30th they returned to BC.

  Now for their summit bid via the difficult West Pillar. On 6 May they went to 6500m and bivouacked there at the base of the pillar. But fierce winds sent them back to BC on the 7th to wait for the wind to drop. They tried again on the 15th, when they bivouacked at 6500m. The next day they climbed only 200m higher before the wind drove them back again to BC two wait some more for the strength of the wind to lessen.

  But it did not lessen, so they gave up on 22 May. They left BC the same day to return to Kathmandu.


expid: BARU09106
peakid: BARU
year: 2009
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Marco Zamberlan
sponsor: Zamberlan 80th Anniversary Expedition to Baruntse
bcdate: 2009-05-08
smtdate: 2009-05-12
termdate: 2009-05-16
termnote: Abandoned at 6100m due to bad weather & lack of time
campsites: BC(08/05,5300m),C1(12/05,6100m),xxx(12/05,6100m)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  BC at right side of lake
  C1 just over West Col
  High point at C1.

  Three expedition members, Mazza, Pellizzari and Santagiuliana left BC on 12 May to make C1; they had no Sherpa helpers. They established C1 at 6100m, just across the West Col on its eastern side, slept there, and returned to BC the next day. The other four members had helped carry loads on 11 May, reached 5950m, dumped their loads, and went no higher.

  None of the climbers went down above BC again. A snowstorm with strong winds hit them, and with crevasse now full of new snow and hidden from sight, it was too dangerous to resume climbing immediately. They had no time to wait for better condition. They decided on 15 May to abandon the climb and left BC the next.


expid: BARU09107
peakid: BARU
year: 2009
route1: SE Ridge
nation: Spain
leaders: Juan Carlos Garcia, Jose Maria Lopez
sponsor: Makalu 2009
ascent1: 95th
approach: Makalu BC->Sherpani Col->Baruntse's C1
bcdate: 2009-05-20
smtdate: 2009-05-22
smttime: 0900
termdate: 2009-05-23
othersmts: Attempted Makalu (MAKA-091-07)
campsites: C1(20/05,6200m),C2(21/05,6500m),Smt(22/05)
agency: Thamserku Trekking
primid: MAKA09107
routememo:
  The two Spanish members of the Makalu team went to Baruntse after their Makalu climb. Without a permit to climb Baruntse, Juan Carlos Garcia and Jose Maria Lopez on 20 May moved from Makalu BC west across Sherpani Col to the glacier just east of West Col, where Baruntse teams make their C1; the Spaniards camped here that night.

  On the 21st they climbed to C2 and on 22 May they finished their ascent of the normal southeast ridge route. They left C2 at 6500m at 2:30 am in clear weather in the beginning, but a snowstorm came in at 9:00 am. Nevertheless, they followed to the left of some flags had been place and were on the summit at 9:00 am.

  There was poor visibility during their descent, but their GPS helped them to find the way to their C2 tent and to their porters at C1 at the West Col. They arrived at C1 at about 1:00 pm, then crossed westwards over the Col to the lake to make their BC near other team's camps after dark.

  The Danish leader, Soren Ledet, of an otherwise Australian expedition spoke about the Spaniards' claim to him at BC that they had summited in just two days, and he said he seriously doubted that they actually reached the top. He believed that a field of large crevasses between C1 and C2 would at least have slowed them down if not stopped them altogether. Garcia stated that there were red flags in place marking the crevasses, which were covered by snow, and they diverted their route around these hazards.


expid: CHOY09101
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: India
leaders: Ramesh Chandra Tripathi
sponsor: Indian Air Force Cho Oyu Expedition
bcdate: 2009-04-21
smtdate: 2009-05-08
termdate: 2009-05-15
termnote: Abandoned at 7700m due to very bad weather
accidents: G. P. Kumar and Sirdar Pasang Gombu had 2 frostbitten fingers
agency: Himalaya Expeditions
campsites:
  BC(21/04,5120m),ABC(22/04,5639m),C1(30/04,6248m),C2(7200m),xxx.Mbrs(11/05,7300m),xxx.Shrpas(08/05,7700m)

routememo:
  IAF Cho Oyu Expedition, Ramesh Chandra Tripathi - 17 May 2009

  Tripathi's policy for the summit push that once they had left C1 to go for the top, not to descend till the end, and to spend just one nigth in each successively higher camp. The weather forced him to modify it and to stay longer in the camps.

  Two climbing members were not fully fit and could not climb high. Nizamuddin and Rawat went with others to establish C1 on 30 April and down with them to ABC on 1 May, but then remained in ABC for the rest of the climb. In their place, two members who had been in reserve, G. P. Kumar and Singh, came up and joined the push for the summit.

  The team's six Sherpas were the only people engaged in fixing ropes. They fixed 700m from C1 to the site for their C3, and route to the summit. Four of the Sherpas, Lhakpa Dorje, Norbu, Pem Chhiri and Sonam Chering, on 8 May climbed to the site for C3 at 7700m, fixing the route and leaving the gear for making the camp, but they did not sleep there.

  The summit push began on 5 May, when Bharmoria, Choudhary, Jaikishan, Kumar, Singh and Tripathi moved from ABC to C1. But already the bad weather was forcing delays in their progress. Because of snowfall, strong wind and low temperatures they spent five nights, instead of just one, at C1.

  They left C1 on the 10th and reached C2. The plan now was to spend two hours in C2 resting, drinking tea and water, and for the members to breathe oxygen, then go for the top during the night. The four Sherpas went ahead of them to C3's site and prepared hot drinks for them. But winds of 40-50 knots and near white-out conditions prevented the members from leaving C2, and the Sherpas gave up waiting for them and rejoined them in C2 at 7:00 pm NST. All these members and Sherpas spent the night in C2 (the members used oxygen for two hours, then switched off, 
  Sherpas used none.)

  On the 11th, the weather was still very bad. They tried to go to the summit, but were forced to abandon the attempt at only 7300m by 60-knot and stronger winds, blizzard and total white-out. They were pinned down in C1 for another night, but still hoping to be able to summit on the 12th.

  But the weather was unchanged the next morning, and the team's bid for the summit was abandoned. Instead of going any higher, they descended. Jaikishan and Tripathi stopped in C1; they were tired and they needed to pack up the camp. The others continued on down to ABC for the night. During his descent to C1, the wind was so fierce that it lifted Tripathi, who is not a big man, off his feet.

  The climb was over. There was no more time for a second summit push.

  The only health problems were the two frostbitten fingers each of G. P. Kumar and sirdar Pasang Gombu in C2. Their frostbite was not serious.

  Sherpas:
    Lhakpa Dorje, 1/10/65, Chitre, Sotang-6, Solu, Everest X5, Lhotse X1
    Norbu Sherpa, 2/5/68, Beding, Everest X9, Lhotse X1, Cho Oyu X7, 
      Gasherbrum II X1, Broad Peak X1
    Pasang Gombu, team's sirdar, 22/4/61 (according to passport), Lokhim-9, Solu, 
      Cho Oyu X4
    Pem Chhiri, 9/11/75, Lokhim, Kurima-9, Solu, no 8000ers
    Sonam Chering, 29/5/64, Solukhumbu, no 8000ers

  Note: Colonel Ashok Abbey joined this team on 29 April as a guest visitor. He went to C2 site with Rawat on May 6, then retreated to C1 the same day (see HJ 66).


expid: CHOY09102
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: SE Face
nation: Kazakhstan
leaders: Denis Urubko
sponsor: Kazakhstani Cho Oyu
bcdate: 2009-04-14
smtdate: 2009-05-11
smttime: 2000
termdate: 2009-05-16
othersmts: Attempted Chhukung Peak (to acclimatize)
agency: Cho Oyu Trekking
campsites:
  BC(14/04,5010m),ABC(25/04,5300m),Biv1(07/05),Biv2(08/05,6660m),Biv3(09/05,7100m),Biv4(10/05,7600m),Smt(11/05)

routememo:
  The two climbers flew to Lukla on 5 April and went to Namche that day. They went to Chhukung Peak and climbed to 5800m on the 9th, stayed there in a tent for two nights, then trekked in the area with two trekkers.

  On 14 April, they established their BC at 5010m on moraine on west side of Ngozumba Glacier on the shore of Ngozumba Tsho (lake). on the 20th, they went to 7100m to acclimatize on the South Face of the Ngozumba massif; they took four days climbing up to just below the massif's east West Ridge (near the night of the 20th there, and next day were back in BC.

  On the 25th, they went up from BC to make a recce of their proposed route on the South Face of Cho Oyu, made a deposit of gear at 5300m on the Lungsampa Glacier (at the "g" of Lungsampa on the Schneider map) and spent the night there; this became their advance base camp. They returned to BC on the 26th.

  Urubko developed a chest problem with difficulty breathing and frequent coughing, so on the 28th he trekked down to Namche to breathe air with a higher oxygen content and returned to BC on the 4th of May.

  The two men started their assault on Cho Oyu in the afternoon of 6 May by returning to their camp at 5300m and having leaving it at midnight to move to the base of the SE Face at 5600m they climbed difficult rocks on a slope averaging 50 degrees of steepness to 5800m, where the grade became 90 degrees and sometimes overhanging. There were many snow avalanches and falling rocks which fell two or three meters on either side of the climbers. They stopped at 3:30-4:00 pm of 7 May at 6000m to bivouac on a ledge the size of the seats of two straight-backed chairs. They slept here sitting up inside their small tent while blasts of wind from snow and ice shook the tent.

  The weather pattern had been good weather in the morning, clouds coming over them and some snow falling from about 2:00 pm. But climbed to 6600m up a wall and from there up an ice slope which was mostly at 45-50 degrees, but sometimes 70 degrees. At about 45-50 degrees they bivouacked on the slope under the protection of a stable serac.

  On the 9th, bad weather set in at 7:00 am as they resumed their ascent up the ice slope. Now for five days, with low clouds and snow falling, they had no direct sunshine despite the fact that they were on the south side of the mountain. They bivouacked at 4:00 pm at 7100m at a bergschrund and discussed their situation.

  They decided to continue their ascent. For them to go down to BC now would mean that piling-up snow would seriously delay their resuming the climb to the summit. So up they went on the 10th. They encountered a rock band at 7300m to 7500m, then climbed on rock, ice and a mixture. They stopped at 5:00 pm to bivouac at 7600m in another bergschrund.

  They had planned to make one more bivouac before reaching the top, but now they wanted to complete their ascent in one day; they had also thought of descending the north side or the SE Face by the line east of theirs followed by Austrians in the autumn of 1978, but they instead chose to come down the line they had gone up.

  They set out for the summit at 4:30 am of the 11th, went up through deep snow in a small couloir where snow avalanching was frequent, onto the slope covered in deep snow to the summit, where they arrived at 8:00 pm. Urubko had now summited all the 8000m mountains. They were back in the bergschrund at 7600m at midnight. Throughout the night they had to remove newly falling snow which threatened to collapse their tent if allowed to accumulate.

  They left the 7600m bivouac at 8:00 am on the 12th and descended to their 7100m bivouac site, the only suitable place to stop. On the 13th they went down to 6600m, the 14th to ABC/deposit camp, and on the 15th to BC.

  Urubko and Dedesko climbed roped together throughout the expedition; they never separated. They fixed a total of 1200m of rope but they removed the rope from each section they fixed and used the same rope over and over again. They left none on the mountain.

  Urubko said this was the most dangerous climb of his extensive career. Big avalanches were coming down throughout the last three days, but Urubko and Dedesko were not carried down with this snow "because we are strong" and could hang on at the spots where the snow came avalanching down over them.

  They had brought food for seven days; they ate nothing on the final two days. They had no bottled oxygen with them.

  Both of them have slightly frostbitten fingers and toes which initially were numb but on the 21st are starting to hurt.


expid: CHOY09103
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Italy
leaders: Silvano Genetti
sponsor: Anaunia Selvaggia Cho Oyu Expedition
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-21
smtdate: 2009-05-07
termdate: 2009-05-12
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due to high winds
campsites: BC(21/04,4800m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(24/04,6400m),C2(07/05,7200m),xxx(07/05,7200m)
agency: Ramdung Expedition
routememo:
  On 7 May Genetti & Kaila Tamang slept at C2 hoping to go to C3 next day. Storm started picking up. On 8th May descended to C1 and slept there. Next day to ABC. The weather was very bad. There was continous snowfall from 9 May till 12 May. 

  Zambotti climbed up to C1, but did not sleep there. He left ABC on 2 May for Kathmandu to take the body of his friend Guiseppe Antonelli who died on Manaslu to Italy. 

  Genetti returned to Kathmandu on 13 May and will leave on 17 May. 

  Fixed rope: contributed 600m.

  Hired:
    Kaila Tamang, 31/07/72 (16/04/2029), Thulo Parsel-9, Kavre


expid: CHOY09104
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Denmark
leaders: Jan Jakobsen, Lars Nissen
sponsor: Two Danes on Cho Oyu (Monterosa permit)
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-08
termdate: 2009-05-14
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due to bad weather and lack of time
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(25/04,6400m),C2(08/05,7200m),xxx(08/05,7200m)
accidents: Jakobsen suffered from high altitude sickness
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Nissen reached C2 on 8 May. Gorgan and Roux also reached C2 same day. Sherpas started fixing the rope towards C3. Then thunderstorm started, sometimes it was complete white-out. He had to spend four nights in C2. He descended to C1 on 12 May in bad weather. The storm was very strong. He could not stand and had to crawl. On 13 May the weather was good, descended to ABC. There was not enough time for Nissen to go back to mountain. He returned to Kathmandu on 15 and will leave on 23 May.

  Fixed rope: Monterosa Sherpas put up until C2 (no idea how much).


expid: CHOY09105
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Sweden
leaders: Peter Adolfsson, Terese Ollson-Brandqvist
sponsor: Two Swedes on Cho Oyu (Monterosa permit)
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-07
termdate: 2009-05-12
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due to bad weather
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5800m),C1(29/04,6400m),C2(07/05,7200m),xxx(07/05,7200m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Adolfsson spent two nights in C2 waiting for good weather but it became worse. Then he descended to ABC. Olsson-Brandqvist climbed up to 6500m and gave up as she was not feeling well, headache. Kanchha Sherpa was still climbing with other members of Monterosa when Adolfsson team left ABC.

  Fixed rope: 400m contributed.

  Hired:
    Kanchha Sherpa, 23/1/81 (10/10/2037), Beni-5, Solu

accidents:
  Kanchha Sherpa's fingers got frostbitten on 12 May on way down to C1 from C2 (he left ABC on 14 May for Kathmandu)


expid: CHOY09106
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Germany
leaders: Ralf Arnold
sponsor: Independent on Cho Oyu (Monterosa permit)
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-06
termdate: 2009-05-20
termnote: Abandoned at 7600m due to bad weather
campsites: BC(19/04,5100m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(29/04,6400m),C2(05/05,7100m),xxx(06/05,7600m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  BC at CBC, IC on 22 April at 5300m
  High point at Yellow Band.

  Arnold made his first attempt on 6 May climbing up to 7600m. Ropes were not fixed then he descended to C2 and to ABC. In his second attempt on 18 May. He went up to 7500m, then it started storming. He descended to C2 waited for few hours for good weather. Spent night in C2. Next day to ABC. Arnold returned to Kathmandu on 21 May and will leave on 22 May.


expid: CHOY09107
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Sweden
leaders: Britt Friberg, Jan Wieberg
sponsor: Swedish Pair on Cho Oyu (Monterosa permit)
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-08
termdate: 2009-05-12
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due bad weather and no rope beyond C2
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(30/04,6400m),C2(08/05,7200m),xxx(08/05,7200m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  BC at CBC, 22 April IC at 5300m.

  Wiberg and Lapcha reached C2 on 8 May. Weather got bad, snowstorm started. Both spent two nights in bad weather. Still bad weather, then both descended to ABC on 10 May. 

  Friberg climbed to 6700m, but due to bad weather she descended to ABC on 8 May. 

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 13 May and will leave on 26 May.

  Fixed rope: 400m contributed for C1 to C2

  Sherpa:
    Lapcha Sange, 20/6/64 (07/03/2021), Nurbugaon, Makalu-5, Cho Oyu X1, Everest X3


expid: CHOY09108
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Belgium
leaders: Rene Nijs
sponsor: Belgium Cho Oyu Expedition for Karuna Project 2008 (Monterosa permit)
approach: Kodari->Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-10
termdate: 2009-05-14
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due to bad weather, no fixed ropes to C3 to summit
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(27/04,6415m),C2(08/05,7125m),xxx(10/05,7200m)
accidents: Nijs got frostbite on three middle toes of right foot
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  BC at CBC, IC on 22 April at 5200m.

  On their summit bid which started from C2 on 10 may after spending 4 nights in C2, went up to 7200m. The weather became very bad, had to descend to C2. On 11 May both them went down to C1. It was very hard for them due to bad weather. Nijs while sleeping had use oxygen due to frostbite. On 13 May both descended to ABC. For Nijs it was very painful descend due to very strong wind. The frostbitten toes are not very serious. The team returned to Kathmandu on 15 May and will leave on 21 May.

  Sherpa:
    Pasang Phutar, 5/7/61, Yaphu-9, Sankhuwasabha, Everest X1, Cho Oyu X1


expid: CHOY09109
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Canada
leaders: Maxime Jean
sponsor: Quebec Cho Oyu 2009
bcdate: 2009-04-15
smtdate: 2009-05-01
termdate: 2009-05-05
termnote: Abandoned at 7100m due to bad weather, Sherpa's frostbite & Daleaus's exhaustion
campsites: BC(15/04,5000m),ABC(22/04,5600m),C1(25/04,6200m),C2(01/05,7100m),xxx(01/05,7100m)
accidents: Sherpa frostbitten fingers
agency: High Altitude Dreams
routememo:
  After the first night at C2, Maxim Jean stayed there with Rinji Sherpa and Pascal decided to go down up to C1. With Rinji the plan was to go that night from C2 to summit (2 of May) without oxygen. We were in high altitude for more than 1 month (trek to Everest base camp before). But the storm began during the afternoon and continued during the night. In the morning the storm was worst and we decided to escape while it was still possible. We had no visibility, strong wind and minus 40 degrees C. We arrived at C1 with Rinji's fingers frozen; 3 were badly injured. So I warmed his fingers in water and we stayed in base camp. With Rinji's fingers injured & Pascal not wanting to go up again, I was alone and we went back to Kathmandu. Rinji's fingers are recovering slowly but they are recovering.

  Fixed rope: 300m between C1 & C2.


expid: CHOY09110
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Romania
leaders: Teodora Vid
sponsor: Romanian Cho Oyu Expedition 2009 (Monterosa permit)
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-26
smtdate: 2009-05-19
smttime: 0830
termdate: 2009-05-22
campsites: BC(26/04,5000m),ABC(29/04,5700m),C1(04/05,6400m),C2(16/05,7150m),C3(17/05,7600m),Smt(19/05)
achievment: 1st Romanian woman to summit
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Leustean, Vid and Mingma Pemba left C3 at 2 am NST on 19 May. Leustean turned around from below the Yellow Band (about 7800m) due to exhaustion, Vid and Mingma Pemba reached summit at 8:30 am. They stayed on summit for 30 minutes. When they arrived on the plateau, they were confused and wondered which side to go. Finally after about an hour they found the summit where they found prayer flags. Had nice view of Everest and nice pictures. Vid and Mingma descended to C3 between 12-1 pm, slept there for 2 hours then continued to C2 where they slept the night. Next day to ABC. Summit day weather was perfect, little windy, no clouds and not cold. The team returned to Kathmandu on 24 May and will leave for India on 9 June.

  Sherpa:
    Mingma Temba Sherpa, 19/1/80 (05/10/2036), Yaphu-9, Sankhuwasabha, 
      Everest from North in 2006 and 2007, from south side in 2008


expid: CHOY09111
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: USA
leaders: Will Cross
approach: Tingri
bcdate: 2009-05-16
smtdate: 2009-05-20
termdate: 2009-05-29
termnote: Abandoned at 6800m due to too much wind, ran out of time
othersmts: Attempted Everest
campsites: BC(16/05,5000m),ABC(17/05,5600m),C1(19/05,6100m),xxx(20/05,6800m)
agency: Asian Trekking
routememo:
  Team left C1 at 9 am. It was very windy. When they reached the bottom of icefall they descended to turn back [at 13:00] but left oxygen there. They returned to ABC where they were snowed in for two days. On 23 May they ascended again to retrieve oxygen. They did not do another summit push due to bad weather and the fact that they had ordered the yaks already.

  Sherpa:
    Nawang Tenzing, aka "Nawangle", Phortse, 1/1/60, Everest X3, Lhotse X2


expid: CHOY09112
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Netherlands
leaders: Rene de Bos
sponsor: Snow Leopard Adventure Cho Oyu Expedition
bcdate: 2009-05-13
smtdate: 2009-06-02
smttime: 1030
termdate: 2009-06-06
accidents: Neefjes frostbitten fingers; Verhoere fatal fall
agency: Summit Nepal Trekking
campsites:
  BC(13/05,5000m),ABC(17/05,5700m),C1(18/05,6400m),C1.5(28/05,6400m),C2(30/05,7100m),C3(01/06,7450m),Smt(02/06)

routememo:
  The expedition's progress was halted by a big storm of wind and snow which pinned them down in ABC for about a week.

  The summit push was made from C3 on 2 June when three members and three Sherpas left at 2:00 am (Nepal time). They were Neefjes, Verhoeve and Van den Bos, plus Ang Dorchi, Dawa Gelu and Pasang. The first to reach the summit were Van den Bos, who was very fast and always ahead of the others and Dawa Gelu. They were there at 10:30 am. The other two members and two Sherpas, Neefjes and Verhoeve with their two Sherpas, Ang Dorchi and Pasang, summited much later, at 1:00 pm, having climbed moved much more slowly.

  Van den Bos and Dawa Gelu returned to C3 at 2:30 pm, rested and descended to C2, where they arrived at 5:00 pm. Neefjes was now very tired, her oxygen supply had run out shortly before she reached the summit, and she was unaware of the passage of time. Ang Dorchi was with or near her in her descent. It was 1:00 or 2:00 pm when they arrived in C3. They rested here, then went on down to C1.5, where they stopped at 9:00 pm. It was not until she got to ABC the next day that Neefjes realized that she had three frostbitten fingers; the ends are black but she expects them to heal.

  In their descent, Pasang was 20 minutes ahead of Verhoeve when the Dutchman suddenly fell from 7600m to 7500m at the bottom of the Yellow Band and was killed. The cause of his fall is not known. Pasang was sent up the next day to locate the body but not to move it, and there is no plan to move it in the future. It will remain there, lying down, until the elements send it down the mountain.

  Non-summiting members:

  De Bos, the leader, stayed in ABC throughout the climb.

  Kossen reached C2 on 18 May, but not fit enough to continue the ascent.

  Van Hassel was in C3 for the summit bid, but he was not feeling well on the 2nd and remained in C3.

  Oxygen was used by two members: Van Hassel from C1 to C3 but not in these camps. Neefjes from C2 to C3 and from C3 to about 8150m, when her supply ran out. Sherpas used none.

  Summit Sherpas:
    Ang Dorchi, 7/11/78, Makalu-4, no 8000ers
    Dawa Gelu, 18/1/83, Sedua, Makalu-4 [Everest X2, Cho Oyu X1]
    Pasang Sherpa, 18/5/80, Sedua, Makalu-4, no 8000ers


expid: CHOY09113
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: USA
leaders: Dan Mazur
sponsor: SummitClimb International Cho Oyu Expedition 2009
countries: Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, UK
bcdate: 2009-04-30
smtdate: 2009-05-24
smttime: 1315
termdate: 2009-05-28
campsites: BC(30/04,4900m),ABC(04/05,5700m),C1(08/05,6150m),C2(12/05,7140m),C3(24/05,7540m),Smt(24/05)
agency: Everest Parivar
routememo:
  The members of the summit party were: Barbour, Delstanche, Jaeggi, Mazur, Ruszuly, Tulit, Voutselas, Gyalze and Jangbu Sherpas and Tashi (Tibetan). They started their push for the top from C2 at 9:00 pm (Chinese time) on 23 May.

  At 5:00 am on the 24th Jaeggi, Ruszuly and Tulit got to C3, which was pitched that day and used only temporarily, and, together with the Gyalze, Jangbu and Tashi, they stopped there because the three members were exhausted. They stayed in C3 until the next morning. At 2:00 am on the 25th Bliss and Gaillard came up to C3 and then climbed 100m above the camp, but at 3:00 am turned back to the camp because it was too windy for them. They descended to C2, went down to C1 on the 26th and ABC on the 27th.

  Meanwhile the remaining four members, Barbour, Delstanche, Mazur and Voutselas, plus Jangbu and Tashi had continued their summit push and were on the top at 3:30 pm (1:15 NST) on the 24th [Barbour stopped at the summit plateau]. Mazur, Voutselas and Jangbu descended to C2 at 11:30 pm on the 24th, to ABC on the 25th. Barbour, Delstanche and Tashi stopped in C3 at 10:00 pm on the 24th, in C2 on the 25th and reached ABC on the 26th.

  Other non-summiting members:

  Johnson went to C1 on 8 May, on the 11th climbed to 6900m, turned back to ABC the same day because of an inflammation in her leg and left the expedition on the 12th.

  Ricci got to C2 on 12 May and again on 21 May, but a storm drove him down to ABC on the 22nd.

  Urizar went to C3 on the 23rd, but it became very uneasy about the climb and retreated to C2 that day, but on the 24th returned to C3 but again went back to C2 that day.

  Wilkerson, a knee surgeon, climbed to C1 on 8 May, but on the 10th he had to retreat from C1 to ABC because he had broken his plastic knee. He left the team on the 11th.

  Oxygen was used by the summit party's Barbour, Delstanche, Mazur and Voutselas in C2 to the summit; Barbour used it down all the way to C1, while the other three stopped its use at C2; and Jaeggi, Ruszuly and Tulit used none at all. Urizer used it on 22 May from C2 to C3, then down as long as it lasted. None of their Sherpas used oxygen at any time.

  Sherpas:
    Gyalze, 25/1/74, Patle, Okhaldhunga, no 8000ers
    Jangbu, 24/5/67, Patle, Okhaldhunga, Everest X4, Cho Oyu X2, Lhotse X1

  Tibetan:
    Tashi, 22 yrs (in 2nd year at Tibetan Mtn School), Tingri Nachu, Cho Oyu X1


expid: CHOY09114
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Sweden
leaders: Johanna Oehrn
sponsor: Independent Swede on Cho Oyu
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-17
termdate: 2009-05-20
termnote: Abandoned at 7500m due to storm
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(29/04,6400m),C2(08/05,7150m),C3(17/05,7500m),xxx(17/05,7500m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Summit bid Oehrn and Roshan, slept at C1 on 15 May, C2 on 16 May and C3 on 17 May. Storm started in the night. Next day 18 Oehrn and Roshan descended to ABC. Oehrn returned to Kathmandu on 21 May and will leave on 23 May. 

  Hired:
    Roshan Bhattarai (Dipen), 05/11/2041, Hangdew-6, Taplejung

  Kanchha Sherpa who was with Adolsson and Olsson-Brandqvist was also climbing with Oehrn. Kanchha got his fingers frostbitten on the way down from C2 on 12 May.


expid: CHOY09115
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: S Africa
leaders: Waldo Roux
sponsor: South African Expedition 2009 (Monterosa permit)
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-03
termdate: 2009-05-20
termnote: Abandoned at 7200m due to bad weather
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(27/04,6400m),C2(03/05,7200m),xxx(03/05,7200m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Roux last attempt to go to higher camp was on 17 May on that day. He went up to C2 but due to bad weather he had to descend to C1 and he gave up further attempt, according to Gorgan Wildberger, the French climber who was climbing together with him. 

  Roux returned to Kathmandu on 29 May and left same day.


expid: CHOY09116
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Denmark
leaders: Nick Nielsen
sponsor: Dane to Cho Oyu (Monterosa permit)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Nielsen did not go to Cho Oyu. Originally Monterosa team was to leave Kathmandu on 9 April. Due to Chinese holidays Monterosa had to postpone its departure date for 11 April. Again the Chinese Embassy told Monterosa that visas for expedition members could not be issued before 14 April. Nielsen was upset about this delays and thought that there will not be enough time for climbing and he has decided not to go for climbing.                                                         


expid: CHOY09117
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Netherlands
leaders: Eric Arnold
sponsor: Dutch-Swedish Cho Oyu Expedition 2009 (Monterosa permit)
countries: Sweden
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-16
termdate: 2009-05-28
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(30/04,6400m),C2(08/05,7180m),C3(16/05,7500m),xxx(16/05,7500m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  BC at CBC, IC on 22 April at 5300m
  High point at C3.

  Arnold with Renji on their summit bid spent night of 16 May at C3. Due to storm they descended to C1 on 17 and ABC on 18 May. On second attempt Arnold was at C1 on 24 May, stayed there for two days due to bad weather, storm and snowfall. Six tents were broken at C1 due to storm. Descended to ABC on 27 May. 

  Pompe and Arnold spent 5 days at C2 waiting for good weather, but did not improve. Then descended to C1 on 13 May. 

  Pompe left BC on 20th and returned to Kathmandu on 21 May.


expid: CHOY09118
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: France
leaders: Gorgan Wildberger
sponsor: French on Cho Oyu (Monterosa permit)
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-03
termdate: 2009-05-28
termnote: Abandoned at 7128m due to bad weather
campsites: BC(19/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(27/04,6400m),C2(03/05,7128m),xxx(03/05,7128m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Wildberger made three attempts on Cho Oyu.

  First on 3 May and due to storm he could not continue for the summit. The same was the case for his second attemp on 18 May. The last attempt was on 25 May planning to summit on 27 but there was a masssive storm and he had to turn around to ABC from C1.

  Gorgan returned to kathmandu on 29 May and has not decided his departure date.


expid: CHOY09119
peakid: CHOY
year: 2009
route1: NW side
nation: Spain
leaders: Oscar Mangado
sponsor: A Spaniard on Cho Oyu (Monterosa permit)
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-18
termdate: 2009-05-28
termnote: Abandoned at 7180m due to bad weather
campsites: BC(14/04,4900m),ABC(23/04,5700m),C1(26/04,6400m),C2(18/05,7180m),xxx(18/05,7180m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  BC at CBC, IC 22 April at 5300m.

  Mangado last attempt was on 25 May but had to turn around from C1 on 26 May. 

  Mangado returned to Kathmandu on 29 May and will be leaving on 21 May.


expid: DHA109101
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Slovakia
leaders: Piotr Morawski
sponsor: Dhaulagiri Manaslu 2009
countries: Poland
approach: See route details
bcdate: 2009-04-01
smtdate: 2009-04-07
termdate: 2009-04-15
termnote: Abandoned at 6500m due to Marowski's death
campsites: BC(01/04,4700m),C1(05/04,5700m),C2(07/04,6500m),xxx(07/04,6500m)
agency: Mountain Tribes Trekking
routememo:
  Approach: By road to Beni & Darbang, trekked N to Dabang->Pakoben->normal BC via Myagdi Khola.

  BC at normal site
  C1 above NE Col
  C2 on NE Ridge.

  Climbed NE Ridge to C2 on 7 April at 6500m and to BC 8 April. Descending to BC to rest in bad weather. Left C1 at 8:30 am and Morawski fell at 9:00 am when snow bridge across crevasse collapsed under him and fell 25m into crevasse. Polish members of rescue expedition Justyna Szepieniec and Peter Hamor tried to pull him up but he was tightly wedged, so Hamor went down in crevasse to get him out but could not move him. When rescuers arrived only at 11:50 am they got him out; at 12:15 pm died probably from freezing, but possibly was due to internal injuries. He was talking still shortly before rescue, but unconscious when reached top of crevasse. Hamor put body into crevasse at wife's request.

  Rescue team: Poles led by Ryszard Gajewski


expid: DHA109102
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Poland
leaders: Anna Czerwinska
sponsor: Poles on Dhaulagiri I
approach: Beni->Myagdi Khola west of mountain
bcdate: 2009-04-01
smtdate: 2009-04-30
termnote: Abandoned at 7100m due to lack of motivation amoung all members
campsites: BC(01/04,4500m),C1(05/04,5700m),C2(15/04,6400m),xxx(7100m)
agency: Mountain Tribes Trekking
routememo:
  C1 just below northeast Col
  C2 little and right of NE Ridge.

  Poles on Dhaulagiri I, led by Anna Czerwinska - 12 May 2009

  Czerwinska returned to Kathmandu quite unhappy about this climb. She found that she and her members were not really a team: they went their separate ways, and during the latter period of her time on the mountain, she didn't know exactly where one member, Justyna Szepienice, was or whom she was climbing with or what she planned to do next since they had little communication with each other. All three of them were "shattered" by the fatal fall by their compatriot, Piotr Morawski, into a crevasse on 8 April, and unnerved by the deaths of others on the mountain. Czerwinska was also bothered by what she felt was an unpleasant lack of cooperation amongst the teams on Dhaulagiri I, including the "wall" erected between her party and another Polish team led by Ryszard Gajewski; only the two-man team of Morawski and Slovakian Peter Hamor collaborated with Czerwinska and teammates.

  Zbigniew Bak left the mountain on about 16 April. He had pitched C1 with the two women on 5 April, and on the 13th climbed with them on their way to establish C2. But he abandoned the climb at 5500m and descended to BC that day. He had no experience of climbing in the Himalaya and the seige tactics employed on these very high mountains. After Morawski's death he became very much afraid of hidden crevasses; he lost all motivation to continue the climb.

  Ms. Justyna Szepieniec, too, had no Himalayan experience and was the youngest member as a 28 year old. She was a very fast climber, much faster than the older and slower Czerwinska.

  She had seen Morawski fall to his death, and this greatly upset her. But she went with Czerwinska to pitch C2 on the 15th. They arrived there, at 6400m, expecting to find a tent left for them by Hamor, but it was gone, so they stayed in an empty tent of Gajewski's team. It was slightly to the left of the NE Ridge at a spot which not a very good one because of snow coming down on top of it from a serac, but it and they were not hurt. Szepieniec descended to BC on the 16th while Czerwinska stopped in C1 and returned to BC on the 17th.

  Now Szepieniec climbed independently of Czerwinska. She wanted to team up with faster climber such as Tunc Fundik from Turkey and the Iranian Mehdi Etemadfar. On 27 April she left Czerwinska and went to C1 with these two men and others, and next day to C2 while Czerwinska stayed in BC on the 27th and on the 28th moved to her own C1 and to the Turk's higher tent at C1.

  Czerwinska remained at C1 an extra day, then on the 30th climbed up towards C2 but got no higher than 6200m, and turned back to C1 when the weather deteriorated. She descended to BC on 1 May. Szepieniec reached 7100m on 30 April, Czerwinska believes.

  Back in Kathmandu, Czerwinska was not sure about Szepieniec's  movements in these final days of April; she had kept detailed notes, but now they didn't make sense to her. Even her own daily movements weren't clear to her now. But she believes that on 2 May they were both in BC. Now news came that Mehdi Etemadfar had died (he had disappeared the previous day above 8000m while going alone for the summit). Szepieniec had climbed on the same rope as he and shared the same tent. She now had no desire to climb Dhaulagiri I any more. She left BC to go home on the 5th.

  Czerwinska had been hoping to go up with the Indian army expedition, but they moved as a tightly-knit team and she was unable to connect with them. She did not want to climb alone. She left on 6 May.

  Their high points:  
    5500m on 13 April by Bak
    6400m on 15 April by Czerwinska
    7100m on 30 April by Szepieniec


expid: DHA109103
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: India
leaders: Col. Mahavir Chauhan
sponsor: Indian Army Mountain Dhaulagiri Expedition 2009
ascent1: 145
approach: (see route notes)
bcdate: 2009-04-07
smtdate: 2009-05-08
smttime: 1130
termdate: 2009-05-15
campsites: BC(07/04,4700m),C1(17/04,5800m),C2(22/04,6400m),C3(27/04,7200m),Smt(08/05)
agency: Gateway to the Himalaya
routememo:
  C1 at NE Col
  C2 on NE Ridge
  C3 on NE Ridge just below the rocks

  Indian Army Mt. Dhaulagiri Expedition 2009, Mahavir Chauhan - 22 May 2009

  The expedition left Kathmandu by road to Beni, then trekked up the Kali Gandaki River valley to Jomsom and on north to Muktinath to acclimatize and do puja at its famous Hindu temple. From there they trekked back down the Kali Gandaki Valley to Marpha, then west across Dhampus and French Passes to the normal BC site, where they arrived on 7 April.

  Their first summit attempt was launched from BC on 30 April by Angchok, Bhatt, Patil, Thapa, Sunil and four Sherpas, Dawa Chiri, Nima Grimen, Pemba Rinji, Pasang Sherpa. They climbed to C1 on the 30th, went to C2 on 1 May and reached C3 on the 2nd. But on the 3rd very bad weather forced their retreat to BC. There was snowfall and avalanche danger, even white-out and strong winds.

  Their second attempt succeeded. Aukta, Bisht, Bodh, Rangdol, Rinzin Dorje, Targais and the same four Sherpas from the first attempt left BC on 6 May, climbed directly to C2 and were in C3 on the 7th. They left C3 a 8:00 pm on the 7th, climbed through the night and arrived on the summit at 11:30 am of the 8th of May, having had to fix rope as they climbed. (Both now became the only Indian to summit six 8000ers.)

  In their descent from the top, a thunderstorm caused the rock to become charged with electricity, forcing them to wait for two hours at 7800m at the west end of the traverse. They returned to C3 at 6:00 pm on the 8th and were back safely in BC on the 9th.

  There was now no hope of mounting another summit bid soon because there was continous snowfall on 10 to 13 May. All camps were cleared from the mountain on the 14th, and the expedition left BC on the 15th.

  They had fixed a total of 3700m of rope on the route; no other climbers had fixed any. To be safe, below C3 they installed 3000m because of the multitude of hidden crevasses, and above C3 in their summit, they added 600m on the blue ice just above the camp on the traverse and 100m more in the final small couloir of rock and blue ice above the traverse.

  Health problems: all of Pasang Sherpa's toes became frostbitten during the two-hour stop in the descent from the summit. They probably will not lose any tips. Pemba Rinji and Nima Grimen also got slightly frostbitten.

  Bisht became snowblind while he came down from the top, and suffered for one day. He had taken off his goggles to see better where to place his feet.

  Sherpas:
    Dawa Chhiri/Tsiri, 20/2/67, Lokhim-9, Solu, Everest X3, Makalu X3, Cho Oyu X3,
      Manaslu X2
    Nima/Ngima Grimen, 31/3/82, Gudel-5, Solu, Everest X2
    Pasang Sherpa, 23/4/82, Gudel-9, Ramechap, Lhotse 25/5/08
    Pemba Rinji, 10/1/76 (26/9/2032), Bishinga-7, Okhaldhunga, Everest X1, 
      Dhaulagiri I X2
    Pemba Gulme, no 8000ers


expid: DHA109104
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: S Korea
leaders: Hong Bo-Seong
sponsor: Dynamic Busan 2009 Hope Expedition to Manaslu Dhaulagiri
ascent1: 147
bcdate: 2009-05-09
smtdate: 2009-05-18
smttime: 1500
termdate: 2009-05-19
othersmts: Climbed Manaslu (MANA-091-05)
campsites: BC(09/05,4750m),C1(13/05,6050m),C2(14/05,6600m),C3(15/05,7200m),Smt(18/05)
agency: Windhorse Trekking
primid: MANA09105
routememo:
  Kim and Seo left C3 on 18 May at 4:45 am. Both reached summit at 3 pm. They stayed on summit for one hour and thirty minutes. Descended to C3 at 7:30 pm. Next day to BC. On summit day morning was windy; around 9 am wind stopped. Kim and Seo did not go to the summit through the same couloir which was used by Japanese and German climbers but they went far end of the top ridge and turned left toward the summit. The place was gentle slope. While descending from the summit Kim and Seo used the couloir. 

  Hong and Nam remained in BC. The expedition returned to Kathmandu on 22 May and will leave on 27 May.


expid: DHA109105
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Nobukazu Kuriki
sponsor: Team Kuriki Dhaulagiri Expedition 2009
ascent1: 146
approach: Beni->Marpha->Yak Kharka->Hidden valley
bcdate: 2009-04-23
smtdate: 2009-05-18
smttime: 1340
termdate: 2009-05-22
campsites: BC(23/04,4700m),C1(02/05,5700m),C2(07/05,6500m),C3(17/05,7200m),Smt(18/05)
agency: Bochi Bochi Treks
routememo:
  Kuriki left C3 at 1 am on 18 May. Kuriki reached summit at 1:40 pm, stayed on summit for 20 minutes and descended to C3 at 7 pm. Next day to BC. He skied down from C2 to C1. The weather on summit day was very good. Kuriki was the first one to reach summit on that day. Other climbers who had summited on that day were of German Expedition and two Koreans.

  Kuriki team returned to Kathmandu on 24 May and they will leave on 27 May.

  Other members of the team:
    Ishii remained in BC. 
    Kadotani to C1 on 2 May. 
    Kodama and Sawada also stayed in BC. 
    Tatsuno was in C1. 

    Temba Nurbu climbed up to 7700m and turned around to C3 on 17 May.
    Phur Gyalzen climbed up to 6700m and went back to C2 on 16 May.
    Kusang Dorje and Santa Gurung remained at C1.

  Fixed rope: 150m between C2 - C3.

  Sherpas:
    Temba Nurbu Sherpa, 27/4/80, Tashigaon, Makalu-5, Manaslu X1
    Kusang Dorje/Dorchi Sherpa, 18/7/57, Makalu-9, Manaslu X3
    Fur Gyalzen Sherpa, 31/08/1981, Bung-9
    Santa Bahadur Gurung, 23/04/1959, Chisapani, Sunwara-5, Gorkha, Manaslu X2, 
      Cho Oyu X1


expid: DHA109106
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Luis Stitzinger
sponsor: DAV Summit Club Dhaulagiri I Expedition 2009
ascent1: 148
countries: Austria
approach: Myagdi Khola to north side of mountain
bcdate: 2009-04-24
smtdate: 2009-05-18
smttime: 1615
termdate: 2009-05-26
campsites: BC(24/04,4620m),C1(02/05,5800m),C2(07/05,6710m),C3(17/05,7260m),Smt(18/05)
agency: International Trekkers (Intrek Asia)
routememo:
  BC at normal site
  C1 at NE Col
  C2 on NE Ridge
  C3 on NE Ridge.

  The summit party were Greher, Hauer, Mueller, Robl, Schauenberg, Soell, Stitzinger, von Melle, Phu Dorje Sherpa and Singi Lama. They set out for the top at 2:00 am on 18 May in cold and windy weather. Schauenberg turned back at 7500m, Phu Dorje's cold toes at 7700m sent him down to C3, and Singi's toes also became very cold when he reached 8000m and he joined Phu Dorje in the retreat to C3 (both Sherpas had slight frostbite).

  The other seven members persevered and summited at 4:15 pm. They had moved rapidly and at 2:00 pm were at the top of the snow slopes leading to the bottom of the small couloir that tops out at the final summit ridge. But then there was a lot of snow in the couloir (in places knee-deep), and it was 4:00 pm when they got to the ridge. They turned to C3 to sleep and were in BC at 8:00 pm on the 19th.

  Non-summiting members:

  Ninke reached C2 on 16 May, became worried about the strong winds, went down to C1 on the 17th and to BC on the 19th. He stayed in BC until the climb was finished.

  Schauenberg was in summit party from C3 on 18 May, reached 7500m, was cold and tired, retreated to C1, joined his friend Ninke in descending to BC on the 19th and waiting there for the others to finish their climb.

  Sherpas:
    Phu Dorje, 7/12/75 (21/8/2032), Phortse, Everest X2, Cho Oyu X1
    Singi Lama, 1/10/69 (15/6/2026), Nigale, Khyul-6, Sindhupalchowk, no 8000ers


expid: DHA109107
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Poland
leaders: Ryszard Gajewski
sponsor: Polish Tatra Rescues Expedition
approach: Beni->Dovan->Italian BC
bcdate: 2009-04-03
smtdate: 2009-04-27
termdate: 2009-05-05
termnote: Abandoned at 7250m due to bad weather, slow and tired
campsites: BC(03/04,4750m),C1(07/04,5700m),C2(15/04,6850m),xxx(27/04,7250m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Bargiel and Miler went up to 7250m (C3 site) and left climbing gears and supplies. On 1 May Bargiel, Gajewski, Pawlikowski and Mikler went to C2. It was very bad weather, slept in C2. Next day descended to BC. Lichita, Mazik and Witkowski slept in C2. Lhakpa Gyalzen also slept in C2. The team returned to Kathmandu on 7 May and will leave on 13 May.

  Fixed rope: 700m between C1 & C3.

  Sherpa:
    Lhakpa Gyalzen Sherpa, 27 years old on 9/1/82 (25/9/2038), Makalu-4


expid: DHA109108
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Czech Republic
leaders: David Fojtik
sponsor: Ski 8167 (on Mountain Tribes permit)
ascent1: 142
approach: See route details
bcdate: 2009-04-12
smtdate: 2009-05-01
smttime: 1600
termdate: 2009-05-04
campsites: BC(12/04,4700m),C1(14/04,5900m),C2(21/04,6700m),C3(30/04,7200m),Smt(01/05)
accidents: Fojtik got frostbite of all toes of right foot
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Approach: Besisahar->Annapurna trek->Marpha->Ghasa->Beni->Darban->Besi Khola->Italian BC.

  Fojtik left C3 at 11:30 pm on 30 April for his summit push. He was followed by the Iranian climber Etemadfar. Ahead of Fojtik and Etemadfar were Koreans opening the route and fixing the line. They were very slow and Fojtik said that it was very cold. Instead of waiting in the cold, both Fojtik and Etemadfar went back to C3. Fojtik and Etemadfar started again at 2 am of 1 May. They were followed by Findik and his Sherpa Dawa. The Koreans ran out of ropes at about 7900m around lunch time and they stop moving. Having reached that point Fojtik, Etemadfar and Findik decided to continue their climb and started cutting steps together. For a while one of the Korean members also joined them and he returned to his team who were very slow to follow the advancing climbers. Weather started getting bad, strong wind and snow fall around 2:30 pm. It became complete white-out and dark. Dawa stopped at around 8000m. Fojtik was the first one to reach to the top in bad weather. He does not remember the summit time, but estimates that it may be between 3:30-4 pm or even little later. Findik was about 50m behind him. Fojtik got electric shocks in the bad weather while on summit. There were clouds all over. He said it was painful when electricity passed through his back shoulder, back of hip to legs and his hair became straight upward. This occured to him two/three times. It was very cold, tired and intense pain due to electricity. He realized the dangers of staying there as he was carrying his skis in his rucksack. If lightning occurs it may hit his metal skis and he quickly started descending. He saw Findik taking picture of the dead body few meters away from the end of the couloir. Fojtik started skiing down from about 20m below of the beginning of the summit couloir. The weather was still cloudy and dark. Skiing in poor visibility, Fojtik passed Etemadfar near rocky place about (8050m) before the beginning of the summit couloir. He stopped skiing about 30m above C3 as there was fresh snow on top of blue ice. He reached C2 at 9 pm slept there. Next day Fojtik realized that Etemadfar was missing. He started recalling what he had seen the previous day that he saw Etemadfar falling from the place where he passed him. At that moment he was not thinking of his fall due to confusion in poor visibility and tiredness. Next day Fojtik skied down all the way down from C2 to BC. Fojtik returned to Kathmandu from BC by helicopter on 4 May due to frostbite of all his toes of his right foot. He will leave Kathmandu on 7 May.

  Another member of Fojtik's team, Ms. Pilchova, on 30 April while climbing to reach C3 from C2, saw members of Polish team coming down and they told her that it is dangerous to go up. So she went back to C2 from about 7100m and slept there. Next day went down to BC. She returned to Kathmandu on 7 May and will leave on 15 May.


expid: DHA109109
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Turkey
leaders: Tunc Findik
sponsor: Turk On Dhaulagiri I
ascent1: 143
approach: Beni->Babiya->Chaur->Jugapani->Bogara->Dovan->Sallaghari->Italian BC
bcdate: 2009-04-04
smtdate: 2009-05-01
smttime: 1615
termdate: 2009-05-05
campsites: BC(04/04,4750m),C1(14/04,5800m),C2(21/04,6700m),C3(30/04,7266m),Smt(01/05)
achievment: 1st Turkish to summit Dhaulagiri
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Findik and Dawa Sherpa left C3 at 2 am on 1 May. Ahead of them were Czech climber Fojtik and Iranian Etemadfar; Koreans were at about 7900m. The Koreans ran out of ropes and they stopped moving, maybe they were discussing about their plan. Having reached that point Fojtik, Etemadfar and Findik decided to continue their climb and started cutting steps together. For a while one of the Korean members also joined them and he returned to his team who were very slow to follow the advancing climbed. Weather started getting bad, strong wind and snow fall around 2:30 pm. It became complete white-out and dark. Dawa stopped at around 8000m. Fojtik was about 100m ahead and Etemadfar was about 50m behind and Dawa was about 100m behind. When Findik reached near to the dead body he saw Fojtik on the summit. He does not remember exact summit time but estimates that it may be around 4 pm or little later. Like Fojtik, Findik, too got electric shock in the bad weather while on summit. There was cloud all over. He said it was painful when electricity pass through his body to legs then down to surface. He hardly stayed on summit for 10 minutes and descended quickly. Findik reached C3 after 7:30 pm it was a complete dark night. He slept there. On 2 May to C2 and next day to BC. Findik returned to Kathmandu on 7 May and will leave on 14 or 15 May.


expid: DHA109110
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: S Korea
leaders: Kim Hong-Bin
sponsor: Hope Making Annapurna Dhaulagiri Expedition
ascent1: 144 w/S Kor (Go)
approach: Beni->Marpha->Yak Kharka->Hidden Valley
bcdate: 2009-04-06
smtdate: 2009-05-01
termdate: 2009-05-05
campsites: BC(06/04,4800m),C1(21/04,5800m),C2(22/04,6400m),C3(30/04,7400m),Smt(01/05)
agency: Trekking Camp Nepal
routememo:
  On 30 April, Kim Hong-Bin, Mingma Tenzi and Rinji Sherpa together with other Korean expedition members Go, Hyun, Kim Mi-Gon, Dawa Finchok and Pasang Ngima Sherpa left C3 at 10 pm. The weather was windy and cloudy. The Korean team was the first one to start from C3 and they were also fixing ropes to the summit. The team ran out of ropes at about 7900m. Same time other 3 climbers and a Sherpa reached there and they continued to climb. Weather became very bad, snow fall and complete white-out. Kim Hong-Bin, Mingma Tenzi and Rinji Sherpa together with two other Korean members and their two Sherpas reached to the top at 6:30 pm on 1 May. They stayed on summit for about 10 minutes. The summit was cloudy and dark. It was a long climb. Kim Hong-Bin, Mingma Tenzi and Rinji Sherpa reached C3 around 3:30 am on 2 May. The other Korean expedition's tent was completely damaged and they had to share the tent of Kim Hong-Bin. Next day Kim Hong-Bin descended to C2 then to BC. Kim Hong-Bin returned to Kathmandu on 6 May and will leave on 10 May.

  Fixed rope: 300m contributed from C1->C2->C3

  Sherpas:
    Mingma Tenzi, (22/07/2041), Yaphu-9, Everest+Lhotse in 2007, Makalu 2008
    Rinji, 10/3/85 (27/11/2041), Yaphu-9, Saribung Sept 2008 with French


expid: DHA109111
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: S Korea
leaders: Go Woo-Seck
sponsor: 2009 Korean Annapurna-Dhaulagiri Expedition
ascent1: 144 w/S Kor (Kim)
approach: Beni->Marpha->Yak Kharka->Hidden Valley
bcdate: 2009-04-06
smtdate: 2009-05-01
smttime: 1830
termdate: 2009-05-04
campsites: BC(06/04,4800m),C1(21/04,5800m),C2(22/04,6400m),C3(30/04,7400m),Smt(01/05)
accidents: Go's frostbite of four fingers right hand and all fingers of left hand
agency: Trekking Camp Nepal
routememo:
  On 30 April, Go, Hyun, Kim Mi-Gon, Dawa Finchok and Pasang Ngima Sherpa left C3 at 10 pm. The weather was windy and cloudy. The Korean team was the first one to start from C3 and they were also fixing ropes on the route. Hyun turned around from about 7800m as he was slow and tired. The team ran out of ropes at about 7900m. Same time other climbers reached there and they continued to climb. Kim Mi-Gon joined the other climbers for about an hour and he saw his fellow climbers are not following them. So he went back to his team and slowly started climbing together. Weather became very bad snowfall and complete white-out. Go, Kim Mi-gon, Dawa Finchok and Pasang Ngima Sherpa reached to the top at 6:30 pm on 1 May. Another handicapped Korean climber Kim Hong-Bin also reached to the top together. They stayed on summit for about 10 minutes. The summit was cloudy and dark. It was a long climb. Kim Mi-Gon, Dawa Finchok and Pasang Ngima reached C3 between 2-3:30 am on 2 May. Their C3 tent was completely damaged. They shared the tent of Kim Hong-Bin. At C3 they realized that Go did not reach C3. They did not know that Go had a fall on descending. While descending one of the Sherpas of Kim Hong-Bin slipped and fell on Go and he tumbled down about 20m. He lost his backpack, gloves and walkie-talkie. It was dark and cloudy. So he spent about 7 hours in open bivouac at about 7800m. In the morning. Go found his walkie-talkie few meters away from his bivouac place. He talked to C3 and Pasang Ngima came to help him to go to C3. They reached C3 at about 11:30 am. Go's fingers were very cold and in bad shape. Go had rest in C3 with two Sherpas and descended to C2 around 4:30 pm where Kim Mi-Gon was waiting for them. On 3 May the team descended to BC. The Indian expedition doctor treated Go's fingers. He was flown out from BC in helicopter to Kathmandu with Fojtik on 4 May. 

  High point for other members of the expeditions are:
    Ha and Ms. Kim Nida stayed in BC.
    Jin climbed up to C2.
    Kim Kyung-Keun climbed half way between BC and C1.

  Kim Mi-Gon left BC on 5 May and arrived Kathmandu on 6 May, rest of the members left BC on 6 May and arrived Kathmandu on 10 May.

  Sherpas:
    Dawa Finchok, 16/7/82, Lamabagar-3, Dolakha
    Pasang Ngima, 11/10/87 (25/6/2044), Yaphu-9

  For both of the Sherpas it was first 8000m expedition.


expid: DHA109112
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: Iran
leaders: Mehdi Etemadfar
sponsor: Iranian Dhaulagiri Expedition 2009
approach: Darbang->Bagar->Dobang->Sallaghari->Italian BC
bcdate: 2009-04-12
smtdate: 2009-05-01
termnote: Abandoned at 8050m due to fatal fall
campsites: BC(12/04,4700m),C1(14/04,5900m),C2(21/04,6700m),C3(30/04,7200m),xxx(01/05,8050m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  According to Czech climber Fojtik, Etemadfar left C3 at 11:30 pm on 30 April with Fojtik. Ahead of Etemadfar and Fojtik there were Koreans opening the route and fixing the line. They were very slow and it was very cold. Instead of waiting in the cold both went back to C3. Etemadfar and Fojtik started again from C3 at 2 am of 1 May. They were followed by Findik and his Sherpa Dawa. Koreans ran out of ropes at about 7900m around lunch time and they stop moving. Having reached that point Etemadfar, Fojtik, Findik and Dawa decided to continue on their own. For a while one of the Korean members also joined them and he returned to his team who were very slow to follow the advancing climbers. Weather started getting bad, strong wind and snowfall around 2:30 pm. It became complete white-out and dark. The Turkish climber Findik said that Etemadfar was about 50m behind him when he reached to the summit couloir. Findik went to the summit after that he did not see Etemadfar. Fojtik started skiing down from about 20m below of the beginning of the summit couloir. The weather was still cloudy and dark. Skiing in poor visibility, Fojtik passed Etemadfar near rocky place (about 8050m) before the beginning of the summit couloir. He reached C2 at 9 pm slept there. Next day Fojtik realized that Etemadfar was missing. He started recalling what he had seen the previous day that he saw Etemadfar falling down from the place where he passed him. At that moment he was not thinking of his fall due to confusion in poor visibility and tiredness. 


expid: DHA109113
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: S Korea
leaders: Oh Eun-Sun
sponsor: Oh Eun-Sun Kangchenjunga & Dhaulagiri I Expedition
ascent1: 149
approach: Pokhara->Dhaulagiri BC by helicopter
bcdate: 2009-05-18
smtdate: 2009-05-21
smttime: 1330
termdate: 2009-05-26
othersmts: Climbed Kangchenjunga (KANG-091-08)
campsites: BC(18/05,4700m),C1(19/05,5800m),C3(20/05,7185m),Smt(21/05)
achievment: 1st Korean woman to summit Dhaulagiri
agency: Korean Treks & Expeditions
routememo:
  Oh, Dawa and Pema started at 1:30 am on 21 May from C3, reached summit at 1:30 pm, stayed on summit about 10 minutes, back to C3 between 7-7:30 pm, slept there. On 22 May to BC. The weather on summit day was good, little windy. Oh met Korean Japanese expedition members at C1 while ascending. 

  Fixed rope: 50m used between C1->C2 then took to C3 same rope.

  Sherpas:
    Dawa Wangchuk/Ongchu Sherpa, 17/12/72 (3/9/2029), Walung, Makalu-9
    Pema Tshering, 16/6/70 (2/3/2027), Walung, Makalu-9, Everest X3, Dhaulagiri X1, 
      Lhotse X1


expid: DHA109201
peakid: DHA1
year: 2009
route1: NE Ridge
nation: S Korea
leaders: Kim Jae-Soo
sponsor: Kolon Sport Dhaulagiri Expedition
ascent1: 150
approach: Pokhara->BC by helicopter
bcdate: 2009-06-02
smtdate: 2009-06-09
termdate: 2009-06-12
othersmts: Climbed Kangchenjunga (KANG-091-07) and Makalu (MAKA-091-09)
campsites: BC(02/06,4800m),C1(04/06,5900m),C2(05/06,6800m),C3(06/06,7300m),Smt(09/06)
accidents: Frostbite of Lhakpa Wangdi's right toes and all fingers of right hand (not serious)
achievment: 3rd summit premonsoon
agency: Windhorse Trekking
routememo:
  First attempt on 7 June Kim, Go, Sona and Tshering Dorje started from C3 at 12:30 pm. Weather was windy and lots of snow. Climbing progress was very slow due to knee-deep snow. When the team reached around 8000m it was about 6 pm. It was getting late and strong wind started. The team decided to return to C3 where they reached at 12:20 pm of 8 June.

  The second attempt on 8 June, Kim, Go and Tshering Dorje started from C3 at 11:30 pm. Weather condition was much of the same some time white-out. The team reached summit at 4 pm of 9 June. They stayed on summit for 20 minutes, windy and white-out and some time clear. The team descended to C3 at 1 am on 10 June. Next day to BC.

  The team returned to Kathmandu on 12 June by helicopter and will leave Kathmandu on 18 June for Pakistan to climb Nanga Parbat.

  Initially, the expedition planned to take three Sherpas. Later three more Sherpas were added totaling of 6 Sherpas.

  Karma Geljen and Lhakpa Wongchu Sherpa climbed up to C2.

  Lhakpa Wangdi and Rinji Sherpa climbed up to C3. Lhakpa Wangdi got frostbite at C3. Rinji got sick, headache and stomach problem at C3.

  Sherpas:
    Tshering Dorje Sherpa, 26/06/2038, Chheskam-2, 12/10/81, Manaslu X1, Lhotse X1, 
      Cho Oyu X1
    Karma Geljen Sherpa, 5/11/73 (20/07/2030), Waku
    Lhakpa Wangdi Sherpa, 25/11/77 (10/08/2034), Chheskam-2
    Sona Sherpa, 26/11/77 (11/08/2034), Chheskam-2
    Rinji Sherpa, 10/3/84 (27/11/2040), Yaphu-9
    Lhakpa Wongchu Sherpa, 17/6/85 (02/03/2042)


expid: DOMK09101
peakid: DOMK
year: 2009
route1: S Corridor to East
nation: Spain
leaders: Salvador Garcia-Atance
sponsor: Spanish Geographical Society Dome Kang Expedition 2009
ascent1: 1st
approach: Suketar->Chiruwa->Suketung->Thuanyari->Ghunsa->Kanbachen->Lhonak
bcdate: 2009-04-07
smtdate: 2009-04-28
smttime: 0815
termdate: 2009-04-30
campsites: BC(07/04,5280m),C1(16/04,6100m),C2(27/04,7200m),Smt(28/04)
achievment: New route with variation of Slovenian route
agency: Thamserku Trekking
routememo:
  C1 at center of glacier
  C2 at top of the col.

  Lagunilla, Soria, Chang Dawa, Karma Gyalzen and Halung left C2 at 6 am on 28 April. They reached summit at 8:15 am, stayed on summit for 30 minutes. Summiters descended to C1 at 3 pm, slept there. Next day to BC. 

  Rest of the members climbed up to 6500m on different dates. Salas on 22 April, Bonet and Garcia-Atance on 24 April, Ms Ferrer and Ms Goded on 25 April. 

  The summit day weather was very good, sunny little windy. There was no snow but ice. They returned to Kathmandu on 5 May and will leave on 9 May. 

  Sherpas:
    Chang Dawa Sherpa, 30/07/82 (15/04/2039), Nurbu Chaur, Makalu-9, Everest X2, 
      Makalu X1, Lhotse X1, Cho Oyu X1
    Karma Gyalzen 4/9/83 (19/5/2040), Makalu-9, Everest X2, Manaslu X1
    Walung Dorchi, 25/11/89 (10/8/2046), Makalu-5


expid: EVER09103
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: N Col-NE Ridge
nation: France
leaders: Marc Batard
sponsor: Frenchmen on Everest
countries: Switzerland
approach: By air Geneva->Kathmandu->Lhasa 30 April
bcdate: 2009-05-06
smtdate: 2009-05-21
termdate: 2009-05-24
termnote: Only one Sherpa summited
agency: Himalaya Expeditions
campsites:
  BC(06/05),ABC(12/05,6400m),C1(16/05,7050m),xxx.Batard(18/05,7650m),C2(19/05,7700m),C3(20/05,8300m),xxx.Cina(21/05,8800m),Sherpa.Smt(21/05)

routememo:
  Batard became famous in 1988 for making the fastest ascent of Everest in 22.5 hours from BC to summit via South Col. As a mountain guide, he summited five other 8000ers between 1975 and 1990; in 1990 he reached the top of Everest for the second time. Then he dropped out of the climbing scene; he became a painter (of pictures) and hasn't climbed for the past ten years.

  Now he has returned to the mountains, and this spring he came to Everest's north side to see whether at the age of 57 years he could still climb fast. His plan to go from ABC (6400m) to the summit in 20-22 hours.

  He arrived in Tibet by flying from Geneva to Kathmandu, transiting Kathmandu in three hours on 30 April and flying on to Lhasa. He arrived at Chinese BC on 6 May and ABC on 12 May.

  On the 18th he left ABC in his bid for the summit at 3:00 pm (NST). But the shoes he was wearing were too light, and his feet were cold when he arrived at the North Col (7050m) at 5:00 pm. He stopped for 45 minutes to warm them and resumed his ascent, but at 9:00 pm, when he had reached 7650m, they were cold again. He abandoned his attempt for the top.

  He had climbed much faster than he had expected, and he now knew that he is capable of making a very rapid ascent. He hopes to be able to raise enough sponsorship funds to return in 2010.


  From Batard's web site blog:

  Batard's two companions, Antoine Cina and Claude Faivre, made their own attempt for the summit on May 20. Faivre turned back at 8750m after becoming blind, while Cina continued on to 8800mm with his Sherpa Ngima. Ngima told Cina to wait there while he went first to the summit. Cina expected Ngima to come down and lead him back up to the summit, but when the Ngima returned to Cina, he directed Cina to go back down saying "it is finished." Cina says that he was capable of summiting, but was not given the chance. 

  Nathalie Lamoureux only went up to the North Col.


  Claude Faivre - March 2012 (paraphrased from emails in French to Willy Blaser)

  Faivre and Cina met for first time at Trek On-Line agency in Chamonix. Faivre and Cina planned a 21-day alpine-style attempt on Everest north standard route. Each had one Sherpa (Faivre with Lhakpa and Cina with Ngima). They were on Marc Batard's permit, but climbed separately.

  They made their summit bid on 20 May. Faivre stopped his ascent at 8700m when the corneas of his eyes started to freeze. Lhakpa turned him around and they descended to C2 in 10 hours.

  Cina went to 8000m and stopped (Faivre does not know why) and Ngima continued on alone to the summit. Faive says Ngima was disciplined by the agency for leaving his client alone at 8800m.


expid: EVER09108
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: Japan
leaders: Kenji Kondo
sponsor: Adventure Guides Everest Expedition 2009
bcdate: 2009-04-20
smtdate: 2009-05-21
smttime: 0730
termdate: 2009-05-25
othersmts: Climbed Island Peak on 26 Apr by Tetsuo Honda, Kenji Kondo, Junichi Shinozaki and Kunihide Takata
campsites: BC(30/04,5350m),C1(02/05,6100m),C2(06/05,6500m),C3(19/05,7100m),C4(20/05,7900m),Smt(21/05)
agency: Cosmo Treks
routememo:
  Adventure Guides Everest Expedition 2009 - 30 May 2009

  All climbing members and five Sherpas left C4 for the top on 20 May. Arai left at 9:00 pm, while all the others left at 11:00 pm. Shinozaki summited at 7:30 am on the 21st, Arai at 9:45 am and the others after Arai until 10:15 am. They returned to C4 at about 3:00 pm, descended to C2 on the 22nd an were back in BC on the 23rd.

  During the climb to the summit, each member was accompanied by a Sherpa: Da Tendi with Arai, Pasang Kaji with Honda, Phurba Chhiri with Kondo, Lama Babu with Shinozaki and Cheppa with Takata.

  Kondo came down by snowboard from C2 to the top of the Icefall. Arai, Honda, Shinozaki and Takata skied from C2 to the Icefall.

  Oxygen: during summit push, all members except Kondo in C2 on the 19th, and all five climbing members in C3 to the top to and in C4. All Sherpas in C4 to the top to and in C4.

  Sherpas:
    Cheppa Sherpa, 29/10/83 (12/7/2040), Sotang, Solu, no 8000ers
    Da Tendi, 28/5/81, Saframa, Lokhim, Solu, Everest X1, Cho Oyu X2, Manaslu X1
    Lama Babu, 24/6/69 (10/3/2026), Kurima, Lokhim, Solu, no 8000ers
    Pasang Kaji, 24/2/81, Sotang, Solu, Cho Oyu X1, Manaslu X1
    Phurba Chhiri, 4/10/68, Kurima, Lokhim, Solu, Everest X5, Manaslu X3, 
      Lhotse X2, Cho Oyu X2, K2 X1


expid: EVER09104
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: UK
leaders: Paul Roose
sponsor: Paul Roose Everest Expedition
bcdate: 2009-04-15
smtdate: 2009-05-21
smttime: 0615
termdate: 2009-05-24
campsites: BC(15/04,5350m),C1(26/04,5790m),C2(04/05,6706m),C3(06/05,7315m),C4(20/05,7900m),Smt(21/05)
agency: Himalaya Expeditions
routememo:
  Paul Roose Everest Expedition - 2 June 2009

  Roose and Pasang Sherpa left for the summit on 20 May at 5:30 pm. Roose became very tired at 8100m and returned to C4 while Pasang continued to the summit, where he arrived wtih Indian climbers at 6:15 am on the 21st. He rejoined Roose in C4 at 10:30 am.

  Roose wanted to make another summit attempt on the 21st, but Pasang wouldn't permit him to go up again. Roose obeyed orders. They descended to C2 on the 22nd and BC on 23rd. Roose left BC on the 24th, while Pasang stayed there till the 26th.

  Roose used oxygen in and from C4 to his high point to and in C4. Pasang used it from C4 to the top to C4.

  Health problem: Roose said he had ripped some rib muscles by coughing very hard.

  Sherpa:
    Pasang Sherpa, 11/8/75, Jiri-7, Dolakha, Everest X2


expid: EVER09105
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: India
leaders: Tapi Mra
sponsor: An Indian on Everest
approach: Phakding->Namche->Tengboche->Dingboche->Lobuche->Gorakshep
bcdate: 2009-04-03
smtdate: 2009-05-21
smttime: 0640
termdate: 2009-05-24
campsites: BC(03/04,5300m),C2(17/04,6400m),C3(19/05,7200m),C4(20/05,7950m),Smt(21/05)
achievment: 1st person from Arunachal Pradesh
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  C2 in Western Cwm
  C3 on Lhotse West Face
  C4 at South Col.

  First Indian to summit Everest in 41 hours (BC to summit). Mra started his summit push from BC on 19 May at 1 am in the dark. He was alone and planning to reach summit on 20 May. He fell into a waist-deep water hole in a flat area in the icefall. He came out of cold waterhole and continued to C2 where he changed his damp clothes. Mra reached C3 at about noon time. His sherpa Karma was waiting there for him. On 20 May Mra and Karma left C3 at about 6 am and reached C4 around noon time. Mra and Karma left C4 at about 8:30 pm on 20 May, reached the summit at 6:40 am of 21 May, stayed on summit about 10 minutes. They descended to C4 around noon, slept in C4. Next day went down to BC. The weather was very good, little windy. Another climber from India Miss Krushnaa Patil was on summit ahead of Mra. Mra returned to Kathmandu on 28 May. He will leave Kathmandu on 4 or 5 June.

  Sherpa:
    Karma Sherpa, 7/7/76, Sotang-6, Everest X1, Cho Oyu X1


expid: EVER09106
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: Germany
leaders: Axel Richter
sponsor: International Adventure Alternative (Independent German on Everest)
approach: Lukla->Chhukung->Island Peak
bcdate: 2009-04-11
smtdate: 2009-04-19
termdate: 2009-04-21
termnote: Abandoned at 6100m due to being intimidated by serac collapse in icefall
campsites: BC(11/04,5350m),C1(19/04,6100m),xxx(19/04,6100m)
agency: Multi Adventure
routememo:
  Richter left BC on 19 April at 4 am and arrived at C1 at 9 am. Just before he reached the upper part of the icefall a huge serac had come down. Fortunately nobody was hurt. When he reached C1 he realized that the icefall was just too dangerous. He left C1 at 7:45 am on 20 April and reached BC at 10:45 am.

  I [Billi Bierling] met him at Gorak Shep on 20 April. He was trying to get in touch with Multi-Adventure to organize a return flight to Kathmandu. He wanted to fly back on 29 April after ascending Island Peak again.


expid: EVER09107
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: N Col-NE Ridge
nation: Canada
leaders: Manuel Pizarro
sponsor: Everest 2009 - Canadian Lung Association
bcdate: 2009-04-26
smtdate: 2009-05-21
smttime: 0730
termdate: 2009-05-28
campsites: BC(26/04,5713m),ABC(30/04,6700m),C1(07/05,7000m),C2(19/05,7500m),C3(20/05,8300m),Smt(21/05)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  Pizarro left C3 at 9 pm on 20 May. Weather was clear and windy, straightforward climb. Reached summit at 7:30 am (Nepali time). They spent 1-1/2 hours on summit, met Himex climbers coming from south. They descended to C2, arrived at midnight. The reason why it took so long was that he had to help Anna Maria Baranska from Poland down the 2nd Step. He only arrived at C3 at 6 pm. At 9 pm Ritemba Sherpa went ahead to C2 to make soup. Pizarro made mistake to sit down at 7800m and fell asleep. He was hypoxic and woke up after 3 hours. He noticed that he did not get enough oxygen. He turned it up and managed to reach C2 at midnight.

  On 22 May Pizarro helped Anna down to C1 (he was short-roping Anna). They arrived at 5 pm. They carried on to ABC and arrived at 11:30 pm as Anna had problems coming down the North Col. Pizarro rested on 23 May and 24 May and descended to BC on 25 May.

  Rossin-Arthiat reached about 6800m (bottom of ropes to North Col) on 10 May. He was not feeling well (pulmonary edema) and descended to interim camp on 11 May. He descended to BC 12 May and left BC on 13 May.

  On 18 May at C1 Pizarro and Alex Pare tried to resucitate Veslav Chrzaszcz at C1, who had a heart attack. They worked on him for about half hour, however to no avail.


expid: EVER09109
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: N Col-NE Ridge
nation: Italy
leaders: Luigi Rampini
sponsor: Luigi on Everest
approach: Zhangmu->Nyalam->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-19
smtdate: 2009-05-18
termdate: 2009-05-26
termnote: Abandoned at 7800m due to no Sherpa wanted to help him and he hired none
campsites: BC(19/04,5170m),ABC(24/04,6450m),C1(04/05,7070m),xxx(18/05,7800m)
agency: Monterosa Treks
routememo:
  BC at CBC, IC on 23 April at 5800m
  High point at C2 site.

  Rampini climbed up to C2 on 18 May for his acclimatization and back to ABC on the same day. His plan was to summit from C2 using oxygen. Rampini tried to get a Sherpa to carry a tent and oxygen cyclinders to C2 but none of the Sherpas ageed to do the work for him. Then he quit. He returned to Kathmandu on 27 May and will leave either on 5 or 6 June.


expid: EVER09111
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: N Col-NE Ridge
nation: Norway
leaders: Jarle Traa
sponsor: Norwegian on Everest
approach: Kodari->Tingri
bcdate: 2009-04-24
smtdate: 2009-05-22
termdate: 2009-05-26
termnote: Abandoned at 8800m due to confusion, hypoxia and bad weather
campsites: BC(24/04,5200m),ABC(09/05,6400m),C1(19/05,7000m),C2(20/05,7700m),C3(21/05,8300m),xxx(22/05,8800m)
accidents: Frostbite both on fingers and toes
agency: Tseringma Treks
routememo:
  Traa started summit push on 19 May from C1. He reached C2 in afternoon of 20 May. On 21 May he left C2 at lunch time and reached C3 at 9 pm. He rested there for a while and carried on climbing at 1 am on 22 May. He climbed fast to 2nd Step, where he arrived at about 9:30 am. Afterwards he slowed down significantly. He took off his rucksack and left it at about 8700m. He felt very confused. When he saw the bad weather come in he decided to turn back at about 8800m. When he was just about 2nd Step he got into his bivouac bag and lay down to sleep. The next morning (23 May) he continued to descend and reached near C3 at nightfall. He did not reach the tents (he could not see them) and spent another night outside in bivouac bag. On 24 May he reached C3. It was only about 50m from where he was. He got into empty tent and rested there for 1 hour.

  When he got out of tent and started descending he met 2 Sherpas (didn't know which team they were with) who he descended to C2 with. Traa's tent at C2 had been removed and he had no facilities to make tea. He and Sherpas continued to C1 same day, where the 2 Sherpas gave him food, oxygen and shelter. They also noticed at C1 that he had frostbite.

  On 25 May he descended to ABC. He was helped down halfway off North Col by other Norwegian team. He reached ABC some time before noon and was immediately transported to BC by yak. On the same evening he took jeep to Kathmandu.

  He reached Kathmandu on 26 May and went straight to CIWEC, where they kept him stationary for 3 nights. Doctors at CIWEC say he may keep all toes, but may lose a few fingertips.


expid: EVER09113
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: India
leaders: Gaurav Sharma
sponsor: Indian on Everest
approach: Pangboche
bcdate: 2009-04-08
smtdate: 2009-05-20
smttime: 0615
termdate: 2009-05-24
campsites: BC(08/04,5350m),C1(13/04,5900m),C2(23/04,6500m),C3(18/05,7200m),C4(19/05,7900m),Smt(20/05)
agency: Arun Treks
routememo:
  Team left C4 at 9 pm on 19 May. Weather was clear but windy. They spent 45 minutes on summit. They met Singapore's women's team. They descended to C4, arrived at noon. On 21 May descended to C2 and 22 May back to BC. Climb was straightforward.

  Sherpa:
    Lhakpa Rangdu, Sotang-6, 18/11/1967, Everest X4, Cho Oyu X3


expid: EVER09114
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Marcus Scarth
sponsor: International Adventure Alternative (Aspen Everest Expedition 2009)
approach: Pangboche
bcdate: 2009-04-17
smtdate: 2009-05-19
smttime: 1000
termdate: 2009-05-24
campsites: BC(17/04,5350m),C1(01/05,5900m),C2(04/05,6200m),C3(17/05,7100m),C4(18/05,7900m),Smt(19/05)
agency: High Himalayan Adventure
routememo:
  Team left C4 at 9 pm on 18 May. It was very busy, lot of waiting. Many people on summit; spent 10 minutes on summit, descended to C4, arrived at 4 pm. On 20 May they took snowboards which they had left at C4 and boarded down from Yellow Band to C3. Scarth took 30 minutes, Wrath took 2-1/2 hours. When they reached C3 they decided that boarding was too difficult and dangerous and carried their boards to C2 and arrived at 4 pm. On 21 May to BC.

  Sherpas:
    Jyamchang Bhote, Hatiya-1, 13/04/81, Everest 2004, 2007, Cho Oyu 2003, 2006
    Chhiti Thinduk Bhote, 25/8/81, Hatiya, Sankhuwasabha, no 8000ers


expid: EVER09115
peakid: EVER
year: 2009
route1: S Col-SE Ridge
nation: USA
leaders: Mike Farris
sponsor: American on Everest
approach: Pangboche
bcdate: 2009-04-08
smtdate: 2009-05-22
smttime: 1339
termdate: 2009-05-25
campsites: BC(08/04,5400m),C1(19/04,5900m),C2(21/04,6400m),C3(04/05,7100m),C4(20/05,7900m),Smt(22/05)
accidents: Frostbite on both hands and feet
agency: Explore Himalaya
routememo:
  Farris left C4 at 10 pm on 21 May. He was going by himself. He had been carrying his own tent and oxygen during his expedition. Weather was clear and calm until about 11 am, then wind started. He thinks that something was wrong with his oxygen as he had slowed down significantly on upper part of mountain. He stayed 5 minutes on summit. He was on his own on summit. He descended to South Summit without problems. Then things started to become hazy. He was hypothermic at Balcony. After dark Walter Laserer and Bernice Wotenboom (Laserer's Everest Expedition) found him at Balcony. He was without gloves and jacket. He was still on fixed line. Laserer gave him oxygen and handwarmers and radioed Russell Brice. Farris talked to Brice, who told him to come down. Laserer and Bernice carried on to summit. Farris managed to descend to South Col. He stopped just outside camp at end of rope but could not see tent. He might have passed out again until Phurba Tashi of Himex woke him up at sunrise on 23 May and took him to his tent. Phurba Tashi gave him oxygen and tea. Phil Crampton sent Sherpas to C4 to help Farris down to C2, where he arrived in afternoon. On his descent from C4 to C2 he used oxygen due to his frostbite. He was not short-roped; he descended to BC on 24 May and went to HRA tent, where he was treated. He had just missed a helicopter. On 25 May he took a horse to Pheriche and spent 26 May in Pheriche. On 27 May he took a helicopter back to Kathmandu and went straight to CIWEC. Doctors say he might lose a few fingertips and toe tips.


  Following was emailed to Billi Bierling from Mike Farris - 11 March 2010

  On May 19 I arrived at upper Camp 3 (7200m) and chopped a tent site. On May 20 I packed up my entire camp and left about 8:30 am. I had to wait well over one hour to ascend the steep pitch on the Yellow Band due to heavy traffic coming down the fixed ropes. I moved very slowly up to and across the Geneva Spur and arrived at Camp 4 (South Col, 7900m) just after dark. This meant that I needed to spend a rest day at C4, which I did on May 21. My original plan was to summit on the 21st.

  I used no oxygen below C4, I went on oxygen at a rate of IL/min at 5 pm on May 21 to practise with the equipment before the ascent. I continued this until departure that night. This oxygen bottle was left at C4 for use after the climb as necessary.

  I left C4 at 10 pm on May 21. I was carrying two bottles of oxygen and was using oxygen at a flow rate of 2 L per minute using a Topout mask. I initially made good progress and appeared to be catching the people in front of me (part of the guided IMG group). But after two hours I began to slow down, and at 1 am I was overtaken by two climbers from the IMG group. One of them (Justin Merle or Jon Shea; to be determined) looked at my regulator and I had used about a third of a bottle of oxygen, which matched my expectations. After this I felt like I was climbing more and more slowly, and the group above pulled away from me. It took me five more hours to reach the Balcony (8400m). At this point, my first bottle of oxygen should have been empty (or nearly so) The regulator indicated somewhere between one third and one half of the oxygen still remained. I switched bottles and proceeded to ascend. This occured at 6 am on May 22.

  After changing bottles I felt like I was moving faster again. The ridge up to the South Summit is snow, except for a short rocky section. I met the descending IMG group as the last members were descending the ropes that led to the bottom of this rocky stretch. We chatted and they pointed out which rope to use. This must have occured about 9 am or slightly after. Since there were no other teams summiting that day, these were the last people I was to see until after midnight.

  I arrived at the South Summit at 10:45 am. As I was climbing the ridge below I had established a turn-around time of 11 am for the South Summit. While this is still late by modern guiding standards, the continous fixed ropes and good weather meant that there was little chance of an accident on descent. I stashed some gear I didn't need in the above [climb] below the South Summit and proceeded up the Hillary Step. The stretch to the summit above the Hillary Step seemed very long and I arrived at 1:39 pm. It was very windy and I stayed only a short time on the true summit. I mvoed down 30 minutes and shot a few seconds of video, then descended slowly but without accident to the South Summit. I gathered my gear and began descending the ridge.

  I descended the steeper slopes below the South Summit and crossed over the rocky stretch indicated above. As I descended further I looked upward and was surprised to see the South Summit so far away. I wondered if somehow I had descended past the Balcony. Windblown snow had covered the ropes and filled in the tracks of the previous group. However, it was clear that I could not climb back up even I had gone off route and I was following ropes that were clearly new, so my only choice was to keep on going down.

  At some point in the late afternoon I made radio contact with two friends who had climbed Makalu and descended to their Camp 1. Roland Hunter and Mick Parker talked to me but I have no memory of the conversation. While I spoke more or less normally, Mick remarked to Roland that I wasn't quite right. At approximately 5 or 5:30 pm I felt like I was suffocating, and I assumed that I had run out of oxygen so I took off the mask. I radioed the Altitude Junkies base camp but received no reply.

  From 5 pm until sometime around midnight I only have a couple of clear memories. I decided that my pack was too heavy and that I would leave it behind and come back the next day to pick it up. I believe that I did not remove the oxygen cylinder before making this decision, and I left my pack slightly above the Balcony. I also remember being cold and shivering. During this period I continued to descend past the Balcony. I put my headlamp at some point. That evening it was determined by IMG that I had not arrived back at C4. I was apparently was in radio contact with my BC via relay through IMG in the evening.

  At midnight or shortly afterwards I was found by Bernice Notenboom and Walter Laserer. I was clipped into the rope with my descender, but I had taken off my Feathered Friends down jacket, Black Diamond Guide gloves, and my wool hat. I still had a thin Smartwool balaclava on my head and thin poly liner gloves on my hands. They immediately roused me, put my clothes back on, gave me oxygen, and gave me a hot drink. Bernice gave me the chemical heat packs she was using for use in my gloves. They asked some obvious questions: who was I, where was my team, and so on. They tried to reach their base camp by radio but were unsuccessful. The only other frequency they could remember was that of Himalayan Experience. They talked to Russell Brice at 1:21 am, then spoke to Russell and told him that I had a tent and spare oxygen at C4. I told him that I could move on my own, and Russell, Bernice and Walter agreed. The Himalayan Experience team that was climbing up from below would help me as I needed. I remember none of these conversations. Walter and Bernice continued on their summit bid and I continued to descend.

  I met at least three other parties as I descended from the Balcony to C4. I passed the first ascent team led by Dave Hahn. He later told Walter and Bernice that I was descending fine under my own power. I passed the Alpine Ascents International team led by Vern Tejas. I recall saying hello but not much else. At 3:14 am I encountered the Himalayan Experience team. Guide David McKinley gave me some oxygen and I continued on my descent.

  I have a very clear memory of falling about 15m (50 feet) at some point while it was dark. It may have been before I met Walter and Bernice or afterwards. At the time I felt that a rope had broken, though it is equally likely that I failed to clip in properly. I recall sliding down the snow next to some rocks. I did all of this on my stomach and did not tumble. I had no obvious injuries to indicate that I actually did fall, but the memory is very clear. I had no hallucinations that I can recall.

  After passing the last team, I was monitored by Phurba Tashi, Sirdar for Himalayan Experience. Phurba Tashi was directing his team from the South Col (C4); both the route and the light from my headlamp were visible from C4. At about 5 am I stopped moving so Phurba Tashi came to collect me. At that point I was very close to the tents and was asleep, in the middle of a very vivid dream. He woke up and walked me to the tents in less than 10 minutes.                                                             
  It was clear that I had frostbitten my fingers and nose. I had probably frostbitten my feet as well but we didn't remove my boots so that I could descend. The only other issue that I had was a slight cloudiness in my vision which preventerd me from resolving things like written text. This visual impairment went away after a couple of hours. Phurba Tashi gave me oxygen, hot fluids and food.

  Phil Crampton, leader of  Altitude Junkies, organized aid for my descent. Soon after I arrived in C4, two Sherpas departed C2 on oxygen for C4. Tawa Sherpa (Altitude Junkies) and Da Dendi Sherpa (Japanese team) arrived at C4 around midday. They collected my gear and the three of us descended with me using oxygen. I was able to walk down on my own, though the Sherpas needed to sometimes clip and unclip carabiners to speed things up. I spent the night of May 23 at C2. The next day we descended to BC in 4 1/2 hours, with the Sherpas carrying my Camp 2 and Camp 4 gear.

  I went to the Himalayan Rescue Association medical tent where I was seen by Dr. Eric Johnson. He immediately authorized a helicopter evacuation and then examined me and gave me medication. Unfortunately, weather in the lower valleys prevented the helicopter from flying that day. I was carried back to our base camp where I spent the night on oxygen.

  On May 25 it was snowing and the weather forecast was poor. We decided that I should ride out on a horse and have a helicopter pick me up at a lower elevation. The horse was supposed to arrived at 10 am but I didn't leave until 2:30 pm. It had now snowed several inches and was still snowing heavily. My horse was actually a small pony which I rode for three hours through the boulder fields. In Lobuche I switched to a larger horse and descended three more hours before reaching Pheriche. The hair-raising descent below the Everest memorials was done in the dark, in the snow, with the terrified horse and rider being dragged down the hill by Chewang Palden Sherpa. We arrived in Pheriche at 9 pm. That night I experienced severe "boiling oil" pain that was so disabling that I could not pick my blankets up off the floor. I laid there whimpering and crying for hours until the pain finally subsided near dawn.

  The weather on May 26 would not allow a helicopter flight. I slept much of the day and awoke at the arrival of Phil Crampton and his Sherpa. They reported massive amounts of snow in Base Camp, broken tents, and general destruction. I was lucky that I left the day before even though the horse ride was miserable and dangerous. That night I experienced pain that was slightly less severe as that experienced the night before. We had no pain medication and the Pheriche HRA clinic was closed for the season.

  We awoke to excellent weather on May 27 and I expected an early helicopter. We ran to the landing area when we heard a helicopter at 8:30 am, but it turned out that the helicopter was for uninjured members of another expedition. That helicopter returned two more times to pick up more members, and another helicopter landed to pick up other trekkers. Finally at 2:30 pm a helicopter arrived to pick me up. Chewang Palden Sherpa and I were flown to Lukla where Chewang disembarked and four other members from our base camp got on. We then flew to an Army base where we waited for 90 minutes while our helicopter delivered parts to fix another helicopter involved in a rescue on Kangchenjunga. We finally arrived in Kathmandu around 6 pm. Jamie McGuinness (Project Himalaya) took me to the CIWEc clinic where my hands and feet were cleaned and dressed. Since I was otherwise fine, I went to my hotel. My travel insurance company arranged my flight to the USA and with the aid of Scott Woolums (Adventures International) I departed a couple of days later in the midst of a general strike. We had to use the CIWEC ambulance to get to the airport.

  On August 11 I had surgery to remove portions of seven fingers, both big toes and portions of six smaller toes.


