원정 개요

Approach: Lukla->Gokyo->Gokyo Ri->Cho La->Lobuche East for acclimitization.

Route: West Face via American Direct route

Left normal Base Camp on 9 Nov. Went below the face for C1 on at 5200m, stayed the night.

Biv 1: 10 Nov started climbing at 5 am, perfect conditions. Used the ridge under the American route, to the right side because the snow conditions were firmer than on the left side where snow was like sugar. Climbed for 11 hours. Mixed rock and ice climbing. Arrived 4 pm at Biv 1 at 6000m.

Biv 2: 11 Nov started too late at 10:30 am because we were waiting for the sun. We climbed 5 hrs approx. till 6300m: climbing was so difficult because there were many seracs. We found the route between the seracs with icy ridges with a lot of unstable snow. It was really hard; we didn’t imagine it to be like this. It was dangerous during this climb. Arrived at 4 pm at Biv 2.

Summit day: Left next day 12 Nov. Woke at 4 am and started at 6 am. First part was very technical rock and mix climbing below the big serac. Americans went right, whilst we went directly up, finally able to climb the same route as Smid, about 200-300m till the summit.

[Our first plan was to repeat the Miroslav Smid 1986 Czech route all the way, but it was not possible. 35 years ago there was more snow and ice. Now too rocky, no snow, and the serac is deadly. On the ridge you are safe.]

Rappelled down to C1 normal route and arrived at 7 pm and stayed the night.

13 Nov left at 7 am and arrived at BC at 9 am.

Summit date: 12 Nov at 4:30 pm. Spent half hour on the summit.

Hak left BC on 15th Nov by walking back to Lukla. Kacha went on a trek.