원정 개요

BC near lake (normal site)
High point at bivouac at normal C2.

Looked at S Ridge above Kalapattar but no snow on mountain and had no permit for this route (which would be difficult but safe). Then looked at far right side of SE Face directly to E Face, the only safe route on face at this time and probably never climbed and technically very hard and exposed to winds.

So then decided to try normal route: only 4 actually climbed: Callen, S Holmes, Ralphs and Wharton. 1 Dec Callen and Wharton biv at C1 at 5650m and down on 2nd, and on 2nd Holmes and Ralphs up to 6250m, where they biv. Big seracs overhung whole wall, very dangerous and on 3rd started down few minutes before big serac avalanche wiped out whole route and 3 more fell as they continued descent but all "went down gully to night of us 100 ft away" ("nothing had fallen off for a whole week" previously. "We had been watching it"). Back safely to BC. Others had thought to go up. Left BC 5 Dec. Fixed no rope because entire route had been fixed in autumn and could use these ropes (except where serac fall had taken out one section).

Team was accompanied part way to trekking group of 5 who did not go to base camp.