원정 개요

Approach: Everest BC trail

BC 19/04 5170m at Gorak Shep
IC 22/04 5600m close to Pt 5656m of Kielkowski.
C1 28/04 5920m
HPt 29/04 6020m by Marc and Alan Batard, Pasang Sherpa and Tenji Sherpa.
"New route", using French 1984 direct variant to point 6587m,
later used also by Dujmovits (1989).

Plan for the “new route” was to switch the icefall towards Everest normal route’s Western Cwm.

Permits issue: Authorities wanted Batard’s team to take a permit for Nuptse and Everest, knowing the very beginning of the ascent via the “new route” was located on Nuptse’s footstep. Angry to be required to pay for both permits, Batard tried to obtain a permit for Everest as a courtesy for his services to Nepal economy, writing official letters to the Ministers of Finance and Tourism. [This was denied.]

Member high points:

Marc Batard reached 6020m on 29 April, decided to abandon on the 8 May, left BC on the 10 May.

Stephane Massis, Bruno Gardent and Pascal Tournaire arrived at BC at the end of April. Went up as high as to Intermediate Camp, lack of acclimatization. Were members of the filming team. Left BC on 9 May.

Alan Batard: to 6020m, left BC on 17 May.
Passang Sherpa: to 6020m, left BC on 17 May.
Tenji Sherpa to 6020m, left BC on 17 May (son of Passang Sherpa).

Schedule of the expedition (by Marc Batard):

20/04: went up to the deposit of last autumn (5300m), with ropes still there.

21/04: Rested in BC.

22/04: Went up to sleep at the Intermediate Camp (IC) at 5600m. Using a variant
of the “Nuptse Trikhang” first ascent route by the Swiss in 1956.

23/04: Climbed up to “Sungdare peak” (5880m, christened so by the team, same as
Nuptse Trikhang) and back to sleep at the IC.

24/04: Back to BC for rest.

25/04: Rested in BC.

26/04: Visit to the EBC. Marc’s beginning of illness, took some antibiotics.

27/04: Marc, Alan, Passang and Tenji to IC. Marc feeling “correct”.

28/04: Quartet established C1 at 5920m, above the difficulties
(above “Sungdare’s peak”). Marc feeling weak.

29.04: Quartet went a little further up to 6020m. Marc, very tired, went
back down to BC.

30.04: Rested in BC.

01/05: Marc took helicopter (“not proud of it”) to Namche to consult a doctor.
Bronchitis treated with antibiotics; doctor made some physio tests (oxygen
saturation perfect). Also got to a dentist.

02/05: Rested in Namche.
03/05: Was joined by journalist Nathalie Lamoureux in Namche.
04/05: Rested in Namche.
05/05: Took the helicopter at 9 am back to BC.
06/05: At BC, Marc still sick, vomiting, insomnia, lost of appetite.
07/05: BC rest.
08/05: Marc decided to abandon the expedition, due to “lack of motivation”.
09/05: Marc, Pascal, French journalist Antoine Chandelier and others went up to
Kalapattar, they (Antoine, Nathalie) trying to remotivate Marc to try for
the ascent.

Batard return to Kathmandu:

10/05: Marc left BC at 7:30 am, reaching Milongo on that day.

11/05: Milongo to Toktok. In the latter, asked to the lodge’s owner about
an old path, the owner telling him it wasn’t closed.

12/05: Toktok to Surket (under Lukla). In Surket, asked to a Sherpa if it was
possible to use the old path. Sherpa wanted to go with him, but his wife
against it. Marc started at 12:30 pm, crossing the gorge via the old trail,
losing himself twice, crossing the river via a cable, before reaching
Bupsa at 8 pm (4 to 5h officially for that section).

13/05: On the elections day, reached Taksindu to meet a Lama friend, but locals
told him the Lama was sick in KTM.

In Nuntala, another village, Marc met with some old Sherpa friends who
found him a seat in a jeep, which reached Paphlu at 11 pm.

14/05: Obtained via his Nepali friends a plane ticked from Paphlu to KTM.

16/05: Left KTM for France.

End of the expedition (by Alan Batard):

Alan and Passang went up to C1 to remove it, Alan getting back at the expedition’s high point to remove ice axes and ice screws left there. Passang, Tenji and Saila Sherpa (newly arrived) went up again to Intermediate Camp to remove it.

In conclusion:

Last autumn’s equipment (which had equipped “Sungdare’s peak”) was further improved this time, with Alan equipping the way down to a breach.

The new route is mostly ready, just need to come back doing the short section in traverse giving access to the Western Cwm.

If demarches with Nepal ministries don’t find a positive outcome for an Everest permit as a courtesy, Marc thinks he will come back just for Nuptse, finishing the new route’s little missing portion.