원정 개요

Approach: Trekking Thame/Lungden (Lumde)

BC 12/12 5230m on rocks
C1 15/12 6100m Sherpas stayed night/members tagged
C1 18/12 6100m members stayed night
C2 19/12 6700m by Sherpa and member
C3 20/12 7200m by Sherpa (only tagged)

HPt 19/12 6700m by members
HPt 20/12 7200m by Sherpas

The section between BC and C1 was challenging and took quite a long time. Harila said they took about six hours, but she was also carrying a lot of gear up to C1.

When the team went back up the second time, Harila, Brownlee and Gelje Sherpa stayed the night at C1 while the other five Sherpas slept at C2 as they were fixing the ropes. Members had planned to ascend to C3 on 20/12; however, the night was too windy, so they descended to BC. The Sherpas continued to C3 to fix the route and descended to BC the same day.

Everyone was back at BC on 20/01.

Team rested at BC for a few days and took a helicopter to Kathmandu to spend Christmas there and returned to Cho Oyu BC on 26/12.

On 27/12 they left BC again as they thought they would go for the summit. On the way to C1, the winds were so strong four Sherpas and the two members turned back to BC while two Sherpas continued to see whether C1 was still standing. They found ripped tents and realised that most of the gear had been blown away. They collected what they could find and returned to BC.

On 30/12 Harila and the six Sherpa went back up to C1 to look for the gear. They found several sleeping bags, downsuits and food, most of which had ended up in a crevasse. They collected it and took it down to BC. The team was hoping to get another weather window, however, when it became clear that the winds were not going to drop enough, they abandoned the expedition on 03/01.

Gap in the mountain: According to Harila, the Sherpas saw that above C3, there is a big gap in the mountain, and she described it as almost two separate mountains. However, they thought that they could have overcome it higher up, had they had the chance.

Climb abandoned: on 03/01 due to high winds and bad weather. Conditions on the mountain were good.

Left BC on 03/01 by helicopter (Harila flew to Kathmandu, Brownlee and Gelje flew to Namche and trekked to Lukla).

Members at end: 2
Sherpas above BC: 6

Fixed rope: About 2000m (many unfixed sections between BC and C1)

Oxygen: taken, not used