원정 개요

BC at normal high BC
C2 at bottom of West Face of Makalu La
C3 at Makalu La
High point at North Face.

Delay in making C3 was due to fixing rope (some of which had brought with them but some took off mountain). C3 reached by 7 members (all except Cox) on 13th May with 14th be summit day. Snowed all night of 13/14th and stopped only at 4 am. Now with a foot of a new snow at col and much more higher up (drifted into gully above col), no oxygen and no Sherpas, so definitely impossible to get to top on 14th, so all down on 14th. 15th Johnson stayed at C2; 16th to C3 alone; 10:30pm left C3 to try summit, got to British C4 (7800m) at 12:30 expecting to join them in push up from there but Brits still in their tents because wind too strong, so went to C3 same night (reached C3 1:30 on 17th), slept there, down to C2 and later on 17th down to BC. Now climbers tired & winds continued until 21st.

Aid Burgess 30 May by phone: These 8 climbers set out with understanding they were four parties of two each, responsible only for themselves and their partner; it was not an expedition and McEachern was not really a leader. Aid and Al Burgess were a team and Brad in time decided to team up with them. No C4 made because:

(A) Other 5 were incapable of going above C3 at Makalu La. Aid and Al told them this when took them 7-9 hours to follow trail (took only 5 hrs to break trail in snow); others including McEachern looked to Aid and Al for advice; they admitted they couldn't go higher.

(B) Burgess's and Johnson were perfectly capable of going to top from C3 without another camp in normal conditions. Sherpas with Brithsh Makalu expedition this spring were good friends of Burgess & they said that at the rate they had been climbing, they could reach summit without any C4.