원정 개요

Report from Justyne Morlain:

Approach: EBC trail

BC 18/04 4990m
ABC 19/04 5400m
C1 20/04 5800m
C2 6200m (didn’t sleep at C2)
Smt 28/04 by Coline Girod
HPt 02/05 6450m by Justyne Morlain

Left BC on 2 May

Sherpas: None
Oxygen: Not taken, not used
Records: First French female solo ascent

Other peaks: Lobuche East, Island Peak

• Acclimatization

The duet first reached Khumbu in the beginning of April.

On 14 April, duet climbed Lobuche East from Dzonglha (4900m) in 6h (3:00-9:00 am) despite poor acclimatization.

Then knowing too dry conditions were not good for their primary objective (the duet had intended to repeat “Le quatuor à corde”, route of 22-23 October 2018 by 4 French http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201215115) or some other project on the North Face (Spanish route among other things), they chose to try for Ama Dablam instead. Bad weather would prevent them for any summit first.

18 April: Reached BC (4990m)
19 April: High Camp (5400m)
20-21 April: 2 nights at C1 (5800m)
22 April: duet touched C2 (6200m) and went back down to High Camp for sleeping on the same day.

From there, disagreeing on the method, the pair split for a while. Girod would go on her side to Ama Dablam’s normal route. Meanwhile Morlain had met two other French climbers, Nathan Lioret and Aude Léglise. The trio would further acclimatize on Island Peak, climbing it in a day round-trip from Chhukung on 27th of April.

• Coline Girod AMAD, SMT on 28 April 2023

Knowing bad weather was approaching, Girod climbed Ama Dablam’s normal route in a single push over a two days round trip from BC on 27 and 28 of April.

26 April: night at BC.
27 April: up to C2, leaving it at 23:30-23:45.
28 April: summit at circa 9;30 am, back to BC on the same day.
30 April: left BC for Pangboche.

Wind would accompany her for the whole ascent mostly carried during the night. After a cold summit in the morning of the 28th of April, shared with other ropes, she came back down to BC on the same day.

According to the HD, it’s the third solo female ascent of the peak (both previous times by the same normal route) and first French solo. Previous solo ascents of AMAD:

Mallorie Sue Estenson, AMAD-223-11.
Carole Fuchs, AMAD-163-60.

Coline and Justyne flew from Pangboche to KTM by helicopter on the 5th of May.

• Justyne Morlain AMAD, HPt on 2 May 2023

Justyne attempted the normal route a few days after Coline’s ascent with her 2 aforementioned partners. All 3 together would be alone on the mountain. Following recent snowfalls, they wouldn’t make it to the summit; Lioret and Léglise abandoning circa 200m below the summit.

29 April: trio slept at BC (4990m)
30 April: trio slept at C1 (5800m)
01 May: trio went up to C2 (6200m), leaving the latter at 11 pm for the summit push.

02 May: Morlain abandoned at circa 6450m at 3 am (AMS). Lioret and Leglise abandoned at 6650m at 9 am. All were back at noon at C2, then to Pangboche on the same day.

Coline and Justyne flew from Pangboche to KTM by helicopter on the 5th of May.