원정 개요

Made some attempt to climb to climb SW Face but snow situation very dangerous & some members hit by stone (one member's helmet broken & another shoulder hurt slighty & 2 fingers broken & had to stop climbing). Reached 7200m 2 members 6th April. Had already decided that face not safe and would have to change route and had moved C2, but third face to be able to say they had done so. Asked permission to change route to col route; permission refused because too many other teams already on that route, but climbed it anyway. 12th May left C4 4 am, reached top 11:45 and returned C4 2:30 pm; 2 members stayed there other 2 to C3 because Volkov's fingers slightly frostbitten. 14th May another 4 to top; left C4 4 am, on top 1 pm & C4 4 pm with 2 members desending to C2 while other two very tired & stayed at C4 where had "very little tent"; no other summit bids.


Hukum Singh - 2 June 1992

The way US and NZ told Russians to wait was "very rude." These foreigners had no authority to tell them to stall off South Col route. Looked at SW Face from C2 while Singh was there, saw there was no snow on face and they could not climb it, found it extremely hazardous. Said they had tried to climb it. After 15 April did not try it (15th Singh to C2). No Indian saw them try SW Face.

Main cause of friction with New Zealand, US and Dutch was difference in attitude between commercial teams and Russian contemptuousness of commericial climbers.

They lived in ITBP tent at C4 by agreement and used of ITBP similarly by mutual agreement.


Kefford - 1 June 1992

Russians kept renegging on all their agreements. Did maintenance of Icefall only 2 days and did not wait as they agreed for NZ and US to go ahead; agreed with their intrepreter present at BC meeting.

Russians never went onto SW Face. British saw no ladders to cross bergschrund, which would have been seen by British; saw no people on face anywhere at all except Spanish army, whom saw to C3 from Cwm.


Burleson and Athans - 29 May 1992

Athans and Burleson confident 4 Russians went to top on 14th. Athans saw them just below South Summit going up.

Russians never set foot on face. Athans never saw any activity near face except Spanish army who were far away, to right of Pillar and others could not confuse them for everyone in center of face. Athans thinks that Jan Robertson would not necessarily know about a Russian with broken fingers.

Russians agreed to everything but didn't act on agreements. Russian did fix a considerable amount of rope on Lhotse Face tied into old ropes. Then Ball and Athans went up later putting in anchors and fixing rope more securely. Total fixed on face was 800m and Russians put in at least 500m. Fixed their own rope and Athans put in ice screws, etc.

Not aware of Russians not taking their turn maintaining Icefall.

Russians did not have understanding with ITBP and Galicians.

Russian tried to enter Dutch C3, was refused entry and went to Americans, who took him in. He had no sleeping bag or down jacket for the night, which Americans lent him - was very windy. Naar's altitude was no responsibility for other teams' personnel.

Americans angry at Russians because they were unpredictable and hard to plan around them. Furthermore they were refused permission by Tourism after US and NZ leadership wrote letters of protest because they didn't do what it was understood they'd agreed to, especially waiting as agreed until others made progress upwards, coming along behind them; could have been a language problem.

Burleson calls them liars because they agreed several times to wait and then immediately broke these agreements.