원정 개요

Approach: Phu

BC 04/05 4756m
C1 07/05 5640m (Sherpas went up to C1)
C1 09/05 5640m (Members went up to C1)
C2 15/05 6110m
HPt 16/05 6400m by Kusang, Dhan Kumar, Dapasang and Namgyal.

The former Japanese camp which would have been another 3 hours up had no more water, so they put BC on a pasture. That was about 5 hours out of Phu on a yak trail. On 06/05 Puja. On 09/05 members moved to C1 on a glacial undulating moraine (it took the members between 5 and 8 hours).

On 11/05, members and Sherpas moved up to C2, but weather was not good and they moved up a bit and went back to BC.

They spent 4 days at BC, and on 13/05 they left BC again hoping to go for the summit on this rotation.

The Sherpas went ahead to fix the rope on Seto Chuli, which has to be climbed to get to the West Face on Ratna Chuli. The climb was quite technical. Blue ice combined with sugar snow. Bad footing and no substance for an ice screw. They had been trying to get higher for 5 or 6 hours. When the Sherpas came down, the team decided that the mountain was too technical and that it was not doable.

Blanchette reached 6280m. When they had decided to abandon the expedition, she just wanted to get a bit higher and Kusang took her.

Klinke, Clement and Schwartz reached C2 on 15/05.

Bartlett got to just above C1 at 5762. She was not doing well and decided to abandon.

Parsons reached C1, but decided that he was not in the right shape to continue.

On 16/05 Klinke and Kusang descended to BC; other members stayed at C1 for another night.

Note on climate change:

Between C1 and C2 there was a steep headwall which the Sherpas fixed (the two Tamang brothers were there in 2008); however, it was quite flat when they went there in 2008.

The other section was above 6000m which was never been fixed before. However, when the team went there it was steep (60 to 80 degrees), blue ice and slightly overhanging.

Left BC on 19/05 to Chyaku and then to Khote.

Sherpas:
Kusang Sherpa
Kitap Singh Tamang
Dhan Kumar Tamang
Dapasang Sherpa
Namgyal Sherpa

Oxygen: Not taken, not used.