원정 개요

Approach: Heli from KTM to base camp via Lukla.

BC 03/05 5100m (east of Sumna glacier)
C1 07/05 5700m
C2 25/05 6500m on small platform in snow slope
C3 27/05 7000m on large plateau
C4 06/06 7200m on large plateau
Smt 07/06 by McKenzie and Sherpas except Ming Temba and Phurba Sherpa at approx. 9:10 pm (8:35 pm also report by Gelje Sherpa).

Same route as 2022 Pioneer Adv/Mingma Dorchi attempt.

Up SW shoulder of Cho Oyu (between Cho Oyu and Nangpai Gosum) to large snowy plateau at 7000m. From there following the SW Ridge, through a tough, treacherous couloir at 7500m, a short traverse into the South Face, and through the headwall summit couloir onto the summit plateau.

Team encountered tough conditions and strong winds. From C4 to summit most difficult part of climb. Crux was the first couloir at transition from SW Ridge to South Face (at approx. 7500m): treacherous, loose slabs; rockfall; freezing wind from the north.

The second, summit couloir probably straightforward in good conditions, but a lot of snow had accumulated inside the couloir (waist-deep), making it hard to negotiate. Sherpas had to take many turns fixing ropes all the way to the summit.

Gelje Sherpa joined the team on 23/05, after having guided on Everest and after a short rest in KTM. He flew KTM-Lukla on 22/05 and to BC the next day.

First summit push:

24/05: to C1
25/05: rest day, bad weather
26/05: to C2
27/05: to C3
28/05: rest at C3 and picked up rope from C2
29/05: fixed rope until 7400m
30/05: 1st summit push

Team reached 7600m on first summit push on 30/05. They tried to reach the summit from C3, but eventually ran out of ropes and had to abort summit push. Set off from C3 at 6 am.

Everyone down to BC and to Lukla for a few days for recovery (30/05-04/06). More ropes and oxygen were ordered and delivered by helicopter.

Second summit push:

04/06: Back to BC
05/06: to C3
06/06: to C4
07/06-08/06: to summit and down to C4
08/06: to BC

Team set off from BC for final summit push on 05/06 at 3 am. Directly to C3. On 06/06 to C4. Started from C4 at 4 am on 07/06. Gelje, Tenzing Gyaljen and Chhangba formed the rope-fixing team, they went ahead with 300m of rope and set off from C4 at 2 am. The rest followed with another 700m of rope.

Everyone except Ming Temba and Phurba on the summit in the dark at 9:10 pm. Found the meteorological station installed by the Chinese in 2023 on the top.

They had figured it would be best to climb most of the summit day in daylight and to summit in the night. They wanted a clear view of the route ahead, since no one had climbed the upper parts of the route before.

Everyone back to C4 at 6 am. Two hours rest at C4, then down to BC at 10 pm.

Ming Temba Sherpa had developed pain in his chest and had to abort climb at 6800m. Phurba Sherpa turned around at 7100m, he didn’t want to continue for unknown reasons.

09/06: by heli from BC to Lukla
10/06: by heli from Lukla to KTM

Overall grading of climb: AD (Assez-Difficile)

McKenzie reckons that future teams might be able to summit from C3 if the whole route is fixed.

All in all, he thinks the route won’t be a suitable alternative for commercial Cho Oyu teams, due to the length of the route and the difficulties at the upper sections of the route. Surely not suitable for 8000m newcomers. Ascent is more technical than K2 in his opinion.

Hired:
Gelje Sherpa (S)
Chhangba Sherpa (S)
Tenjing Gyaljen Sherpa (S)
Lakpa Temba Sherpa (S)
Lakpa Tenji Sherpa (S)
Ngima Ongda Sherpa (S)
Ming Temba Sherpa (HP: 6800m)
Phurba Sherpa (HP: 7100m)

Oxygen: taken and used by McKenzie and Sherpas from just below C4 to the summit and down to C3.

Fixed rope: at least 7000m