원정 개요

BC above and to west of junction.

27th April 1st summit bid by 2 members, stopped at 7000-8000m serac - was lot of ice, so down to BC. On 6 May biv at 7900-8000m at bottom of last serac. On 7 May fixed rope at 8400m to 8500m because couls in very dry rock. Started up at 3:00 am and on top at 1:00 pm, having carried rope and fixed 120m+ of rope; returned to biv 8:00 pm and down to BC on 8th. Made second bid waiting a week for wind to drop.

* Two Spaniards Vallejo and Oiarzabal, who reached summit on 8 May 1995, said on 8 Oct 95 (when they came to Lhotse) that Chamoux and Royer did not go all the way to top the previous day. Spaniards saw footprints stop 50-60m below summit; stopped at plateau which is bottom of summit pyramid. French were very late on 7th May and would have taken 1 more hour on difficult terrain to reach top.


Viesturs - 26 March 97:

Australians told Viesturs and Hall that Chamoux's footprints in snow stopped at first pinnacle, well below summit. Snow would have revealed prints if wind didn't blow them away.