원정 개요

16 May summit bid by Tonsing at 1:00 am (half-hour before Pfau's party) and Kaji. Pfau's party and they went together soon but later 2 Pfau members and a Sherpa pulled ahead and other came after Tonsing and Kaji (who now made his 1st Everest ascent). Windless and cloudless (clouds later), Tonsing back to C3 on 17th at 10:00 am while Kazi descended to Pfau's camp at 8350m because toes beginning to freeze and he wanted to be with other Sherpas (hadn't wanted to go to summit). Tonsing left summit at 10:50 am was short on oxygen so reduced flow but badly affected performance (i.e., very slow) in descent; oxygen ran out at Second Step, most technical section; made couple of attempts getting on ladder with stiff fingers and start snowing heavily (this was in late afternoon); snow obscured route and he slipped off lodge and fell 10 ft till fixed rope held him but a hidden fixed rope caught right leg and took 30 minutes to disentangle; at 5:00 pm decided to biv in hole which left his knees to toes not in it and by morning toes freezing (Kotov of OTT gave Sherpas and oxygen to help); down to ABC same day. Other members and Sherpas were at N Col and told by radio that Tonsing was "half dead" so aborted their own ascent and "poured all resources into rescue" with Dorr and Gocking and 3 Sherpas with use of oxygen to meet Tonsing while Kieser and Straskroba down to ABC to prepare med tent; Gocking party met Tonsing at C2 and found him doing well, so went on up without down clothes; Dorr to 8300m and down while Gocking and Moti Lal Gurung tried for top 19 May from C3 but bid wind, reached 8600+, turned back and returned to C3. Kieser and Straskroba tried later but got no higher than C2 19 May and climb finished.

15 yr old member Pfetzer reached 7300m [+ got tired, he said].

Henry Todd 2 June said Tonsing made his high biv thinking he was setting a high altitude record for bivouacs on Everest. Russell Brice on 6 June agrees. Tonsing was slapped with a bill from Brice and Jon Tinker for rescue operation which pulled 3 Sherpas off their climbs to summit and required 3 bottles of oxygen for Tonsing; bill totalled $2000 (3 Sherpas summit bonuses @$200, 3 bottles of oxygen @$350 and cost of lifting the oxygen to high camp). Tonsing considered to have behaved in bizarre fashion by other climbers.