원정 개요

BC at normal site
C1 at lower ridge shelf
Biv C4 at high on Great Shelf.

Early Sept recovering in BC from minor ailments. 15th from BC to 7400m to see route and slept at 7300m; 16th to BC. Then bad weather: snowing, avalanches, wind. 3rd Oct to C3 there 3 Swiss, stayed few hours and 6:00 pm started up; very windy on the plateau and after 3 hours gave up when Georges was very tired so back to C3, slept few hours and again up 7:00 pm of 4th - up to C4 to biv at 7800m. Martini, Chamoux, Royer, Loretan, Troillet, Georges and 3-4 Sherpas from camps French and Italians had made at 7800m and Swiss biv on 5th started up at 2:00 am; were all together to 8200m, others too slow and at that moment one Chamoux Sherpa fell (lost balance sitting down with rucksack on back), so Loretan and Troillet and Martini moved ahead (Georges had turned back at biv too tired to go up). Martini turned back at 8150m after waiting for L & T and getting very cold. L & T reached Col between Kangchenjunga and Yalungkang at 11:00 am, then found easy way up ridge connecting Yalung to Kangchenjunga and were on summit at 2:35 pm - very cold and wind blowing a lot of snow in spiral curls. Left at 3:00 pm; on summit not so strong wind. In descent of ridges met Chamoux and Royer (no Sherpas) at bottom of ridge at about 4:00 pm; C & R still going up, but at about 4:30 said on radio Royer was giving up because tired (carrying camera himself because all Sherpas went down with one's fatal fall). Loretan and Troillet reached biv at 5:30 and down to C3 at 7:30 pm; Loretan slept there with Georges and Ozenda, who had come up there, while Troillet down to BC at midnight; Loretan at BC 6th am.

Chamoux gave up at 5:30 pm, he radioed, too exhausted and couldn't find the way on the ridge - was at point 40m below summit, he said - had lost visual contact with Royer; stayed all night on ridge at few meters above Col. From next morning Royer not seen again. Chamoux 8:00 am on radio to Troillet, who told him how to come down; down to Col and seem to disappear down north. Both probably fell down North Face.

On 6th Michel Pelle climbed to C4 with a client, saw nothing. On 7th 2 Pelle Sherpas fixed rope to 8200m saw nothing.

How does Loretan feel at scaling his 14th 8000er? "It's something done" he says matter of factly. This goal was not a burden; feels no release. Has other projects: would like to climb West Face of Makalu; "it's possible."