원정 개요

Roskelley: "We climbed it too fast so people are going to think its too easy."

Cholatse last virgin peak in Khumbu. Very difficult technical climb. No easy route to summit, easiest route is very difficult. One of most difficult routes in Himalayas. Done in difficult way: alpine style, without fixed camps, fixed rope or Sherpas on mountain.

Route was SW Ridge.
Total time climbing actually 4 days.
Put camp in first: supply dump established higher than BC, from there started climb.

April 20-22 BC to top - 35 rope pitches (150 ft each rope pitch)
20 - BC to 18,400 ft on 15,400 ft
a col (the camp already put in) by 5 (all except Read).
21 - Hackett ill (same kind of flu) and stayed at 18,400. Other 4 at
19,000 ft that night after having reached 19,400 ft. Found head
ice climbing all the way to top so decided would have to make all
all out push without tent to carry and to sleep out.
22 - Roskelley, best at ice climbing, led all the way and first on
top. Left tent at 19,000 ft at 4:30 am and reached top at 4:30
pm and went down to summit plateau at 5:30 pm at 20,700 ft without
shelter and snowed on us but got sleep in sleeping bags that were
synthetic and not affected by wet.
23 - reached Hackett at 18,400 ft at noon and all five down to BC at
4:00 pm. Left Hackett behind because very few days of good weather
this spring. 21st and 22nd were good until 2:30 pm on 22nd
stayed on top very briefly. Electrical effects: buzzing and hair
stood on end, afraid of lightning.

None of us saw any alternate routes any better than ours. Anyone making a good route will have really tough time. Very steep and ice so hard it takes really good ice climber to do it.

No avalanches.

Went through an icefall smaller but just as dangerous as Khumbu Icefall (16,500-18,500 ft) danger of seracs falling. 18,400 to 20,700 ft continuously difficult ice climbing and continously more difficult than Everest.

Roskelley had at least equal ability of Messner says Al Read. Had it not been for Roskelley, Gaurishankar would not have been climbed in 1979.

Cholatse small, light, fast, cheap expedition.


Al Read - 1 April 82

Roskelley, Clevenger, Hackett and O'Connor leave KTM 3rd April to Lukla.
Galen Rowell leave KTM 6th but joins expedition after trek about 16th.
Read joins about 16th also.

Approach via Khumjung - Pheriche - Dzanglha to pass 5420 to BC
BC in Charchung Valley southeast of Gokyo at about 16,500 ft.
Route West Ridge.

"I think we have pretty good chance of making it (summit), pretty strong team."


Letter from Bill O'Connor, BC - 25 April

Cholatse was climbed on April 22nd at Circa 3 pm. Myself Roskelley, Clevinger and Rowell reached the summit. A really fantastic route. We had all understimated it. Had a cold, cold biv in a storm near the summit.