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Peter Hillary, Airport - 27 Oct 79

Merv English helped get down and Oelz and Messner. O & M put fixed ropes up 19,500-20,000 ft from about 17,000 ft; spent just over 2 days coming down.

Had accident early afternoon on Wednesday. Other 2 pretty shocked but not too bad and at Khunde - Geoff rope burn. Avalanche: a hanging glacier, blocks of ice screaming down.

Merv had extremely good belay, but couldn't hold Peter Hillary who went 150 ft down, Ken Hyslop and Geoff Gabites came down after Peter and Ken went over bluff right to bottom at 17,000; Austrian put Hyslop in crevasse. All Austrians carried gear up to 17,500 ft and stocked and keep liquids ready. M & O exceptional - very steep ground.

Planned to spend night 2/3 way up face at left hand ice cliff; about 250 feet below it, avalanche hit 5 secs after heard great crack and saw green ice coming down.

No frostbite anyone.

Came from 17,500 ft today; dropped other 2 at Khunde for 1 week. 10 days rest
"I'm bashed about basically, broken left arm, sprained ankle."
Got to 17,500 at 6:00 pm.


Pilots - 26 Oct 79

2 helpless at 18,000 feet
1 dead, 1 serious

17,200 landed today and dropped 1 Austrian and tents and sleeping bags and from NZ BC.


Peter Hillary - 18 Aug 79

Kusum Kangru

Hope to put BC at 18,500 feet on Kungsamba Glacier, a camp on small plateau 8.9 rope lengths below summit. Peter and 3 others, who arrive 1 or 2 Sept, will climb KK as acclimatization and practice for Ama Dablam, which all will climb.

Leave KTM about 5 Sept on walk in to Lukla.
Four KK, 1 sirdar and 1 cook.


Peter Hillary - 18 Aug 79

NZ Ama Dablam Expedition.
Start climb about 15 Oct, whenever French finish.

1 sirdar Phu Tenzing of Thami
1 cook

Approach via Pangboche and Mingbo village, with BC at Mingmo airstrip where Americans had their BC Spr 1979 at about 14,500-15000 feet.

Up West Face, 4000 feet right.
C1 or ABC at about 17,800 feet, 200 feet below base of West Face
Probably 2 more camps above BC.
Hope to climb in 3-5 days alpine-style last part from top camp


Shailendra Raj Sharma, Tourism - 4 Feb 79

Hillary's expedition can begin climbing Ama Dablam after 15 Oct, or when Coudray's expedition returns earlier to KTM. As soon as Coudray's letter received French embassy, permit will be granted, Sharma believes.


Report from Peter Hillary - 7 Nov 79

On the evening of 22nd of October we left base camp and proceeded to our high camp. That night we stretched and climbed on the West Face of Mt Ama Dablam. We climbed on into the day of the 23rd and set up our camp on a very steep snow arete. The following day we proceeded to the left-hand ice cliff where we planned to spend our second night. It was just a short of this objective that the accident occured. A huge ice avalanche engulfed our party resulting in the death of Ken Hyslop and the miraculous survival of the other three members who sustained a variety of injuries. An epic descent followed by the remaining three injured members to the high camps from where we were evacuated by helicopter.

Ken's body was buried in a crevasse at the bottom of the face by members of the Austrian Ama Dablam expedition. The liaison officer, Ram Shrestha, according to Wolfgang Nairz, was loathe to assist or act in anyway until he was forced to by the Austrians, during the accident. I am very disappointed in the liaison officer's performance.

As this is surely an area, an emergency where the liaison officer should be of tremendous assistance. Perhaps in the future it would it would be a good idea if liaison officer were briefed in how to cope with emergency procedures and contacting other climbing expeditions in the area for their assistance. Prior to the accident the liaison officer left base camp for four days, resting down valley. The National Park has radio which could will be used to help in such emergencies.