원정 개요

BC at normal site
C1 at top of Icefall
C2 in Western Cwm
High point at C3 site on Lhotse West Face.

Very cold in BC (5 days ago -15 degree C) and leader received in KTM 19 April NASA report of bad weather ahead; said weather "like strange." Expedition was not normal expedition but "company event" and "perfect safety" could not be assured. For Yamamoto "this climb a job" so Ok with him to stop but big disappointment for Takahashi, who last year was youngest atop K2.

In this team only real climbers Atsushi Yamamoto, Hirotaka Takeuchi and Kazuhiro Takahashi and 3 others [Muriguchi, Nukita, Shiota] summit possible. Duff team made Icefall route and Indonesians Lhotse Face to South Col. Very hard blue ice on lower part of Lhotse Face "but no problem for me" - only cold fingers little problem."

Oxygen used in BC by 4-5 members who were not real climbers and in "not good condition."

Nukita by phone early May 97 - "no one understands" why climb was abandoned.