원정 개요

BC at center of glacier between Tent Peak and South Ridge at end of glacier just below icefall. High point at South Face site for C1.

From ABC followed Bonington route in principle, but zigzagged to avoid the many small couloirs funneling many small avalanches. Just before arriving at C1 (planned to be at 6130m), a 4-meter wide avalanche, very heavy snow, hit 4 Sherpas directly. Pirovano and Salvatore Panzeri were climbing first on fixed rope with 4 Sherpas behind where avalanche struck and rope was broken as an explosion and they fell out of control. Ang Tshering and Ang Gyalzen took avalanche directly; other 2 Sherpas fell when rope broke. Ang Tshering's body could not be found; may be buried by snow in big crevasse. C1 never made after fatal avalanche and loss of loads. Sherpas reached 6050m. Weather was hot and climbed at night mostly. On the fatal day they had started climbing at midnight, but took 10 hours to get to C1 site as safely as possible; other 2 Sherpas hit by avalanche, but survived, were Tshuldin Tsheri and Mingma Sherpa.