원정 개요

C1 at lower C1 just at top of Icefall
C2 at West Cwm
C3 on Lhotse West Face (lower C3 site).

18th May midnight party set out for top: Hawse, Heinrich, Richards and Sherpas Tashi Tshering, Lhakpa Tshering and Dawa Sona. That day, 19th 53 people reach "balcony" and 49 went to South Summit. This party reached South Summit 9:30 am after waiting 2 hours above balcony for rope to be fixed above. Whittaker was not in this party because he was sick (bronchitis) and went to Pheriche for one day but was strong pressure to get some people to top and fearful of cyclone coming which might dump great quantities of snow on mountain and stop climbing. Henry Todd saying he was going close to Icefall and pull out all ladders; he didn't, but he did bring his oxygen down from C4. This team paid Todd $2000 to open Icefall and maintain it. Turned around at South Summit in strong wind and ropes not fixed. Richards and Hawse back to Col 12:30 and Heinrich fell 150m (200m short of Col) and bruised himself: got to Col 4:00 pm.

16th J Rhoads and Whittaker BC to C3: 19th left C2 4:30 am arrived any at Col at 3:00 pm, left Col at 11:30 pm to go to top; Sherpas Tashi Tshering, Pemba Temba, Norbu Sherpa. Whittaker lost crampon twice, flex foot broke up in extreme temperature and Sherman Bull of Hoffman's team fell 50m into crevasse just on edge of Lhotse Face. Whittaker had rope which used to help Bull onto moderate terrain - then started up again but Whittaker's stump very cold and he had been "rattled" by Bull's fall and out of steam after another 1-1/2 hours decided at just before 4:00 am at 8300m to turn back and was in C4 by 5:30 am. "I thought that I'd blown it" with storm coming in and would not have another chance - also having trouble breathing and coughing bubbly stuff; took drugs for pulmonary edema and recovered later (hadn't been to altitude for 23 days). But came down to C2 on 20th was given examination and declared free of my lung problem but dehydrated and exhausted.

Jeffery Rhoads and Tashi Tshering continued and summited and arrived there at 9:00 am on 20 May.

Hawse, et al, encouraged him to go again for top but Sherpas refused to go up with him till he came down to BC and confer; Sherpas fearful Whittaker would die on them. Whittaker to BC on 22nd with late afternoon and scary descent through Icefall, doctors did not examine him but did not say he shouldn't go up. 4 Sherpas then volunteered to go up with Whittaker, J Rhoads and Tashi Tshering (Pangboche), Norbu, Lhakpa Tshering and Dawa Sona; members and on 24th to C2. 25th members to C4 and Sherpas BC to C2. 26th everybody reached C4, members arriving at noon; 26th left Col 10:00 pm, at South Summit at 5:30 and made summit at 6:30 am. "I wore myself out I'll tell you - that was a big week for me." Travelled together and got to top pretty much together: Whittaker had one bottle on his back, Rhoads carried 2 bottles Sherpas had 3 extra bottles for Whittaker and 1 for Rhoads. Sherpas made trail in deep snow. Back to Col in 5-1/2 hours in dangerous snow conditions (avalanche danger with fresh unconsolidated snow now on mountain). Back at noon at C4, left at 2:30 pm and down to C2: members used oxygen to C2 by Whittaker and Rhoads to below C3 (oxygen ran out). Rhoads crampon came off and he fell 5 ft but was clipped into rope (had fall also on 20th) in his own summit success with Tashi Tshering.

"Very satisfying, had very competent sirdar, very strong Sherpa team. We had minimum number of Sherpas to do the job had to be done and experienced members. "I worked hard, I pushed, managed to overcome problems. Rhoads said other team members sacrificed chances for top to make Whittaker's ascent. When I summited we were using up our resources and scrounged them from other teams at Col (paid Berg $5000 for tents, oxygen, etc).

Whittakers will spend life as usual in mountains but no 8000ers.

* 1st person to climb to Everest summit in same season was Babu Tshering
on 14 and 26/5/95 (via North Col with oxygen)- Rhoads and Tashi
Tshering did so in shorter time

** Tashi Tshering (Pangboche) top Everest 4 times before
Norbu (Beding) 4 times before
Lhakpa Tshering (Khunde) 2 time before
Dawa Sona (Pangboche)


Nepal Mountaineering
One-legged Man Scales Everest
By Elizabeth Hawley

Kathmandu, May 27(Reuters) - A man with one artificial leg reached the summit of Mount Everest today, Nepal tourism's ministry announced.
Tom Whittaker, a 49-year-old British born American citizen who is an in instructor in outdoor pursuits living in Prescott, Arizona, climbed to the highest point on earth, 8848 meters above sea level, this morning at seven o' clock the ministry reported.
Whittaker lost his right kneecap and foot in a motorcar accident and wears a prothesis that fits on his leg below the knee.
He told Reuters in March that he was determined to be the first disabled person to summit Everest and show what the disabled can accomplish.
He said that it takes him 30-35% more energy to climb mountains because of his disability.
He scaled Everest by the standard Nepalese route via the southeast ridge through last night. He had left his highest camp at 7900 meters at 11 pm.
Four Nepalese Sherpas accompanied him to the summit. They were Lhakpa Tsering, Da Sonam, Tashi Tshering and Norbu, the ministry said. They stayed at the top of the world's for 20 minutes.
He told Reuters he would be using artificial oxygen during the last two days of his final push for the top.
This was his second bid to reach the summit this month. On May 20, he climbed as high as 8230 meters (27,000 feet) before having to turn back because of a pulmonary infection.
He had also attempted Everest in the spring of 1995 from the Tibetan side of the mountain. That time he got no higher than 8230 meters without artificial oxygen, and 50 meters (165 feet).