원정 개요

C1 at foot of Changtse's West Ridge
Biv at bottom of Great Couloir
Biv in Great Couloir
High point above Great Couloir.

Raining & snowing daily to 20 Aug. Acclimatization climb on West Ridge of Changzheng Peak but not to top because of avalanche danger. 25 Aug weather changed and 27th to C1 at foot of Changtse's West Ridge and 28 started up North Face to checking snow conditions by Japanese and Australian routes and decided Japanese Couloir good and back to C1. 29th 3:00 am started up couloir (inside couloir) and 8:00 am at 7100m but very hard; decided could go up this route but not descend it so back to C1 and to ABC. Also many snow showers on this couloir route. Waited at ABC for good chance to Great Couloir. 1st week Sept weather not good; snowing and earthquake on 4 Sept 2:30 am and in daylight saw slab avalanching had taken place and this good chance. 8 Sept to C1 and 9 Sept up to 6650m to Changtse shelf and hoped make attack so not able to go up with snow falling so to ABC on 11th Sept. 13th to C1, 14th 2:10 am left C1 and reached 7600m at 1:46 pm, when snow became soft and had to stop short of day's goal of 7800m. 15th 7:30 am started up from biv site with only biv sack; at 3:00 pm arrived 8200m; 16th at 3:30 am up again but my condition not so good because no sleeping bag so very sleepy and needed to keep energy for descent. "Satisfied with feeling of nearness with nature" and chose descent; safely vs summit; 7:30 am at 8500m and 20 minutes stayed there thinking and decided to go down and to plateau 6000m at bottom of face at 4:15 pm (2:00 pm had descended to 6000m) and reached C1 at 6:30 pm (wife had joined him at 6300m - he was "very tired"). ABC in 17th and climb finished. "Must think deeply" about return to Everest. 10 years ago would probably have gone for summit but now he was more concerned about safe descent. Todaka was alone on face at all times.

30 Sept 98 - French Everest climber Sam Beaugey said Todaka's effort "a great attempt."