원정 개요

BC at snout of glacier south of up Gote Khola ridge/rock spur south of Pt 6014m
High point on NE Ridge.

Had always planned to attempt E Face to NE Ridge. Yoder left expedition from BC 21 Dec after all 6 had made stash; left to get another stove to replace stove had blown up; returned to BC same day and decided to go to KTM to try to extract funds from Brill, who had not produced promised money and [Yoder] left BC 22nd Dec for KTM.

Back up on Mtn on 21st Dec by Bulcock and Nuru Wangchuk; other Americans were already up; kept moving gear up into higher camps. Then Bulcock, Cain and Millar decided 23 Dec to go down and stop climbing because they were very tired and had had enough. Bulcock and Millar left BC 24th Dec.

Then 9-day snowstorm; Barber, McGrath and Nuru were in C3 on 23rd; had decided to keep pushing on up. Cain stayed at BC C2 until 3 Jan (stayed to take photos and meet others in their descent, but left to fly out of Nepal on 8 Jan to return to work). Now at BC were only cook and kitchen boy. After snowstorm stopped 1 Jan, Cain could see nothing of C3 (or high stash), rocks on ridge or any other signs of expedition except C1, which was still in place (C2 normally not visible came came was "around the corner"). Yoder and Bulcock went from KTM 6th Jan and reached BC site 8th; cook and kitchen boy had dismantled camp and left site with gear on 6th; could see no C3 or sign of life.

Group were more a collection of people wanting to climb Dhaulagiri than a team. Brill went on approach march but did not go to BC and left Nepal 31 Nov. Yoder would take walkie-talkies if doing climb over again, but otherwise would not change tactics. Yoder only member with any experience in Himalayan climbing.


US Dhaulagiri I, Winter 1989

Bodies found 1000 ft above BC - had been killed by avalanche - seen by police who went up after same of their clothing seen in Jomsom was really running expedition. Brill and Nuru were developing business together. Brill "not motivated" to climb and had decided several months in advance not to go to Dhaulagiri - took trekking group around Annapurna.

Climbed the approach to East Face, then traversed at about 6000m to standard NE Ridge route and placed highest known camp at 6400m on ridge. All members (except Brill, who never actually went to base camp) carried loads to cache in a snowhole at 7315m on ridge on 19 Dec. On 23 Dec Barber, McGrath and Nuru Sherpa were in camp at 6400m. for summit bid while other members were either in base or had left for Kathmandu. Severe 9-day snowstorm struck a day or so later and men on mountain never seen alive again. Nor could their camp and cache above be seen when weather finally cleared. By 2 Jan only Nepalese cook and kitchen helper at base, and they dismantled camp four days later. Bodies of avalanche victims found later by police at 4000m.