원정 개요

BC at Rongbuk Glacier
ABC
C1 at spur slightly east of Lho la
C2 at spur leading to West Shoulder
C3 just below West Shoulder
High point at C3.

W Ridge progress greatly slowed by need to get a hang-glider up the route.

3 members tried quick ascent via N Face on 14th Oct. Athans, Freer and Politz tried Japanese Couloir-Hornbein Couloir route on N Face but got no higher than 6860m because of bad snow conditions and were back at starting point 24 hours later.

Oxygen taken for use by hang-glider pilots and for climbers above 8000m.


Andy Politz - 11 Nov 86

Arrived BC about 6-8 Sept
ABC
C1 - 6000m on spur slightly east of Lho La
C2 - 6600m on spur to West Shoulder
C3 - 7170m (23,500 ft) just below Shoulder mid-Oct - highest point reached by
expedition was hang-gliding and making movie.

Had test flight from 20,500 ft on 5 Oct. No other flights actually because of weather problems and pilots not acclimatizing in sync with weather.

Left BC 26 Oct.

Summit attempt by 3 members on 14 Oct by Pete Athans, Catherine Freer and Andy Politz; got to 22,500 ft in 24 hours and back because of bad snow conditions and weather deteriorating. Were trying Japanese Couloir to Hornbein Couloir.


Pete Athans - 24 Oct 86

He left BC 19 Oct. Had been big effort to get gliders up to take offs. One went fine just 1000 ft above Lho La; camp had been 200-300 ft below Lho Lha; had ropes to C3 on shoulder at about 23,750 ft.

Gliders then hauled to C3 by 10 Oct. Then high winds for a week but mile-long snow plume engulfing North Ridge.

Tried to climb at night up Hornbein got to 7000m at 1:30 am but water ice and wind slab. Athans, Freer and Politz on 14/15 Oct and returned to Lho La and C1.


Hang-gliders

McKinney hang-glided; winds later made flights impossible. 3-person alpine-style attempt up Japanese couloir by Athans, Freer and Politz to 23,000 ft - too cold about 15 Oct.

All Ok. Left BC 26 Oct highest camp was at 23,800 ft for gliding and highest point reached was 24,000 ft 12 Oct for landing glider.

Put in a camp at 25,500 ft but was occupied only one night probably, defeated by winds and avalanching. Enormous amount of equipment abandoned on North Col, too dangerous to retrieve.

One Sherpa death
Leave BC 28 Oct
Winds on Col terrible.

Athans had to leave for trek the leads in Nepal. More gliding planned but more high climbing seemed ruled out.

8 climbing Sherpas
3 hang-glider pilots - 2 to C3
3 film crew - 1 not above C1
4 lead climbers
6 other climbers
Steve McKinney used oxygen


Peter Athans, American team (McKinney) - 24 Jan 2009

Many of us went to the high point, the West Shoulder, then. Perhaps the entire team. The objective was to have a hang-glider launch from there and fly over the top. Certainly myself, Kim Carpenter, Andy Politz, Catherine Freer went up to that point.

No Sherpas from our team were killed. There was a British team that lost a young Sherpa from Phortse village and I believe his name was Ang Phu or Phu Tashi. I don't remember specifically.


Ang Jangbu (Phortse) - 14 Dec 2012

Hang-Glideing Members:
Steve McKinney
Bob Carter
Larry Tudor
Craig Colonica
Peter Athans
Peter Hackett
Andy Politz

Sherpas:
Lhakpa Dorje, Khunde
Ang Jangbu, Phortse
Lhakpa Tshering, Khunde
Ang Nima, Khunde
Ang Danu, Khunde

Ang Jangbu does not think any Sherpas from Phortse were killed on the north side of Everest in Autumn 1986.