원정 개요

BC at 5200m at left side of Lhotse Glacier
C1 at 5900m at South Face
C2 at 7100m at South Face
C3 at 7850m at South Face
High point at 8250m at South Face.

Made temporary C3 at 7300m while making route, then made permanent C3 at 7850m. Then route-making on upwards and Kitamura and Senda reached team's high point of 8250m on 15 Dec. Then on 16th very strong wind and "they had very hard time" says BC manager. Kitamura and Senda slept in C3 on 15th, down to C2 on 16th, 17th to BC. On 18th weather forecast was for snow on 21 and 22 Dec, meaning avalanching for days and snowfall forecast for later in Dec. Expedition plan called for finishing at early Dec. So Tanabe decided on C1 on 18th Dec climb finished. All members back in BC 20 Dec.

Kili Temba (Beding, Manaslu, Cho Oyu, Everest) hit by falling rock on his chin making big cut on 8 Dec and left expedition. Dawa Tshering (Beding, Cho Oyu, Everest, Broad Peak, Manaslu) slightly frostbitten finger. Mingma Tshering (Beding, EvX9, etc) hit by falling rock on shoulder 14 Dec and arm movement painful, so left expedition. Yasamoto 1 frostbitten finger (slightly) on 11 Dec making route at 8100m.

Fixed entire route from start of rock face at 5400m.

90 yaks used to take 5400 kg of cargo to BC and 40 yaks in return from BC.

Oxygen: sleeping in C2 and all climbing and sleeping above by Japanese; Sherpas used sleeping in C2 and temporary C3 and permanent C3; also when making the route above C2 but not at other times climbing.

Route very much the same as Tanabe's winter 2001 expedition, but this time reached higher point.

Does he want to come to Lhotse's South Face again? "Right now, I think, no."