원정 개요

ABC at moraine of Kangshung Glacier
C1 at foot of Kangshung Face (East Face)
High point at 5940m left of buttress of East Face.

Chose a line up the left side of the buttress directly below the South Col because the right side, done brillantly a few months before by Ed Webster and his team, was no longer a option due to daily and sometimes twice daily avalanches. The route on the left offered an only slightly more protected line up a gully, with a traverse out on to the face itself. The climbing was steep but quite straightforward. Lying at the junction of Everest and Lhotse, one was in the path of whenever either mountain avalanched. After fixing ropes, experienced a large avalanche, which carried away much of the equipment and food. Fortunately no one was hurt. Too late to try another route; time and supplies were running out.

We decided reluctantly to turn back. A word to save others some of the headaches we encountered. The Chinese Mountaineering Association liaison officer spoke only Chinese. Our interpreter spoke Chinese and English and so it was not possible to speak with the Tibetans. Neither man actually went farther than the roadhead at Kharta. Also take precautions that nothing is stolen. The yak drivers seem to have developed a help-yourself attitude toward gear, clothing, food and fuel.