원정 개요

High point at C5 site.

Everest attempt. Climbing the historic route which claimed the lives of Mallory and Irvine in 1924, the Wyoming Centennial Everest Expedition, commonly called "Cowboys on Everest." Led by Courtney Skinner, team fought against weather conditions resulting from the heaviest monsoon in years according to Tibetan locals. On the approach rains caused landslides, vanished roads and washed-out bridges and delayed the arrival at Base Camp until August 25 after nearly 25 days of travel and waiting. From Base Camp at 17,000 ft, we set up three camps to Advance Base at 21,325 ft at the foot of the North Col. It took twelve days to fix the route up the col. A safe line was used up the center of the serac field. C4 was set up on the col on Sept 21 and a few days later a group reached C5 at 25,000 ft. Winds destroyed tents at C4 and C5 and, after several more tries, the expedition was called off on Oct 14. The team returned to Base Camp after 57 days on the mountain. The members were leader Courtney Skinner's brother Orion and his father Bob Skinner. Quint Barney, Bob Bohus, Peter Breslow, Doug Burbank, Jim Burnett, Julie Cheney, Sue Cobb, Carl Coy, Rick Dare, Matt Ellenthal, Mack Ellerby, Dave Frawley, Ethan Goldings.

Wyoming Centennial Everest Expedition - Aut 1988


Information from other sources:

Jim Frush, leader of a US team (on the south side) - 30 July 88

Leader is Courney Skinner from Pinedale, Wyoming. Has 33 members, most of them with no Himalayan experience. Route is standard North Col-North Ridge.


Sonam Gyalpo of Mountain Travel - 11 Aug 88

Mountain Travel has received telex from China International Travel Service cancelling some MT trips into Tibet because of swollen rivers, and one telex from Lhasa Hotel saying Wyoming Everest expedition has been held up in Lhasa now for two weeks because Chengdu-Lhasa flights have been cancelled and all the team's baggage (2.5 tons) coming by road from Beijing all the way.


Daniel Noble, USA member of a team on north side during summer - 14 Aug 88

Noble talked with Skinner in Colorado and was told Skinner's group was using oxygen, buying some from a British team.


Steve Boyer, member of French team on north side in autumn - 20 Sept 88

Leader of Wyoming Centenial team and its base camp manager arrived at base camp the day after the French had gotten there, which was on 16 August. Americans made four camps on the way to the Col. They had little Himalayan experience and were going slowly. They had a lot of oxygen, no Sherpas. There were about 35 Americans including geologists, etc. U.S. Air Force C-120 cargo planes flew their equipment to Beijing.


Marc Twight, member of US-Canadian pair on north side in autumn - 3 Nov 88

Wyoming Centennial team were on North Col-North Ridge route. Their high point was site of Camp 5 at 25,200 ft at the end of September, but they never occupied this camp. They were 35 people, some of whom had never climbed before; "a grass roots effort," Skinner said. Bob Skinner, 59 years old, and Courtney Skinner, 52, run hunting and youth camps; Courtney got to North Col using bottled oxygen at flow of 7 liters/minute. Only member with Himalayan experience was 43 years old Dave Frawley, who trekked to Gokyo and had had first climbing lesson only year ago. Mack Ellerby had lot of climbing experience elsewhere (McKinley) and did the best high climbing of this group. Their summit team was put together in the US: Julie Cheney, to be the first US woman atop Everest; first father and son pair, Bob (the father) and Orion Skinner, youngest man, Jim Burnett and oldest man, Bob Skinner, 59. Member Sue Cobb was the wife of an aide of US vice president George Bush; team flown to China in a US Air force plane. The team arrived at base camp as the summer British-US-NZ team left to go home, and left base camp on 20 Oct.


Sonam, Ministry of Tourism - 11 Aug 88

MT has CITJ telex cancelling some MT trips in Tibet because of swollen rivers and one from Lhasa Hotel saying Wyoming Everest expedition held up in Lhasa now for 2 weeks because Chengdu-Lhasa flights cancelled and the teams's baggage (2 1/2 tons) coming instead by road from Peking all the way.


Daniel Noble, (Everest NE Ridge team) - 14 Aug 88

Courtney Skinner = leader
Julie Cheney + 5 other women
20-25 members
Using oxygen - buying some from British NE Ridge expedition.
N Col classical route.


Letter from H. Adams Carter, editor of AAJ

The Wyoming Centennial Everest Expedition is led by Courtney Skinner, as AAC members at least are with them. Gary Neptune is from Boulder and a good, experienced climber. Also a member is David Padwa, who does not have a very distinguished record, mostly in the Alps and in the United States. I know they have some women along, though I am not sure of who they are. I think, but I am not sure, that Susan Havens is one. If so, she is AAC. They apparently have sold theirs to the television cameras. We keep hearing terribly insignificant driblets on the radio about them.