원정 개요

Summit team left C3 at 3 am Nepali time. On top at 11 am. Conditions were good, clear skies, good views of Everest. They spent 20 minutes on summit. During their descent Spang slipped 20 minutes on summit on a hard piece of ice at at 7800m. He was walking behind Kirschner during a traverse. Kirschner saw him slide down but lost sight of him after 30m as Spang slid over an ice step. Kirschner immediately followed the sliding traces in the snow to the yellow band but could not see him. He returned to normal route and descended to C3 where he arrived at 2 pm. The other summit team members descended slowly and arrived at C3 at 4 pm. Kirschner saw Spang lying in the snow about 200m from C3 at same altitude. Kirschner went over to Spang on his own but Spang was already dead. He must have hit his head on a rock on the yellow band as part of his brain had leaked out. He immediately rang DAV Summit Club to inform them. He went back to C3 and after another call to DAV summit club they decided to put the body in a crevasse.

Kirschner and Palden Sherpa went back to Spang's body the next morning (10 May), dragged him down for about 100m and put him into a crevasse. They packed up C3 and descended to C1. Ninke and Fort and left earlier (8:30 am) and Kirschner and Palden left C3 at 10 am. The summit team met up again at C2 and descended together to C1, where they stayed the night. They descended to ABC the next day. Kirschner's family has now said they want the body recovered.

Schmidt climbed to 7800m on 6 May with Pasang Sherpa. According to Schmidt they turned back at 10 am. However, Pasang Sherpa said they turned back at 2 pm. The reason for turning back was that it was getting too late. They spent the night at C3.

Rademacher only got to C1 on 6 May but abandoned the climb due to bronchitis.
Stollbert got to C2 on 1 May but abandoned the climb as it was too difficult for him.

On 26 April Karma Dhoj Tamang developed cerebral edema at ABC. Kirschner was at C1 but Tashi Tenzing (grandson of Tenzing Norgay) gave oxygen to Karma Dhoj Tamang. The patient descended to Tingri for a few nights but returned to ABC on 30 April. He remained there for the rest of the expedition and was well.

Kirschner said that he did not think that Spang had anti-Ball plates on his crampons which could be a reason why he slipped. He was not carrying an ice axe.