원정 개요

BC at bottom of North Face
C1 on North Face
C2 on North Face
C2.5 on North Face.

"Al Filo de lo Impossible" to Annapurna I - Spring 2007
Vallejo - 29 May 2007

The team climbed the original 1960 French route to a little above C1 (5700m), then traversed to the east (left) via the Spanish 1974 route leading to the east summit to 6400m. From C3 at 6400m, they left the Spanish route, moved to the right, crossed a major crevasse and went towards the French route, which they rejoined just above their C4's 7200m location.

Izagirre, Latorre and Pasaban went to C3's site on 22nd in the team's summit push, but they decided that continuing the climb was too dangerous because the snow was very soft and there was serious danger of avalanching. They descended to BC that day. Vallejo actually agreed with their views about avalanching: "I think it was quite dangerous," but he and Gonzalez-Rubio, plus Australian independent climber Andrew Lock, decided to take the risk and went on up.

Vallejo, Gonzalez-Rubio and Lock left C4 together at 4:30 am on 24 May, reached the summit at 3:20 pm after having taken two hours to reach the summit from a couloir at 7800m.

Vallejo had attempted Annapurna before, and it was one of only two 8000ers he had not summited. "I am so happy, so lucky, so grateful to Annapurna" for his success this time.

The team had no health problems, but their liaison officer Udhav Prasad Khanal left BC on 22 April and completely disappeared, and is presumed dead.