원정 개요

Route: SW Face (unclimbed route)

C2 in Western Cwm
C3 on SW Face
C4 on SW Face (near top of couloir).

Park Everest Southwest Face Expedition 2007 - 25 May 2007

Expedition's high point was reached during the period of rope-fixing on the face. On 14 May, Lee Hyeong-Mo, Ang Babu Sherpa, and Sangay Furi Sherpa fixed rope to 8000m and descended to C2.

On 15 May, Lee Hyun-Jo and Oh Hee-Joon moved up to 7700m near the top of a couloir and pitched C4 there. Next morning at 1:45 a snow avalanche, the first real avalanche on the face since their arrival at BC on 10 April, came down into the couloir and carried C4's tent with Lee and Oh inside it all the way down to the bottom of the face in the Western Cwm; they were found dead on top of hard blue ice under 15 cm of snow. Their bodies were brought to Kathmandu and cremated at Swayambhu on 20 May.

Oxygen was used by the three men fixing rope on 14 May from 7700m to 8000m (not in their descent), and on the 15th by Oh and Lee Hyun-Jo from 7500m to and in C4.

Their route was between the American 1963 route and that of the USSR team in 1982. It was very steep, alternating rock and snow. Park intends to go back to the face next spring; all this team's gear is stored at Gorak Shep for next year's bid.

Sherpas:
Ang Babu Sherpa (aka Jimba Zangbu), 20/12/74, Khumjung, Cho X1, Everst X3,
Lhotse X2
Sangay Furi Sherpa, 1/7/72, originally from Walung-9 but now lives in Darjeeling