원정 개요

To reach the Central (Main) Summit, the approach is from the East Ridge, but this route is dangerous if not well covered by snow on top of its unstable loose rock; if covered, there is no problem. This expedition expected that there would not be good snow cover and they would climb to the East Summit only.

They left Kathmandu by bus to Taplejung and from there up the Tamur River to Ghunsa Khola and up Ghunsa Khola almost to the village of Kangbachen. They crossed the khola to the east side at the mouth of the Khumbhakarna Glacier (Jannu Glacier) and placed their BC there at 4050m on 31 October. This camp was used by their kitchen staff and porters, but the three members and their only high-altitude Sherpa, Pasang Phutar, whom they considered to be their guide and fellow climber, not a load carrying Sherpa, moved farther east up the glacier and made ABC on moraine above the glacier at 4700m on 1 November.

They had now concluded that they would be able to go directly to the Central Summit. C1 was sited on rock at the foot of the Merra Glacier on 3 November at 5200m at noon, and that afternoon Pasang Phutar reconnoitered the route to C2. He found it along the left (west) side of the Merra Glacier. On 4 November, they climbed on the glacier's west side, then crossed it diagonally and put C2 at 5800m on this glacier, which comes down from the Central Summit. Pasang Phutar fixed 15m of rope above C2 for safety, but it wasn't really necessary.

On the 5th, they went for the summit. The three Frenchmen and Pasang Phutar left C2 at 3:00 am to climb to the top of the glacier and then up the Central Summit's South Face to a couloir on its East Ridge. The maximum grade of the face was 50 degrees. From the col they moved along the East Ridge, which had very good snow cover to the final 20-30 meters below the summit; from here they climbed on pure rock. The maximum grade of the ridge was 35 degrees, but it was a sharp ridge, very exposed and dangerous where corniced. But the climb to the summit from C2 had presented no major difficulties and they were on the top, which is a small dome, at 7:10 am.

Their climbing route had been the South Face of Central Summit's East Ridge, then along the East Ridge.

They were back in C2 at 11:00 am. On the next day the 6th, they were in ABC, and on the 7th, in BC. Lionel Palandre was badly dehydrated and not feeling well, but he soon recovered; it was nothing serious.

Sherpa:
Pasang Phutar, 8/7/61 (21/3/2018), Yaphu, Sankhuwasabha, Cho Oyu X2,
Everest 18/5/07