원정 개요

Lot of snow after early Sept. Then in an attempt to established C4 Pivot was caught in avalanche on Lhotse Face (which also hit Michael Groom) and crampon of Nepal expedition Sherpa broke his left shoulder and rendered him unconscious (stayed at BC for rest of time).

1st summit bid 30th Sept: Asselin, Besson, Desez, Martin & Phurba, together with Pasang Lhamu, Dawa Tashi, Babu Tshering, Iman Gurung and Nawang Thile (Everest 1990 top) and Sonam Tshering & Besson, all from Nepal-France-Belgium team all from S Col; of these 12 only Pasang Lhamu, Dawa Tshering, Babu Tshering, Iman Guring, Nawang Thile and Sonam Tshering, Besson and Asselin reached S Summit at 3:00 pm in very deep snow, very difficult. After having started at 1:30 am (3 Nepalese no oxygen at all, others using it but on very low flow) 2 French arrived at S Summit first and waited for others to continue. Babu Tshering at cornice before Hillary Step put one leg through it and decided to go back; was about 3:30-4:00 pm when abandoned this attempt by Asselin and Babu Tshering only; other 4 behind them (Asselin meet Pasang Lhamu at S Summit as he returned from cornice and she arriving at S Summit in ascent) and all 6 returned to S Col. Asselin arived col 5:30 pm (on full oxygen flow), Besson and Phurba 6:30 pm; at midnight Nawang Thile arrived at Col while Pasang Lhamu only at 7:00 am. Of this entire group of 12, only Iman Gurung, Babu Tshering and another Sherpa of Nepali team did not use oxygen in ascent. Asselin and Besson used oxygen sleeping during 4 nights at col for this attack, but used only briefly and intermittently. All down to BC on 1 Oct.

2nd summit bid by Niclevicz on 2 Oct with Spanish? up from Col to 8500m; had oxygen regulator problem, had used oxygen at col also.

3rd summit bid: 5th Oct from BC to C2; 6th top C3 from C3 down C2, learned Spanish on top on 6th; 7th Besson, Desez, Asselin and Jennings to C4 where are Pasang Lhamu and her high team of 1st attack except Sonam Tshering. Hoped to go up at night but too much wind and at noon 8th decided winds too strong and all down to BC (except Jennings, alone at S Col till 9th morning when one tent explored and he too down). At col again French team never used oxygen.

Massive collapse of Icefall 10th Sept at 11:00 am but no one there.

Pasang Lhamu very courageous but technically not adept, but very courteous, and was above the problem of relations with Europeans, which Sonam, her husband, had caused.


To Rising Nepal (Kathmandu) - 2 Oct 1991 by Jean Michel Asselin, leader

The Highest Night

It was the second night we spent at the South Col at nearly 8000m of altitude. We the members of two expeditions: that is the first Nepalese woman to attempt Mt Everest and the French Expedition called Namaste. In total we were twelve. This second night was again marked by terrifying gusts of winds and I could not believe that at one o'clock in the morning we could leave our tents and go towards the summit of Mt Everest over 900m higher.

30 Sept: At 01:30 after putting on my crampons, I followed the steps of Sonam Tshering the sirdar of Pasang Lhamu, on to the great snow slopes leading to the southeast ridge. Often I watched Pasang Lhamu and asked myself where did she find the courage to do what we were doing. It was very cold and the effort was so intense, that no matter who would have no hesitation in turning back.

Reaching the ridge, we discovered the most beautiful landscape view in the world. The sun helped everyone feel a little better assisted by the attraction of the summit which we felt close.

I confess I was fascinated by the three Sherpas who were climbing without using bottled oxygen. Unfortunately for me, the snow, which until now was quite hard, became very soft and we sank through up to our waists and sometimes up to our chests. It was then that our progress already difficult became extremely slow. This slope which allows access to the South Summit and which is inclined at 50 degrees took us over two hours of effort. Every 15 metres one or other of us would take lead, knowing very well that here we would require all our force to reach the nearby summit.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon after fourteen hours of extreme effort we reached the South Summit of Everest at 8770m. It was already a good victory, but for total success there remained a further 100m. At this moment the wind gusted at over 100 km/hr and I wasn't sure what to do. I therefore asked the closest Sherpa what he thought. Without hesitation he told me "let's go." It appeared inevitable to me to go to the summit in such a wind, but how does one doubt the words of a Sherpa who had already been twice to the summit of the roof of the world.

So we went, the two of us with a piece of rope in this strange high altitude world beaten by the violent wind. After about 100m, the snow disappeared under the steps of the Sherpa and dropped in the void. At this time we understood that it was futile to continue and we retraced our path to the South Summit. Climbing there I crossed Pasang always confident and told her that we would not reach the summit and that one should go down.

Thick mist began to form and envelope the mountain hiding the descent. Convinced that I was going to run out of oxygen, I ran down the slopes and exhausted, arrived at C4 (South Col) before night fall. The wind had again raged and I noticed with sadness that it had torn two tents. I threw myself into another where I was taken care of by two friends and immediately exhausted, I got into my sleeping bag, and tried to go to sleep fearing all the time that the tent would take off and fly away.

At midnight, Nawang Thile, a Sherpa with Pasang's expedition, came to the tent and told me "Big problem, three people are not coming, probably Pasang." I was very worried because I knew it was impossible for a man or woman to survive at over 8000m without shelter with winds gusting at over 150 km/hr. But what could be done? In the state I was in I couldn't move. I gave Nawang Thile a drink and my headlamps but was sure that he was also powerless to intervene. He managed to climb a few hundred metres higher during the night in which a man and a women (both Sherpas) managed to survive.

It was a unprecedented achievement - probably mere difficult open climbing Everest of Pasang Lamu and Sonam Tshering. During the night hours, struggling "against the cold, they showed that human beings have the strength to combat and beat the most hostile force of nature."

When at nearly seven o'clock in the morning I saw Pasang arrive at tent like a ghost. I cried with joy. Tired, but alive, she was already thinking of her next attempt on her mountain. Sonam had got frostbite but his courage was intact. And for me as well the decision was made. I would go back towards the summit of Mt Everest with the woman who had lived through the highest bivouac in the world. And Chance would smile on us.