원정 개요

Field Touring Ama Dablam Expedition 2008, led by Chris Szymiec - 1 Dec 2008

The summit party consisted of Bampton, Davis, Szymiec, Wilkinson, Ms. Pasang, Lhakpa and Jangbu. Lhakpa and Jangbu started for the stop on 25 November at 6:00 am, and they all left C3 for the summit between 7:30 and 7:45 am. Ms. Pasang turned back at 9:00 am at 6600m because her feet were cold; she went down to C2.

The other members of the summit party went on up to the top: Jangbu got there at 12:00 noon while the others summited between 1:00 and 1:30 pm. The members returned to C3 at 4:00 pm, but the Sherpas descended to C2: Ms. Pasang and Jangbu returned to C2 at about 3:00 pm, and Lhakpa, who had stayed close to the members, was in C2 at about 5:00 pm. All members were in BC on the 26th.

The temperature on the summit was minus 15 degrees Celsius, but there was no wind at the time (it had been windy at the start of the day's climb). Szymiec got slight frostbite on the tip of one finger while he shepherded his members to the top.

Non-summiting members:

Bampton was not acclimatizing, developed slight cerebral edema, had no energy; stayed in BC during climbing period.

Cottam went to C2 on 22 November, thought about his children back home and the danger of avalanching from the Dablam, and decided not to go higher; descended to C1 on the 23rd, left BC on the 24th to go to Dingboche village to send e-mail to his family to confirm he was well.

The route above C3 had been scoured by avalanching ice from the Dablam so it was all hard ice, and there are many more crevasses above the Dablam. So the route is more difficult and takes much more time to surmount than in previous years when it was covered by snow and the crevasses had not opened. It is also more dangerous with "more pealing off the Dablam." All of the Dablam is going to come down, Szymiec believes. He had been on Ama Dablam twice before; because of the avalanching, "I really don't want to go back again," he said.

Sherpas:
Parsu Ram Rai, 39 yrs, Rakha-4, Khotang
Miss Pasang Futi Sherpa, 24 yrs, Monzo, Chaurikharka-1, Solu
Lhakpa Sherpa, 1968-69 (2025), Tamku, Lokhim-9, Solu, Cho Oyu 2/10/08
Jangbu Sherpa, 21 yrs, Sisuwakhola-1, Sankhuwasabha (Lhakpa's nephew)