원정 개요

Field Touring Cho Oyu Expedition, led by Stuart Remensnyder - 11 Oct 2008

The summit party members Baker, Castel, Higgott, Kane, Leveille, Mazza, Moody, Remensnyder, Lhakpa Sherpa and Parsu Ram Rai. They left C3 for the top on 2 October at 2:00 am (all times are Chinese Time). At about 3:30 am at 7700m Kane and Parsu Ram turned back because they were too cold.

Leveille reached 8160m at 2:45 pm; Remensnyder met him there as he, Remensnyder, was coming down from the summit, and told Leveille that it was too late to continue to the top. Leveille descended slowly with Remensnyder through the night; he was suffering from mild cerebra edema, hypothermia (it was very cold, and dehydration). At 6:00 am (3:45 NST) on the 3rd, when he was with Kane at a section where there was no fixed rope, about two or three meters above C3, he sat down, lunged to one side and fell to his death 500m down a vertical slope; his head was badly smashed. His body was buried in a small crevasse near C2.

The summit was reached by Higgott, Mazza and Lhakpa at 10:30 am (8:15 am NST); Baker at noon (9:45 NST); Castel at 12:15 pm (10:00 NST); Moody at 12:30 pm (10:15 NST); and Remensnyder at 2:30 pm (12:15 NST). Baker, Higgot, Mazza and Lhakpa descended to C2; the others stayed in C3.

Oxygen was used by Leveille from 150m above C3 till his death (from 2:00 to 6:00 am).

Other non-summited members:

Calzarossa's high point was 6900m. He had altitude sickness early in the climbing period, and he stopped climbing altogether when teammate Leveille fell to his death on 3 October.

Dickson reached C3 on 1 October, but was too slow to go for the summit with other member on the 2nd.

Haugen reached 6600m; had chest infection and retinal hemorrhage so went no higher.

Hibbert got to only 6900m because altitude problems.

Nystrom reached 7200m on 2 October, but had to turn back because of intestinal problem. When he was about 100 vertical meters (200 linear meters) above C2 at 6:00 pm, he fell into soft snow. He was not hurt, but he lost a lot of feathers and got slightly frostbitten toes.

Sherpas:
Lhakpa Sherpa, 1968-69 (2025), Tamku, Lokhim-9, Solu, no 8000ers
Parsu Ram Rai, 39 yrs, Rakha-4, Khotang