원정 개요

BC at normal site
C1 at NE Col
C2 on NE Ridge
C3 slightly below most expeditions C4 on NE Ridge.

Buhler and Dainius got to BC (3 days ahead of Lowe) and both went out onto glacier 29th and Buhler immediately got acute bronchitis with high fever and Dainis fell in to crevasse and wrenched knee (tore ligaments) and both out of action. Dainius decided to stay on at BC without climbing at all. Lowe and Nuru went to look at E Face from NE Col and put tent at 6400m; decided E Face not on autumn route because of avalanche danger in autumn. Buhler now really sick and left BC to Marpha on 9th Oct escorted by Lowe and Nuru almost to Marpha; Buhler on to Jomsom and Muktinath with expedition cook while others returned to BC on 10th and rested at BC 11th and 12th. 13th Lowe and Nuru up to C1 and were stuck there by 3-day snowstorm with wind; up to C2 on 17th Lowe made C3 on 18th while Nuru down to BC; Lowe left C3 at 7:00 am on 19th entirely alone, cut across N Face and back to ridge to top 2:30 pm. Afternoon snowstorm blew up and had difficulty finding way down and reached C3 at 9:00 pm (had forgotton to take his head lamp and was no moonlight; was "very concerned" about his situation). 20th down with his small high-altitude tent and in another afternoon snowstorm pitched tent at 6000m, in morning of 21st reached BC, with slight frostbite. left BC 22nd or 23rd.

Buhler returned to BC 18th Oct to find Dainius had been hiking around and eager to climb. 19th Buhler rested at BC and 20th Buhler and Dainius with Nuru started climbing and reached C1; 21st rested, 22nd up to C2 and back to C1 to sleep; 23rd rested at C1; 24th moved to C2; 25th up ridge 1000 ft to 6750m and down to BC (a test of Dainius' knee and Buhler's health). 26th and 27th rested at BC. Dainius was slower in climbing than Buhler and went his own pace but knee OK. Now "weather extremely cold" and obvious now it impossible to keep toes from freezing (water froze at BC) but nontheless up again. 28th all 3 to C1; 29th to C2; 30th to C3 and on 31st to summit. Buhler left C3 at 4:30 am (in 1st 4 hrs frostbitten toes); other 2 at 4:15 am and all climbed together, reached other's C4 on 1st hour and on via Lowe's route to summit; on top at 3:15 pm together; perfect weather with only slight freezing and clear skies; only few minutes on top after Buhler photographed Dainius with Lithunian flag; "it was a hard day" and down with tricky climbing high on mountain down long serated summit ridge an 7 little gendarmes to be gotten around; "took all my concentration" to manage this section "putting my feet right" so as not to fall, which is easy to do. Buhler led descent, very tired and hungry and concentrating hard, feet frozen and Nuru hypothermic and feared he would die; Buhler feared if they stopped, Nuru would loose his balance so in good moonlight and slight wind kept moving, leaving Dainius behind at his own pace; Dainius last seen at 8000m at 5 pm. Buhler and Nuru reached C3 at 8:30 pm with frostbitten feet ("I'm sure Dainius was terribly frostbitten"). Dainius never turned up; Buhler and Nuru totally exhausted and feet frozen but waited till 11:00 am for Dainius and then decided if feet thawed more would be unable to get down and set off at 1 pm and down to C2. 2nd Nov to BC. No sign of Dainius but left tents and food, etc for him. Buhler and Nuru left BC 4th by helicopter; no idea what happened to him.

* Nuru to summit of Cho Oyu with Komarkova.