원정 개요

BC at Phugau both
C1 at east of point 6374m on HMG map glacier
C2 on southwest face of West Ridge
High point at West Summit (on Tibetan border).

The team's summit push was launched on 7 November by seven members (all except Zweifel) and two Nepalese (Mingma Gyalbu Sherpa and Kangcha Lama Sherpa). They left C2 at 6:00 am on the southwest face of the West Ridge. This face was mostly a steep (30-45 degrees) snow face with short section of ice: one five meters high ice section was vertical. They gained the West Ridge and moved eastward on the ridge to the West Summit, 6604m high. As they looked ahead along the ridge to the main summit, they saw it was steep and covered by ice, which would have required 500 or more meters of fixed rope, taking four or five days to install. Since they were now short of time, they turned back from the West Summit and descended all the way to BC, where they arrived at 6:00 pm and the climb was finished.

Marti had not expected so much bare ice in the post-monsoon period and was not prepared for it.

Zweifel turned back at 6100m on 6 November as the team was climbing to C2. He was not strong enough to continue, so he returned to C1 instead.

Sherpas:
Kancha Lama Sherpa, 19/11/82 (4/8/2039), Taksindu-2, Solu, no 8000ers
Mingma Gyalbu Sherpa, 19/1/88, Gyabla, Lelep, Taplejung, no 8000ers