원정 개요

After arrival at expedition's BC, acclimatization climb to 7000m done by all 3 men on normal route (to C2) and then to expedition's BC on 8 Sept. Started up only on 19th having waited for snowfall to stop; started on 19th at 11:00 am and at 2:00 pm were base of face where had rest & meal. At 6:00 pm started up (at sunset/dusk) had personal biv sack and half of a thin mattress, 1 gas stove and 1 gas cartridge; each had candy bars, nuts and mineral drink powder; cache was down-type suits but took no sleeping bags; 2 ice axes each, crampons; 2 30m rope X 7mm; 10 pitons and 4 ice screws ("upper part looked more difficult route than normal route, no crampons" - Kurtyka) but actually used only 1 or 2 pitons and no screws; up the face, which was reached at 7:00 pm, via a couloir which is about 1000m high & covered in snow and acting as a shute, requiring climber to move a meter or so to right or left; top of couloir started to get much steeper and became mixed rock and snow; at 7500m, 3/4 of way up face, stopped to heat water and rested an hour.

On 20th from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm on face; at 4:30 pm reached SE Ridge and on SW Ridge they took 2 hrs to gain 20 vertical meters (mixed rock and snow with some snowfield in poor snow which was very deep and loose); at 7:30 pm stopped at small flat place 50 vertical meters below true summit where cold (too small to lie down). Stayed 12 hrs at this spot at 8150m because Voytek needed to sleep and difficult for him to go non-stop without food, water and sleep in his first experience of this kind of climb (says Swiss).

Next day, 21st, to top at 8:30am in not very cold, clear morning with no wind; stayed 1/2 hr on top and then started down. Came straight down to C2 via direct variation of normal route others on mountain at this time were following. At C2 Hungarian presented 1 tin of beer and congrats. At expedition's BC at 5:00 pm after visiting other's camps enroute; waited for yaks to arrive and left expedition BC 26th and 27th to Nyean.

Most difficult part: steep snow and rock just above couloir, also 20 vertical m; total of 4 sections of 20-30m that were technically difficult.

Fixed no rope: used rope and pitons only for belays - had taken 2 ropes in case of rapelling.

Would not recommend route for anyone who cannot do quick ascent; if snowfall would be dangerous avalanching.

How they could succeed when others on normal route failed? "You have to have the mental push" says Troillet.