원정 개요

The team was composed of three members, all expatriates living in Kathmandu, and one climbing Sherpa, Namgya. The leader, Billi Bierling, was asked by the head of a Kathmandu trekking agency, Suman Pandey of Explore Himalaya, to do a reconnaissance of a 5890m Langtang Himal mountain called Urkema with the idea that the mountain could be a good peak for Scouts from other countries to climb in 2007 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, Lord Baden Powell.

The four climbers in 2004 made a fast trip to the mountain during a Nepalese holiday period. They left Kathmandu on 3 October, went by road to Syabru Besi, then trekked eastward along the north side of Langtang Khola to Kyanjin Kharka/Gompa (3900m). They spent two nights at the gompa (the 7th-8th), which they made their base.

On the 8th, the three members climbed a minor peak nearby, Therko Ri, while Namgya went off by himself to have a look at Urkema's eastern side. He crossed the Ganja La Pass, and climbed the east face of Urkema to about 4900m. He found many crevasses, and his time was up, so he abandoned his climbing effort and returned to Kyanjin Gompa. (In 2001, Namgya had been a trainee at a basic mountaineering course organized by the Nepal Mountaineering Association on the north side of Urkema. He explained that this was why he had taken this 2004 team to attempt that route.)

On the 9th, the four climbers left the gompa for their mountain. They trekked west to the area's only bridge across the Langtang Khola so they could reach its south bank, then back eastward to the north side of Urkema. Namgya had been on the North Face before, in the autumn of 2001 on a Nepal Mountaineering Association training course, so he took the members directly up the gentle slope of the North Face, where they camped at 4900m.

On 10 October they left the camp at 4:00 am for the actual climbing part of the route to the summit. The weather was clear and calm. Namgya broke trail through the snow, which consisted of one layer of snow on top of another layer that had not consolidated. After having climbed for about two and half hours, when they were at about 5500m, a small slab avalanche came down beside them.

They decided at turn back because of the snow conditions. The same day, they collected their gear from their camp at 4900m and spent that night back at Kyanjin Gompa. They returned to Kathmandu on the 13th.

Sherpa:
Namgya/Namgyal Sherpa, 11/8/71, Gyabla, Lelep-8, Taplejung, Everest X2