원정 개요

The two-member team (with no Sherpas) had the goal of summiting Xixabangma and Cho Oyu and, if they had sufficient time after these ascents, climbing Everest as well.

They arrived at Xixabangma BC on 14 May. Steck went to the top on the 17th, but Bowie was not well enough acclimatized and did not reach the summit.

They left Xixabangma BC on the 20th and rode to Nyalam to rest and for Bowie to further acclimatize. On the 25th they went directly to Cho Oyu's intermediate camp at 5300m, were in ABC the next day and in C1.5 on the 28th. On 29th April they descended to ABC.

They went for the summit on 4 May, when they climbed to C1.5. The two climbers left C1.5 at 1:00 am (NST) on the 5th and gained the summit at 11:00 am [13:15?]. Going down from the top, Steck was tired, so he stopped in the empty C2 tent of the Frenchwoman Sophie Denis, who arrived later from the top with her Sherpa: three people crowded into her tent for the night. Meanwhile Bowie had descended to intermediate camp and spent that night there. Both members were back in ABC on 6 May.

Steck and Bowie went from Cho Oyu ABC on the 9th to Nyalam, and on the 14th they arrived at Everest BC on 14 May. They were in ABC on the 16th, C1 on the 19th and C2 on the 20th.

They set out for a summit from C2 at 11:30 pm (NST) on the 20th during a very windy night. Steck got as high as 8700m at 5:30 am on 21 May, but Bowie turned back at 8000m at 1:00 am because his feet were cold. Steck also abandoned his summit bid because of cold feet. Bowie returned to C2 at about 2:00 am; Steck joined him there at 9:00 am.

They were back in ABC the following day, and their climb was finished. On his return to Kathmandu, Steck said he was "happy" with the climb despite not having summited Everest.