원정 개요

The summit party left C4 for the top at 10:00 pm on 11 May. They were four members Edge, Falconer, Leonard and Lewis, with four Sherpas, Ang Pasang, Jangbu, Lhakpa Nuru and Thile Nuru.

At midnight of the 11th/12th, when Leonard reached well below the Balcony at perhaps 8100m, Leonard complained that her fingers were very cold and she wanted to turn back. She retreated to C4, and Thile Nuru returned with her; they remained in C4 for the rest of the day. Her fingers were blue, but not even frostnipped.

The weather had become extremely windy and very cold. The other six climbers continued their ascent. Lewis, who was very fast, raced to the summit at 8:00 am of 12 May, and Lhakpa Nuru was not far behind. They stayed on the top to await the arrival of the other two members and two Sherpas.

But Edge and Falconer, with Ang Pasang and Jangbu, according to Mazur, who did not himself climb above C3, were held up at the bottom of the South Summit by a crowd of as many 20 climbers from the Canadian-led Peak Freaks expedition. Their leader, Tim Rippel was in BC, and walkie-talkie communications was virtually impossible because of the fierce winds. With his group at the South Summit was his deputy, Angel Armesto, who according to Mazur, was not providing strong leadership. Mazur said that the members were stuck, not knowing what to do in this dark, cold, very windy situation while they were suffering from the cold; they were virtually paralyzed, he said, and because of their number, were preventing anyone else from moving up or down for an hour and a half.

Lewis, realizing the impasse, shouted down to them to move, get off the trail, get out of the way, let others go up. Mazur understands that they then turned around and descended. Rippel did not mention such any incident or aborted summit bid; he said his people summited on the 13th of May. [Note: this incident is also not mentioned in the SummitClimb dispatches on their web site.]

At any rate, Edge, Falconer, Ang Pasang and Jangbu did get to the top at 9:30 am and all returned to C4 for the night, arriving there at 3:00 pm. All were down in C2 on the 13th and BC on the 14th.

Oxygen was used by the members in C3 to their high points down to about C2, wherever their individual supplies ran out. Their Sherpas were on oxygen from about 7600m to their high points only.

Non-summiting members:

Ms. Paula Leonard mentioned above.

Dan Mazur, who was leader of record of the Summit Climb Lhotse team, did not go above C3.

Sherpas:
Ang Pasang Sherpa, 15/6/84 (2/3/2041), Patle, Okhaldhunga, no 8000ers
Jangbu Sherpa, 24/5/67, Patle, Okhaldhunga, Everest X5, Cho Oyu X4, Lhotse X1
Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, 21/8/81, Phakding, Solu, Everest X2, Lhotse X1
Thile Nuru Sherpa, 26/5/74, Choplung, Solu, Everest X5, Cho Oyu X1, Lhotse X1