원정 개요

The first summit party left C4 at 9:00 pm on 16 May. They were Holstad, Mazur, Valloton, Thapa, Da Chhemba, Lhakpa Nuru and Tenji. Da Chhemba turned back at 8500m because he was not dressed warmly enough and his headlamp failed; Tenji had to help him down to C4, where he arrived at 8 am on the 17th. He continued down and got to C2 at 6:00 pm and was in BC the next day, the 18th.

Da Chhemba also complained that his oxygen regulator was leaking; this was the third regulator that he had been given. Thapa thinks that perhaps he simply didn't want to go higher.

Holstad had been climbing with Da Chhemba, and when his Sherpa turned around, Holstad didn't want to climb without him and he, too, returned to C4 and descended to C2 at 3:00 pm. Thapa went to C2 with them.

Mazur with Lhakpa Nuru summited at 7:14 am of the 17th. Mazur went on down to C2 and arrived there at 6:00 pm; he descended to BC on the 18th and left it on the 20th.

Holstad who had stopped in C2, and Da Chhemba, who had gone to BC, now moved up again. The Sherpa went up from BC on 20 May and the two men, plus Philama, arrived at C4 on the 22nd and left it at 9:00 pm to go for the summit. Holstad and De Chhemba got to the top on 23rd May at 8:30 am and Philama half an hour later. They returned to C4 at 3:00 pm and were back in BC on the next day.

Non-summiting members:

Adam went to C1 on 18 April, was homesick and left the team on 22nd.

Burgess had a problem with one ankle at Gorak Shep, continued to BC but didn't go higher and also left on 22nd April.

Dixon climbed to C3 on 14 May, decided he had had enough, returned to BC the next day.

Nuzum moved up to C1 on 21 May and to C2 on the 22nd, but had a very bad cough and descended to BC on the 23rd. He went on down to Pheriche, where the doctor advised him not to return to the mountain but to go home. He did.

Thapa, as stated above, descended with Holstad and Da Chhemba of the first summit group from 8500m to C2 and did not try to summit again.

Vora occupied C4 on 15 May having used oxygen in C3 and climbing to C4 and in C4, but nevertheless his fingers and toes were very cold and instead of joining the push to the summit, he went down to C2 on the 17th. He returned to BC on the 18th and left the expedition on the 19th.

Valloton did not go very far (perhaps 100 meters) above C4 on 16 May in the summit party. She said she was cold; she was not wearing a down suit. She went down to C3 that and left the expedition a few days later. Raj Thapa as deputy leader, took over the leadership.

The first summit party's members used oxygen from C3 to their high points to C3, and the Sherpas used it in C4 to high points to C4.

In the second summit group, Holstad was on oxygen from C3 to the top and all the way down to C2 because during his climb to the summit his toes had gotten frostnipped and his fingers frostbitten at the South Summit (his fingers developed blisters, but were expected to heal completely). The two Sherpas used oxygen from C4 to top to C4.

Sherpas:
Da Chhemba, 2/3/68, Gudel, Everest X3, Cho Oyu X2
Lhakpa Nuru, 21/8/81, Phakding, Solu, Everest X1, Lhotse X1
Philama Tamang, 17/7/76 (2/4/2033), Haku-8, Rasuwa, no 8000ers
Tenji, 1/6/82, Patle, Everest X5