원정 개요

First to summit from this expedition were Puyo and Jangbu. Puyo wanted to go up while everyone else was going down from C2 to ABC in the face of strong wind, low clouds and snowfall. He and Jangbu just "took off" (as Mazur put it) from C2 to C3 on the 19th and on 20th May went on to the top and down to C1. They left C3 on 19th May at 11:30 pm (Chinese time), summited at 6:50 am (4:35 am NST) on 20 May. Puyo said they were the second party to reach the top that day, following two Sherpas from another expedition. They descended all the way to C1 at 5:00 pm.

The main summit party consisted of Lim, Mazur, Smith and Valloton with Sherpas Gyalzen, Pasang Nurbu and Tenji. They climbed from the north side in the ideal conditions that prevailed from 25 to 30 May, Mazur reported: "no wind, no clouds, warm temperatures and no people."

Valloton was the first to set out for the top from C3. She left at 10:00 pm on the 25th alone (she didn't want a Sherpa with her), but got too cold and turned back to C3 at 1:30 am on the 26th. She again left the top at about 10:00 am but again turned around at 2 pm because she was too cold and was unable to attach the fresh oxygen bottle that had been left for her at 8600m. She gave up and descended to C1.

Lim and Pasang Nurbu left C3 at 11:30 pm on the 25th, summited at 1:00 pm (10:45 am NST) on 26 May and went back in C3.

Smith climbed up to C3 on the 25th, but rested there during the day of the 26th and, with Tenji and Gyalzen, set out for the top at 6:00 pm. They arrived at the summit at 6:30 am (4:15 am NST) on 27 May and returned to C3.

Smith was very tired: he descended one camp per day. The other summiters had gone down from C3 to C1 and to ABC one day apart.

Mazur decided to remain in C3 and made no bid for the top.

Oxygen was used by the summiters as follows: Lim, Puyo and Smith from C2 to summit to C1; Valloton and the Sherpas from C2 to top to C2.

The team's only health problem was the frostbite Lim got on the middle finger of his left hand.

Sherpas:
Gyalzen, 25/1/74, Patle-4, Okhaldhunga, Everest X2
Jangbu, 22/2/81, Kharikhola, Solu, Everest X4, Cho Oyu X1
Pasang Norbu/Nurbu, 21/12/72, Nurbugaon, Walung, Makalu-9, Everest X4,
Lhotse X1, Kangch X1, Manaslu X1
Tenji, 1/6/82, Patle, Okhaldhunga, Everest X6