원정 개요

Summit on 19 May by Bansode and Chhang Babu at 11:45 am, Palkar and Lhakpa at 8:40 am and Tapkir and Pemba Thinduk at 6:30 am.

Tapkir and Pemba left C4 at 7 pm on 18 May, Bansode and Chang Babu left C4 at 7:30 pm, Palkar, Mane, Nima and Lhakpa left at 8 pm.

Mane reached 8540m, but his cough was too strong, so he decided to turn back. Nima stayed with him. They descended to C3, where they arrived at 7 pm. When Tapkir went up the traffic jam at the Hillary Step was not too bad, but Bansode had to wait for 2 hours when he arrived there at 9 am. Tapkir is supposed to have been the first non-Sherpa summiter on the south side. He stayed about 10 minutes there. When Bansode reached the summit it was very crowded. Everyone descended to C4, where Tapkir, Palkar, Lhakpa and Pemba arrived at 4 pm. Bansode and Chang Babu arrived at 7:30 pm.

Palkar ran out of oxygen below the Balcony and collapsed. Lhakpa went to C4 to collect some oxygen, in the meantime Mingma Sherpa was giving him oxygen and helped him down. Palkar was very slow, but could walk on his own.

On 20 May they all descended to C2. On 21 May they descended to BC, where they arrived at 3 pm. At 6 pm Bansode, Palkar and Tapkir took helicopter to Lukla.

Bordoloi reached C2 on 25 April, but had a chest infection and was helicoptered out of BC on 13 May.

Gulave reached about 5600m on 20 April. He was on his way to C1 but had trouble with his boot and turned back to BC. The same day he had a stroke and was taken to HRA clinic, where he stayed the night. During the night he suffered another stroke and was airlifted to Kathmandu on 21 April. He was in Om hospital for four days and was then transferred to Pune by air ambulance. He died in a hospital in Pune on 27 April.

Injuries:

Palkar has bad frostbite on two fingers on right hand. He must have got it when he took his mitten off at the Balcony to have a drink and lost it. He had another glove but it was not warm enough.

Mane had frostbite on three fingers on right hand.

Oxygen:
Taken and used from C3 to top to C3 by members.
From C4 to top to C4 by Sherpas.

Dispute:

There are disputes that Bansode and Palkar summited. Members of Umesh Zirpe's expedition told me that Bansode told them that he had only reached the South Summit. He told the other Indian expedition that he only had one oxygen cyclinder left, pitch would not have been enough to get back to C6. When I talked to Bansode on the phone on 26 May he told me that he had been joking and was not serious about having only reached the South Summit.

Palkar was seen by other climber just outside the South Col at about 4:30 pm. He had collapsed and told them that he had not summited.

Jesus Morales from the Seven Summit Trek Spanish expedition told me [Billi Bierling] on 25 May that he saw Tapkir on the summit. I also saw his summit pictures.

Chhang Babu Sherpa confirms that he summited with Bansode. He says they were many people on the summit.

Lhakpa Sherpa confirms that he summited with Palkar. He also told me that Palkar was feeling very sick on his descent and ran out of oxygen.

Sherpas:
Chhang Babu Sherpa, Beding [Makalu-9], 23/6/82, Dhaulagiri X1
Lhakpa Sherpa, Walung, Makalu-9, 16/8/1992, 1st 8000er
Pemba Thinduk, Makalu-9, Makalu-Barun, 18/4/1982, Everest X3

Note from IMG web site:

8 Sherpas summited on 18 May as part of a joint expedition rope-fixing team:
Ang Kazi (Chitre) - USA (North Face, Conrad Anker)
Jyamchang Bhote (Hungung) - India (Ajay Kothiyal)
Kami Rita (Thami) - USA (AAI, Garrett Madison)
Phura Kancha (Thami) - Chile (Eugenio Guzman)
Karma Gyalzen (Phortse) - USA (IMG, Mike Hamill)
Phu Tashi (Phortse) - Canada (Peak Freaks, Tim Rippel)
Palden Namgyal (Phortse) - Canada (Peak Freaks, Tim Rippel)
Nima Dorje - (Seven Summit Treks)