원정 개요

Ascent schedule:
14/09/2012: arrival on Base Camp. 5 days waiting in snow and rain!
19/09/2012: one day trip to C1 from BC.
20/09/2012: first night to C1 and back to BC the day after.
22/09/2012: night at C1.
23/09/2012: started from C1 at 6 am, reaching destroyed C2 in 3 hours
around 9 am. Olivier back at BC. Two others slept at C1.
24/09/2012: all at the base camp.
27/09/2012: trio at C1 and back to the base camp after departure of head Sherpa.
28/09/2012: leave base camp for Samagaon.

* fixed rope:
BC -> C1: 15%
C1 -> C2: 70%

Oxygen:

At the beginning they didn't want to use it, even if each of them took a security bottle. After a while on the mountain, Olivier decided to use it to climb up from C3 to the top, because he wanted to be clear minded enough to take off from the summit with his paraglide. (According to him, the takeoff wouldn't be easy, the final slopes being exposed north whilst the wind mostly blows from the west). Jean-Christophe wanted to use it as well from C3 to summit then back to C3 for safety. Only Cedric, being fitter than his teammates, didn't want to use it all.

* What's happened .. according to Olivier Rozier

The night of the avalanche, Olivier heard many avalanches noises, the one at 4 am not being stronger than the others. (Days before, he heard many avalanches noises as well and spoke a lot with Reme LeCluse about the potential danger of his new heavy snow mantle.) When the trio reached C2 the 23rd of September around 9 am and discovered it totally destroyed (with dead bodies in sleeping bags). Olivier was shocked and decided to go back to the base camp. The two other decided to continue normally the ascent by depositing some gear there then sleeping at C1 again. But the day after they were back to the base camp as well.

From there, the French discussed with Lhakpa Sherpa. According to Olivier, Lhakpa tried to cause them with anxiety because he didn't want to climb anymore after the avalanche, apparently overwhelmed with superstition. (Olivier remarked rationally that Lhakpa didn't care about avalanche risk the day before avalanche.) After 3 days, the 27th of September, the 3 Frenchmen were back to their program of the 22nd and climbed to C1. Then Lhakpa joined them to announce he wouldn't climb anymore and was leaving the expedition.

Because they couldn't have carried their own gear themselves (and being already late in their program), shocked by the avalanche and disappointed by the departure of Lhakpa Sherpa, the trio decide to abandon the expedition the day after.