원정 개요

Schedule ascent:

At first the expedition met with a Swiss team which came to C1 and left quickly. Alone on the mountain, the team spent a few days for acclimatizatin between base camp and C1 (the usual deposit camp at 5000m, 1 hour 30 minutes from the base camp, would not be used at all) sleeping for the first time at C1 the 30th of September.

A few days after, the team began to search for a way to go through the much crevassed and steep glacier from C1 to C2. This section, the most difficult, would demand them 4 days to equip. According to the weather forecast which announced a good weather window, the 6th of October, the team started for its summit bid and slept at C1. The 7th of October C2 was reached in deep snow and set up lower than expected, around 5800m on a little flat area just under the sommital plateau to be sheltered from the winds, in fact the weather forecast was good for Phu but not so accurate on the mountain, so that they would have wind just every time from there!

Here would Claire Waterfall stop her ascent, spending the night and getting back down to the BC the day after. Earlier the same day, Justin Featherstone who was sick since the beginning of the expedition (a bad cough at first, then a bad cold) stopped halfway to C2 and went back to the BC.

The day after on the 8th of October, the 4 remaining members and 3 Sherpas left late at 10 am (for the wind dropped a little bit) and reached the plateau after a short steep ice wall (about 70 degrees on 10 meters) and steep slopes. In a 20 meters high steeper section, the Sherpas while crossing a windslab one after another (with snow until the chest!), launched a little avalanche without injuries.

Then the team begun to cross the plateau under continuous wind and deep snow, with two Sherpas in front opening the route and one in back remaining with Jonathan (who took his skis); both of them arrived 1 hour after the others at C3. The route on the plateau consisted to cross 2 secondary summits (at 6400m and 6421m) before gently descending to C3 site at 6250m. Indeed the plateau consisted more in a ridge, with 45-degree slopes on the right (with some crevasses and windslabs) and cornices on the left (the team would discover the huge size of it whilst arriving near C3 and looking back on their steps). Nevertheless, the wind blowing from back right and with a very good visibility, there was no concern for their security. The team reached C3 at 4:30 pm.

During the night winds increased up to 70 miles an hour, the tents being regularly re-covered with snow. On the 9th October, the team definitely left C3 late at 9 am for the BC. In fact the team leader hoped to sleep one more night here for the wind to drop, but Jonathan and Sandra begun to feel altitude sickness and it seemed that the wind wasn't going to stop at all. Morever the leader and Sherpas could observe a long crown wall lying on a shoulder just short from the top (meaning a recent quite big size avalanche) and the slope under one filled again with fresh snow. In case of a new summit bid, the Sherpas left 2 rolls of fixed ropes on the campsite anyway, then packed anything down.

Back on the BC, there were discussions about next plans, knowing the route was now opened until C3. Furtemba proposed one day rest and back for a summit bid the day after but everybody got tired, apparently including him and other Sherpas! In fact all of the team spent best part of the days before its only attempt finding a way through the glacier then let its last energy on the plateau. On the 10th October, Doma and Angdu with one Kitchen boy went up again at C1 and turned back to the base camp. The expedition was over.

Geographical configuration:

It seems that west winds have a trend to rush to the west orientated glacier raising between Himlung and Nemjung, then to be evacuated up on the West Ridge of Himlung (kind of spread venturi effect), well explaining the main configuration this team met on the ride, with cornices on the north side (left on their way up) and steep slopes with windslabs on the south (right side on their way up)

Fixed rope:

225 meters were used to equip the glacier between C1 and C2 (the most technical part of the ascent was there: one crucial time, Olan had to give Furtemba a leg up). 10 meters were used just short after C2 for a 70-degree steep icy wall.
2 rolls of fixed rope were left at C3 for the final part of the ascent.

Accidents:

First stage of AMS at 3 for John and Sandra contracted during the night.

Sherpas:
Sirdar Furtemba Sherpa, (25/6/2041) 11 Oct 1984, Simigaon, Dolakha
Angdu Sherpa, (25/5/2036) 10 Sept 1979, Simigaon, Dolakha
Doma Sherpa, (5/2/2032) 19 May 1975, Kharikhola, Solukhumbu