원정 개요

Technically difficult route (1) from C1 to C2 and (2) from C5 in Hornbein Couloir: (1) section 60-80 degrees ice with stone fall on 50m section (had to climb early here) (2) difficult rock.

3 summit attempts:

1. Bidner and Mingma Norbu from C4; 7th May at C5 had problem with oxygen and stopped.

2. 15th May Fagrell, Fredholm, Mingma Norbu and Gyalbu from C5; at 8650m Fredholm's oxygen finished and he descended. At 8800m Fagrell's oxygen finished and couldn't breath and half hour or more to top on ridge and windy on ridge, so Fagrell stopped while 2 Sherpas went to top and returned to Fagrell; all 4 slept at C5.

3. 20th May Cronlund and 2 Sherpas from C5. 2 Sherpas dumped their oxygen bottles (full) at top of Hornbein Couloir as planned and descended. Cronlund went on as planned to summit; on Cronlund's descent he was in hurry because getting dark (at 7:00 pm darkness would come) and he went wrong at snowfield and could not find top of fixed ropes at top of couloir. He decided to stop where he was at 8600m with moonlight. He went around in circles most of night but 7:00 am he got up from having fallen asleep. All toes had frozen but may not loose any parts of them. No wind during night but in morning it was blowing and he had difficult time getting down to C5, from which one member climbed up to meet him at 8500m and help him to C5, where he stayed and where there was more oxygen.

Now expedition decided to withdraw from mountain. Cronlund's ordeal through night of 20th was enough and expedition had succeeded.