원정 개요

BC at high site above Mingbo airstrip
C1 on SW Ridge
C2 at 2nd tower on ridge
High point at Mushroom ridge.

No fixed ropes or pitons to be found in place from previous expedition to end of Mushroom Ridge (C3) because they are constantly cleared by Sherpas. A lot of snow at BC area but ridge looked reasonably clear. All up to C1 on 28th (O'Connor and Sherpas day before), stayed 29th again C1 also while O'Connor and Sherpas fixed ropes above to the Pinnacle with little snow on ridge; fixed rope to Yellow Tower and made a dump before Yellow Tower where some expeditions place a C2. Put this team's C2 atop the next tower on 30th, but down to C1 same day. 31st snow started falling and down to BC. Snowed all next day and night and 2 members decided to leave BC for villages to let weather clear, but didn't clear for 4 days.

Back up through deep snow returning to base on 5th April, where was 2 ft of snow, with winds clearing snow off the ridge. On 6th started making track above BC; got to C1 on 7th. 9th C2 occupied, 10th tried to reach C3 without success (O'Connor ill). Dead body (Charles Eckenfelder) found just above C2 (Spring 1988 Canadian). 11th O'Connor to C2 while others again up with rock falling and morale low. 12th O'Connor, Selzman and 2 Sherpas went up the couloir and beyond other's high point of 2 previous days and on along Mushroom Ridge in stone fall period to very close to C3 site and ran out of rope (Sherpas by now had stopped coming up). Pretty steep green ice and more of it above which would take 2 days to fix and party not skilled enough to make ropeless fast ascent. So time running out, morale weak and skill insufficent for going for it without fixing. Anyway next day it snowed though could have carried on, but "team had run out of steam." In descent Selzman rode a rock 60-70 ft in a rock slide.