원정 개요

BC 17/04 4900m
ABC 20/04 5700m
C1 21/04 6400m
C2 23/04 6630m
C2B 30/04 7200m (below second rock band)
C3 01/05 7350m
HPt 01/05+07/05 7350m at C3 by Schweizer.

On his second acclimatisation rotation, Schweizer was climbing with Yannick Gagneret from Seven Summit expeditions. On their way to C3 it started to get windy and as it was already late in the day, they set up an emergency bivouac at about 7200m - just below the second rock band. On 1 May they left their emergency bivouac at about 10 am and continued all the way to the Makalu La, where they arrived at about 3pm. The weather was bad with strong wind and heavy snow.

On 2 May Schweizer was involved in the attempted rescue of French climber Yannick Gagneret.

After the death of Gagneret, Schweizer rested at ABC for a few days and then went back to C3 for another acclimatization night. He returned on 8 May and then went down to Hillary BC on 10 May to recover. He returned to ABC on 13 May and started his summit attempt from ABC on 15 May.

He stayed the night at C2, but on 16 May it was too windy to climb up to the Makalu La, and like everyone else, who stayed at C2 that night, he descended to ABC on 16 May.

As he had to go back to Australia for family reasons, he could wait no longer for another weather window.

Oxygen: Not taken, not used


Account about attempted rescue of Yannick Gagneret

On 30 April Gagneret and Schweizer from Ang Rita treks were moving from C2 up to C3. They were moving relatively slowly and they reached the top of the first rock band at about 5 pm, where they met Billi Bierling and stuart Smith from Himex, who told them that it would be another three hours to C3. They decided to pitch their tent at abotu 7300m in the start of the second rock band as it was already dark and both climbers were exhausted. On 1 May they left their emergency bivouac at about 10 am and continued all the way to the Makalu La, where they arrived at about 3 pm. the weather was horrific with strong wind and heavy snow. Gagneret put up his own small tent and slept together with Eva Zarzuelo and Enrique Llonch from the Spanish Seven Summits expedition. Schweizer shared a Seven Summit tent with Javier Camacho. Gagneret seemed fine when Schweizer left him for the night.

On 2 May, Schweizer had arranged to go to ABC with Gagneret at about 10 am: they both had to cache their high-altitude tents and supplies first. At 9:30 am, Schweizer approached Gagneret's tent and saw Ferran Latorre, who looked very worried. He said that he thought Gagneret was seriously sick and needed assistance. Schweizer looked into his tent and saw that Gagneret was just sitting there, staring. "This person was not Yannick anymore." Schweizer said 2x1mg of Dex were orally administered. Schweizer and Latorre started to dress Gagneret and lowered him down towards C2. At first Gagneret was responsive, but during the course of the descent, during which they and 5 Sherpas lowered him down 75 pitches on his back and buttocks, he was in and out of consciousness." We are lowering this corpse like body and I am afraid we are losing him." Schweizer said on the radio to Dr. Joe, the base camp doctor for Himalayan Experience. It took about 6 hours to get Gagneret through the two rock bands to get above C2. Gagneret was barely responsive.

Chris Warner and his three climbing mates were at C2, and in the meantime, three Seven Summit Sherpas had brought up oxygen and dexamethasone. They met the rescuing party at 4 pm, about 20 minutes above C2 and gave him oxygen and constructed a sleigh from a tent and sleeping mats. Chris Warner's team and some Sherpas dragged Gagneret down; however, he had fully lost consciousness by then and was more than likely dead. Schweizer was sure he had just passed away and attempted CPR for a while before reaching C2. The rescue team, led by Chris Warner and assisted by Lhakpa from Himalayan Ascents was in constant contact with Dr. Joe who really wanted the patient at ABC as he wanted to confirm Gagneret was dead with his ultrasound machine that his heart had stopped beating. The team of Sherpas and western climbers dragged the body of Gagneret down to crampon point." It was very tough as Gagneret weighs about 85 kgs and we were all exhausted," Schweizer said. Chris Warner coordinated the recovery operation from C2 to crampon point, including all communications with ABC. When they arrived at the crampon point at about 7 pm, Warner notified Dr. Joe that carrying Gagneret's body down to ABC over big rock boulders was too dangerous and the body should be left at crampon point. After Schweizer had carried out some "alive tests" which Dr. Joe instructed him to do, Gagneret was pronounced dead (most probably of HACE) at 7:20 pm. They wrapped up the corpse and left him at crampon point to be picked up by helicopter two days later. All the rescuers arrived at ABC at about 9 pm.