원정 개요

BC 30/09 at Chhukung (4730)
HPt 24/10 6900m by all members.

Ueli Steck shared his permit with French youngsters team (Helias Millerioux and Benoit Guigonnet), so both of those teams mixed together during the expedition time.

Acclimatization first on small bumps afoot of Nuptse’s South Face. Considered the face looking in dry bad conditions.

Then went on Island Peak North Col by the east trail, bivouacked on the North Ridge at 6000m on the 6 Oct. The day after they went back on their steps then descended by west couloir of North Col until Lhotse South Face base camp (met with Korean expedition there).

Team descended back to Namche for some rest during a bad weather period.

Helias went for a second time on Island Peak with Colin, traversing from N Ridge up to normal route down (summit on 17 Oct).

Meanwhile Ben and Ueli had some rock climbing block session.

On 21 Oct Ben went with Colin Haley on the Bonington route up to 6050m.

Meanwhile Helias went with Ueli and Kilian Jornet for a running session: starting from Chhukung at 7:30 am, they reached Amphu Lapcha La at 11 am then followed the SE Ridge of a 6230m peak (On Finn Map, located S of Imja Tsho Lake, NW of Amphu Lapcha La) reached at 1 pm.

On 23 Oct considering their low chances on their both objectives (new route for the French between "Are you experienced" and "Zorro (unclimbed) ridge," Babanov route for Ueli and Colin), all 4 members teamed up together for the Bonington route. Starting at 4:30 am from Chhukung, Ueli did the tracks all way long from the footstep of the face (others hardly managing to follow him behind) until they reached a bivouac place at 6900m at 2 pm (10:30 am for 220m positive).

Difficulty of the route like French grade D, similar to Jaeger/Macho couloirs of Mont Blanc du Tacul.

After a windy (50m/h) cold night, dealing with a very uncertain weather forecast, all members decided to go down. Ueli straight down climbing the whole route, others first hesitating to put abseils in the steepest section (only Ben did indeed put some when his 2 other mates chose to do like Ueli). "If we would have been just between us, we would have definitely put abseils" reports Millerioux. Same day all were back safely in Chhukung.

One day after, Ueli offered the helicopter to the both teams to go straight back to Kathmandu.