The Complete West Ridge of Everest AWS
T h e C o m p l e t e W e s t Ri d g e of E v e r e s t T o n e Š k a r j a , Planinska Zveza Slovenije, Yugoslavia
O U R R E Q U E ST F O R permission to climb M ount Everest had already been sent to the Nepalese governm ent in 1974. Between A pril 9 and M ay 5, 1978 Stane Belak, Štefan M arenče, R om an Robas, N ejc Zaplotnik and I investigated a difficult but relatively safe approach to the Lho La, figured out how we could transport loads up the last 650 feet of the face below this pass, a rra n g e d w ith M o u n ta in Travel for a capable party of Sherpas, tested technical and safety equip m ent and studied the possibilities of supplying the climbers w ith as m uch fresh food as we could. Preparations in 1978 finished w ith the selection of the 25 members, who assumed the responsibility of the tasks of p u r chasing the food and equipment, organizing the transport of men and loads, in short, the whole organization of the expedition. The party was also accom panied by two radio operators, two new s men, a TV cam eram an and a painter. Police Inspector Y ogendra T hapa was appointed as the N epalese liaison officer. Ang Phu, as sirdar, was in charge of 19 Sherpas, 3 cooks, 3 kitchen boys, and 2 mail runners. F o r transport from K athm andu to Base Cam p we had at our disposal 700 porters. W e left Yugoslavia w ith 18 tons of equipm ent at the end of February, 1979, departed from K athm andu in four parties between M arch 10 and 14; the last of the party arrived at Base Cam p at 17,500 feet on M arch 31. A lready on M arch 29 we started fixing ropes and ladders between Base Cam p and C am p I at 19,850 feet at the edge of the Lho La, a job th at went on until Cam p I was established on A pril 6. The upper part of the rock was of difficulty of U IA A G rade IV and V. We erected a winch on the last 650 feet, which lifted six tons of supplies. Cam p I consisted of tents and snow caves and could house 40 people. W hile supplies were being gathered at Cam p I, from A pril 7 to 14 w ork w ent ahead in preparing the route to Cam p II at 22,200 feet. Above the Lho La there was 4 5 ° to 55° ice and U IA A G rade IV rock. Cam p II could house twelve people. Climbing difficulties were less be-
tw een Camps II and III. Cam p III was established on A pril 18 below the top of the western shoulder at 23,800 feet. F rom the western shoulder a gentle and easy ridge led for a mile and a half to Cam p IV, established on April 27. T he A m erican route of 1963 joined ours along this section, rising from the W estern Cwm. A t Cam p IV the A m erican route turned onto the north slope to the Holbein Couloir, while ours continued up the west ridge proper. It storm ed from M ay 3 to 7 and so we could not establish Cam p V at 26,650 feet until M ay 9. The difficulty of this section was U IA A G rade II and III. On M ay 10 V iktor G ro šelj and M arjan M anfreda set out on a sum m it bid but were forced to retreat from 27,225 feet because of routefinding difficulties, oxygen valve problem s and frostbite. H ow ever they fixed rope on the first hard pitch (U IA A G rade V ). On M ay 12 Dusan Podbevšek and Rom an Robas also had route-finding problem s and did not get m uch over 27,225 feet. On M ay 13 the brothers Andrej and M arko Štemfelj and N ejc Zaplotnik set off from Cam p V in strong winds at − 35° C. M arko had to retreat because of a faulty oxygen bottle valve, but the other two progressed quickly. A fter several tries, they climbed the second hard section (one rope-length of V and two of IV ), rejoined the A m erican route and reached the sum m it of M ount Everest at 1:51 P.M . They descended the A m erican route and the H ornbein Couloir to reach Camp IV late in the evening. The last successful sum m it party, Stane Belak, Stipe Božič, who filmed the whole ascent, and Ang Phu, were delayed a day by snowfall. O n M ay 15 they left Cam p V. Being three, they were slower than the previous party, reached the top at 2 :3 0 P.M . and started to descend. T hey were forced to bivouac in the open air at over 26,900 feet in the H ornbein Couloir. The last summ it party, Borut Bergant, Ivan K otnik and V anja M atijevec, had spent the night in Cam p V. W hen they m ade no contact w ith the descending party, the three decided to cross to help them. They found them just below the H ornbein Couloir. In spite of the bivouac, they seemed in good condition to make their way down. H ow ever on a 35° snow slope Ang Phu slipped, and making no effort to arrest his fall, slid some 6000 feet to where we found him dead the next day. In consequence of the accident and because oxygen supplies were exhausted, climbing efforts stopped. Between M ay 17 and 20 we evac uated the cam ps and left Base Cam p on M ay 21. W e were back in K athm andu on M ay 27. T here are now five different routes by w hich M ount Everest has been climbed. O urs is the only one from the N epalese side that ascends di rectly, avoiding the K hum bu Icefall and the W estern Cwm. We believe
it will be an attractive route for others because it does not enter the icefall, but technical difficulties accom pany the clim ber almost to the very top and it is exposed to strong winds all the time. Zaplotnik now belongs to the half dozen climbers who have climbed three 8000-m eter peaks, while Belak and Andrej Štrem felj have climbed two 8000ers. S u m m a ry o f Statistics: A r e a : M ount Everest, N epal. N
R o u t e : M ount Everest, 29,028 feet, via the entire W est Ridge, M ay 13, 1979 (A ndrej Štrem felj, Z aplotnik); M ay 15 (Belak, Božič, Ang P h u ) .
ew
T one Škarja, leader; Stane Belak, T om až Jam nik, Evgen V avken, Igor Tekavčič, Bojan Poliak, Rom an Robas, Zvone A ndrejčič, Štefan M arenče, Stipe Božič, Borut Bergant, M uham ed Gafič, V iktor G ro šelj, Stane Klemenc, F ra n ček Knez, Ivan K otnik, M arjan M an freda, V anja Matijevec, V lado M esarič, D u šan Podbevšek, M uham ed Šišic, A ndrej Štrem felj, M arko Štrem felj, N ejc Zaplotnik, Jože Zupan.
P erso nn el:
A s w e go to press, w e have ju st received new s o f the first w in ter ascent o f M o u n t E verest. D esp ite − 4 0 ° tem p era tu res and high w inds, the Poles, L e sze k C ich y a n d K r z y s z to f W ielicki rea ch ed the s u m m it on F ebruary 17, 1980. R y sza r d S za firski a n d leader A n d r z e j Z a w a d a w ere beaten back fr o m 2 6 ,7 5 0 fe e t on F eb ru a ry 13.
Climbers who are interested in keeping up w ith m ountaineering history as it happens will w ant to subscribe to IW A TO Y U K I, Japan’s forem ost m ountain magazine. Articles in Japanese about climbing in all parts of the world are sum m arized in English. It contains num erous photographs, m any in color, valuable maps, diagrams and topos w ith English captions. T here are six regular issues and one special m ountaineering annual issue each year. A nnual subscription: 7600 yen. IW A TO Y U K I, Y am a To K eikoku Sha Co. Ltd., 1-1-33 Shiba Daim on, M inato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan.
O U R R E Q U E ST F O R permission to climb M ount Everest had already been sent to the Nepalese governm ent in 1974. Between A pril 9 and M ay 5, 1978 Stane Belak, Štefan M arenče, R om an Robas, N ejc Zaplotnik and I investigated a difficult but relatively safe approach to the Lho La, figured out how we could transport loads up the last 650 feet of the face below this pass, a rra n g e d w ith M o u n ta in Travel for a capable party of Sherpas, tested technical and safety equip m ent and studied the possibilities of supplying the climbers w ith as m uch fresh food as we could. Preparations in 1978 finished w ith the selection of the 25 members, who assumed the responsibility of the tasks of p u r chasing the food and equipment, organizing the transport of men and loads, in short, the whole organization of the expedition. The party was also accom panied by two radio operators, two new s men, a TV cam eram an and a painter. Police Inspector Y ogendra T hapa was appointed as the N epalese liaison officer. Ang Phu, as sirdar, was in charge of 19 Sherpas, 3 cooks, 3 kitchen boys, and 2 mail runners. F o r transport from K athm andu to Base Cam p we had at our disposal 700 porters. W e left Yugoslavia w ith 18 tons of equipm ent at the end of February, 1979, departed from K athm andu in four parties between M arch 10 and 14; the last of the party arrived at Base Cam p at 17,500 feet on M arch 31. A lready on M arch 29 we started fixing ropes and ladders between Base Cam p and C am p I at 19,850 feet at the edge of the Lho La, a job th at went on until Cam p I was established on A pril 6. The upper part of the rock was of difficulty of U IA A G rade IV and V. We erected a winch on the last 650 feet, which lifted six tons of supplies. Cam p I consisted of tents and snow caves and could house 40 people. W hile supplies were being gathered at Cam p I, from A pril 7 to 14 w ork w ent ahead in preparing the route to Cam p II at 22,200 feet. Above the Lho La there was 4 5 ° to 55° ice and U IA A G rade IV rock. Cam p II could house twelve people. Climbing difficulties were less be-
tw een Camps II and III. Cam p III was established on A pril 18 below the top of the western shoulder at 23,800 feet. F rom the western shoulder a gentle and easy ridge led for a mile and a half to Cam p IV, established on April 27. T he A m erican route of 1963 joined ours along this section, rising from the W estern Cwm. A t Cam p IV the A m erican route turned onto the north slope to the Holbein Couloir, while ours continued up the west ridge proper. It storm ed from M ay 3 to 7 and so we could not establish Cam p V at 26,650 feet until M ay 9. The difficulty of this section was U IA A G rade II and III. On M ay 10 V iktor G ro šelj and M arjan M anfreda set out on a sum m it bid but were forced to retreat from 27,225 feet because of routefinding difficulties, oxygen valve problem s and frostbite. H ow ever they fixed rope on the first hard pitch (U IA A G rade V ). On M ay 12 Dusan Podbevšek and Rom an Robas also had route-finding problem s and did not get m uch over 27,225 feet. On M ay 13 the brothers Andrej and M arko Štemfelj and N ejc Zaplotnik set off from Cam p V in strong winds at − 35° C. M arko had to retreat because of a faulty oxygen bottle valve, but the other two progressed quickly. A fter several tries, they climbed the second hard section (one rope-length of V and two of IV ), rejoined the A m erican route and reached the sum m it of M ount Everest at 1:51 P.M . They descended the A m erican route and the H ornbein Couloir to reach Camp IV late in the evening. The last successful sum m it party, Stane Belak, Stipe Božič, who filmed the whole ascent, and Ang Phu, were delayed a day by snowfall. O n M ay 15 they left Cam p V. Being three, they were slower than the previous party, reached the top at 2 :3 0 P.M . and started to descend. T hey were forced to bivouac in the open air at over 26,900 feet in the H ornbein Couloir. The last summ it party, Borut Bergant, Ivan K otnik and V anja M atijevec, had spent the night in Cam p V. W hen they m ade no contact w ith the descending party, the three decided to cross to help them. They found them just below the H ornbein Couloir. In spite of the bivouac, they seemed in good condition to make their way down. H ow ever on a 35° snow slope Ang Phu slipped, and making no effort to arrest his fall, slid some 6000 feet to where we found him dead the next day. In consequence of the accident and because oxygen supplies were exhausted, climbing efforts stopped. Between M ay 17 and 20 we evac uated the cam ps and left Base Cam p on M ay 21. W e were back in K athm andu on M ay 27. T here are now five different routes by w hich M ount Everest has been climbed. O urs is the only one from the N epalese side that ascends di rectly, avoiding the K hum bu Icefall and the W estern Cwm. We believe
it will be an attractive route for others because it does not enter the icefall, but technical difficulties accom pany the clim ber almost to the very top and it is exposed to strong winds all the time. Zaplotnik now belongs to the half dozen climbers who have climbed three 8000-m eter peaks, while Belak and Andrej Štrem felj have climbed two 8000ers. S u m m a ry o f Statistics: A r e a : M ount Everest, N epal. N
R o u t e : M ount Everest, 29,028 feet, via the entire W est Ridge, M ay 13, 1979 (A ndrej Štrem felj, Z aplotnik); M ay 15 (Belak, Božič, Ang P h u ) .
ew
T one Škarja, leader; Stane Belak, T om až Jam nik, Evgen V avken, Igor Tekavčič, Bojan Poliak, Rom an Robas, Zvone A ndrejčič, Štefan M arenče, Stipe Božič, Borut Bergant, M uham ed Gafič, V iktor G ro šelj, Stane Klemenc, F ra n ček Knez, Ivan K otnik, M arjan M an freda, V anja Matijevec, V lado M esarič, D u šan Podbevšek, M uham ed Šišic, A ndrej Štrem felj, M arko Štrem felj, N ejc Zaplotnik, Jože Zupan.
P erso nn el:
A s w e go to press, w e have ju st received new s o f the first w in ter ascent o f M o u n t E verest. D esp ite − 4 0 ° tem p era tu res and high w inds, the Poles, L e sze k C ich y a n d K r z y s z to f W ielicki rea ch ed the s u m m it on F ebruary 17, 1980. R y sza r d S za firski a n d leader A n d r z e j Z a w a d a w ere beaten back fr o m 2 6 ,7 5 0 fe e t on F eb ru a ry 13.
Climbers who are interested in keeping up w ith m ountaineering history as it happens will w ant to subscribe to IW A TO Y U K I, Japan’s forem ost m ountain magazine. Articles in Japanese about climbing in all parts of the world are sum m arized in English. It contains num erous photographs, m any in color, valuable maps, diagrams and topos w ith English captions. T here are six regular issues and one special m ountaineering annual issue each year. A nnual subscription: 7600 yen. IW A TO Y U K I, Y am a To K eikoku Sha Co. Ltd., 1-1-33 Shiba Daim on, M inato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan.
