Gemmigela I (Twin I) Ascent and Tragedy. A Japanese expedition of ...

G em m igela I (Twin I) A scen t a n d Tragedy. A Japanese expedition o f eight was led by K enshiro Otaki. On O ctober 29, Shigeru Y okokawa and Sherpas Pasang Tensing, D aw ang and Pasang com pleted the first ascent o f the peak (7350 m eters, 2 4 ,144 feet), but all returned w ith serious frostbite and had to be evacuated. On O ctober 31, K azunori C hikui and Ishim ori Takashim a also reached the sum m it. T hey retreated to their high cam p at 6700 m eters but w ere trapped there by heavy storms. They w ere last heard from on N ovem ber 3. Finally, on N ovem ber 21, Sherpas found their bodies in the final cam p. In 1993, a Japanese expedition attem pted this peak. They reached the sum m it o f G em m igela II and were attem pting to continue to the m ain peak w hen M asanori Sato was killed in a crevasse fall and the expedition abandoned. [See AAJ, 1994, pages 203-4.] H arish K apadia, Editor, H im alayan Journal