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The Mr Price Himalayan Challenge Everest
Expedition was the second South African team to attempt the North Ridge
of Everest. Another South African team had reached 7400 metres in autumn
1996. This attempt was made in spring of 1998.
The team was led by Ian Woodall, with Cathy O’Dowd, Pemba Sherpa,
Jangbu Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa making up the rest of the summit team.
Ian, Cathy, Jangbu and Pemba had all reached the summit Everest from the
south side on 25 May 1996. Pemba and Jangbu had one other summit to
their credit, and Lhakpa had four.
Climbing in support were Trevor Johnston, Andre le Roux and Jan Horn,
all from South Africa, and Phuri Sherpa from Nepal. Phuri also acted as
ABC cook. South African Martin Brasg was technician while Padam Maygar
and Mangal Tamil ran base camp.
The team arrived in Kathmandu on March 29. Once all the permissions and
logistics had been sorted, the team drove to Tibet on April 11. Five
days were spent on the drive, and base camp (5200m) was reached on the
15th. Once the puja had been held on the 17th,
loads could be moved by yak up the Rongbuk glaciers to advanced base
camp – ABC (6500m).
The first night spent at ABC was the 26th and on the 27th
the Sherpas established camp 1 (7000m). They set up camp 2 (7600m) on
the 29th and camp 3 (8300m) on the 30th. Then they
began the task of stocking the camps.
Meanwhile the members followed a slower acclimatization programme. On
the 29th Cathy and Andre did a day trip to camp 1, with Andre
then returning to base camp. Trevor reached 6900m the next day and then
went down to base.
Cathy and Jan spent the next week filming around ABC for a television
documentary. Jan reached a high point of 6600 metres. On May 7 Cathy and
Ian did a day trip to camp 1. Andre spent the night of the 9th
at camp 1 in very poor conditions.
Due to ongoing bad weather the entire team decided to return to base
camp, arriving on the 12th. Tired and demoralised by poor
conditions Martin and Andre left for home on the 17th. While
Jan manned the base camp radio, the rest of the team moved up to ABC on
the 18th.
On the 20th Ian, Cathy and Trevor moved up to camp 1. The
next day Ian and Cathy climbed to camp 2, while Trevor turned round at
7200 metres, his high point, and headed for base camp. On the 22nd
Ian and Cathy were trapped at camp 2 due to very high winds. These
subsided and the following day they were joined by Pemba, Lhakpa and
Jangbu in moving to camp 3.
At 2.30 a.m. on the 24th the five climbers left camp 3 to
make an attempt on the summit. They had been joined by a Tibetan
climber, Ci Luo. In addition three Uzbekistan climbers were also trying
for the top. Everyone was using oxygen. Although conditions were clear,
once the climbers reached the summit ridge and were exposed to the wind,
temperatures became very cold.
At 5.00 a.m. Cathy found American climber Francys Arsentiev lying at the
foot of the first step (8600m). Her climbing partner, Sergeui, had
disappeared. The South Africans had no idea that the two of them were on
the summit ridge, nor did they know that Francys had been lying there
for two days. She was barely conscious and totally immobile. The team
spent an hour with her before finally deciding there was nothing they
could do to save her life.
At that point Cathy, Ian and Pemba chose to descend. The rest of the
climbers continued and at 10 a.m. on 24 May 1998 Jangbu, Lhakpa and Ci
Luo reached the summit. The whole team was safely back at camp 1 by that
night.
North Ridge Picture Gallery
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