C LIMBS A ND E XP E DITIONS : N E PA L 375 Nepal ANNAPURNA HIMAL Annapurna I, east ridge, third ascent. One of the most nota- ble accomplishments of the season was the second two- way traverse of the east ridge of Annapurna I (8,091m). When the well-known Pol- ish climber, Piotr Pustelnik, organized his four-man team for this task, he was well aware of the difficulties they would confront on this huge ridge, which starts from Tarke Kang (a.k.a. Glacier Dome, 7,193m) in the east and runs westward over Roc Noir to the three 8,000m summits of Annapurna. However, he did not anticipate the addition of two not-so-highly skilled Tibetans on his permit and the problems one of them would present. The first ascent of the east ridge, which resulted in an elegant traverse of Annapurna, ranks with some of the most significant events in the history of Himalayan climbing. The ridge was first attempted by Germans in 1969, and again in 1981 by a Swedish team, the latter getting as far as the East Summit of Annapurna. Both approached via the West Annapurna Glacier and the east side of the col north of Fluted Peak. In September and October 1984 a six-man expedition entirely formed of Swiss guides, established four camps from the South Annapurna Glacier, climbing to the col between Fluted Peak and Tarke Kang from the more difficult but less dangerous west side, then, in common with the Germans and Swedes, up the ridge above to Tarke Kang itself. The highest of the four camps, at 7,100m, was situated just below the sum- mit of Tarke Kang. On October 6, Norbert Joos and Erhard Loretan constructed an igloo at 7,490m just beyond the summit of Khangsar Kang (a.k.a. Roc Noir, 7,485m), a pointed, snow- plastered rocky tower situated on the east ridge of Annapurna and first climbed in 1969 by Germans, Obster, Schubert, and Winkler, via the east ridge from the South Annapurna Glacier. The Swiss pair then descended to base camp at ca 4,200m. Bad weather intervened but on the 22nd four of the team, Ueli Bühler, Bruno Durrer, Joos, and Loretan headed up from Camp 3 toward the igloo. Bühler and Durrer returned from Khangsar Kang, but the other two spent the night in the igloo, then on the 23rd climbed along the ridge, over the East Summit of Annapurna (8,047m) to the col between the latter and Annapurna Central (8,061m). There, at ca 8,020m, they made another igloo and spent the night inside sheltering from violent winds. On the 24th they climbed over the Central Sum- mit to reach the Main Summit at 1:30 p.m., more or less following the crest throughout. That same day they set off for a committing on-sight descent of the north face and bivouacked at ca 6,800m. The following day they negotiated the Dutch Rib with just one ice screw and a 50m rope, and bivouacked at 5,000m. On the 26th they reached the standard base camp for the Normal Route on the north side of the mountain, where they met an expedition attempting Nilgiri. However, the other Swiss members had no news as to their whereabouts or possible success until they were all reunited on November 4 in Kathmandu. 376 T he A M E RI ca N A LPIN E J OURNA L , 2007 C LIMBS A ND E XP E DITIONS : N E PA L 377 The ridge saw its second ascent in the spring of 2002. Five climbers fixed the rock spur In addition, six members reached the summit over two consecutive days, accompanied on above the South Annapurna Glacier leading to the col between Fluted Peak and Tarke Kang. each occasion by Nanmygal Sherpa, who not only reached the summit twice within 24 hours but The team then established their Camp 3 at 7,100m just below the summit of Tarke Kang. From was also able to descend to Camp 1 at 6100m in just 4 hours, in order to deliver a sample of blood here Veikki Gustafsson, Alberto Iñurrategi, Jean Christophe Lafaille, and Ed Viesturs set off in after the second summit bid. The sample had been obtained from inside a small, lightweight alpine style for the summit. Gustafsson and Viesturs retreated before reaching Khangsar Kang shelter erected on the summit, with Mt Everest clearly visible in the distance. This was the first but the other pair continued. Above 7,700m they found the ridge to be stripped bare of snow attempt ever to obtain information about the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide at by the wind, and quite tricky. They dropped onto the north flank and traversed below the East such altitudes and provided the foundations for the Xtreme Expedition to Everest in 2007. and Central summits until they could climb up to the Main Summit via the last section of the DR. JEREMY WINDSOR, UK Normal Route. However, this was only the half way point, as Iñurrategi and Lafaille had never been inspired by a descent of the dangerous north face. Instead, they reversed the route, taking a further three days to regain base camp. DAMODAR HIMAL Like Lafaille and Iñurrategi, Pustelnik’s party had neither bottled oxygen nor Sherpa support. First they acclimatized on Cho Oyu, then on May 6 went to their base camp at 4,130m Pt. 6,190m and Pt. ca 5,754m, first ascents. Two members of the Kumamoto section of the at the southern end of the Annapurna Glacier for their push to the Main Summit. After having Japanese Alpine Club, Koichi Kato and Makiji Kiso, made a reconnaissance of Yakawa Kang made three more camps and two bivouacs, three members, Pustelnik, his compatriot Piotr (6,482m), the peak immediately north of the Thorang La and first officially opened in 2003. Morawski, and Slovakian Peter Hamor, set out on May 21 from their bivouac at 7,700m for the The expedition lasted from October 15 through November 14, in which time they made first three summits. ascents of two nameless peaks. After descending east from the Thorang La to Manang, the team Tagging along with them was a Tibetan, Luo Tse, who had twelve 8,000m summits to trekked to Nargaon and then north up the Labse Khola to near its head south of the Damodar his credit. However, all of these had been achieved with much bigger teams than his 2006 Himal. Base camp was established at 4,800m at the point where the trail to the 5,595m Teri La group, which comprised just two members and one Sherpa. All four crossed the East Summit leaves the main valley. On October 27, after having made Camp 1 at 5,400m near the head- of Annapurna and reached the col beyond. Onward progress looked very daunting and it took waters of the Labse Khola, Kato with the expedition sirdar, Hari Bahadur, climbed Pt. 6,190m some time before the team found a practicable route down a 100m ramp on the north flank in the southwestern Damodar, approaching from the east. This peak may have the name of that would take them toward the Central Summit. By this time it was 4 p.m. and it was obvious Wata. that reaching the Main Summit and returning to their top bivouac would take them well into On the 30th, again from the 4,800m base camp via a Camp 1 at 5,365m below the Teri the night. At this point Pustelnik realized Luo Tse had become partly snowblind, badly dehy- La, Bahadur, Kato, Kiso, and a Sherpa, Rames, stood on top Pt. 5,754m (GPS measurement). drated, and had no headlamp. This peak lies on the ridge a short distance south of the Teri La and on the northern flanks of So Hamor went on alone, rejoined the ridge, gained the Central and Main summits and the Putrung (a.k.a Purbung) Himal. The team turned south just before reaching the La and then bivouacked at 10 p.m. on his return, somewhere between these two summits. In the mean- climbed the unnamed peak directly. time Morawski and Pustelnik were struggling to get the Tibetan down to their last bivouac, TAMOTSU NAKAMURA, Japanese Alpine News which they eventually reached at 5 a.m. on the 22nd. The Europeans’ trials were still not over: by the time they reached their last fixed camp, they had been without food for four or five days and were completely exhausted. They gave no thought to another attempt and went home. Pt. 6417m correction. In AAJ 2006, p. 408, the dates of the first and second ascents should be The two Tibetans and their Sherpa stayed. They rested and then report succeeding on September 8, 2003 and September 21, 2003 respectively and not October as stated. their second attempt in windy and cloudy weather. They reached the top on June 4 but had no visibility. However, Luo Tse is certain they reached the Main Summit because he had already PERI HIMAL seen it from the East Summit during in his first attempt with Pustelnik. ELIZABETH HAWLEY, AAC Honorary Member, Nepal Panbari Himal, first ascent. The unclimbed Panbari Himal, a remotely situated 6,905m snow peak, was only opened to foreign expeditions in 2002. The mountain lies immediately north of Cho Oyu 2005 - blood samples at very high altitude. In the autumn of 2005, the Anglo-Irish the Larkya La (5,135m), a relatively spectacular pass that forms the high point on the increas- Xtreme Everest Expedition to Cho Oyu (8,188m) undertook a number of ambitious scientific ingly popular Manaslu Circuit, linking the Marsyandi Khola and Buri Gandaki valleys.