PUTHA HIUNCHULI, 1972

Nagoya YMCA A.C. Expedition

TADAAKI SAHASHI

PUTHA Hiunchuli is located on the western most side of seven peaks of the Dhaulagiri range. It is not a virgin peak, since it has already been climbed first from the northern side by J. O. M. Roberts in 1954, but as the south side had not been climbed, we decided to climb it from this side. But in the pre- monsoon of 1972, the Sepiyo Alpine Club of Tokyo, Japan, climbed it and succeeded in reaching its summit on 14 April. As a result, we decided to put off our expedition until after the monsoon season.

Our party consisted of seven members. Of the members of our party, nobody had been to the Himalaya before. But a total of six out of seven members were successful in two separate summit attempts in two days. The top was first reached on 14 October at 4 p.m., and on 16 October at 12-45 p.m.

After 13 days' trekking, we finally set up the Base Camp at 4500 m., on 19 September.

The Base Camp was located on a prominence which commanded a view of the whole south-west face of Churen Himal. The Nippon Rock Climbing party's Base Camp, for Dhaulagiri IV, was also near us.

We had two alternatives to Camp I. One was short but a little dangerous because of falling stones, the other was long and safe, running along the Kaphe Khola. We decided to take the safe route to carry the loads.

On 21 September we set up Camp I at the altitude of 5000 m. near a pond, the same place that the Sepiyo Alpine Club chose in their premonsoon expedition. From that day, we continued to bring our loads to the higher camp in compliance with the plan.

Camp II was established five days later at a junction of the south ridge of Putha Hiunchuli at about 5500 m.

The route from Camp I to Camp II lies in the crevasse area and the heavy snow fall made it more difficult for us to go on.

Photo Plates 10 and 11

There was also a rock belt about 30 m. high and above it a 20 m. snow wall.

From camp II to Camp III, we had chosen the most safe route, although it was a little longer. Crossing the wide glacier, which lies in front of Camp II, we climbed a snow wall about 100 m high by fixing a rope.

On 2 October, we were obliged to set up Camp III in the shadow of a small peak. The altimeter read 5750 m.

On 3 October, a French party arrived in Kaphe Khola to climb Gurja Himal. Since 30 September we were making a route to Camp IV on the sharp snow wall, about 800 m. high. The sharp slope covered with icy snow on the south side of Putha Hiunchuli looked as if it left no way for us to climb, and the success of the climb depended on climbing this snow slope.

About one and a half hours brought us to the south ridge from Camp III, and we were met by a strong west wind. We could see Kanjiroba Himal far away against the clouds in the west district.

The west side of the south ridge was made of a vertical wall of rock and snow. It was about 1000 m. high.

It was a marvel to us that the ice wall which looked like such a snowy precipice from a distance could be climbed at all.

Everything proceeded as had been scheduled. We made a party of three men, and fixed the 800 m. rope all the way up the sharp slope of what we called the snow dome.

On 5 October, the snow, which had begun to fall since afternoon turned into a snowstorm that night, and it proved to be the heaviest snowfall that we had. Next morning, we saw everywhere around the camp, the big devilish scratches of snow-slides, which had occurred during the night. On 8 October, we finally succeeded in setting up temporary Camp IV at the top of the snow dome. The next day, Camp IV at the height of 6400 m. was built by Matsuo and Ito in the middle of the wide snow field at the foot of the south central face of Putha Hiunchuli.

We should have carried the loads up to Camp IV, but it was very heavy work on the snow and the icy sharp slope of the snow dome.

From 9 October, we kept making the route to the summit on the central ridge of Putha Hiunchuli.

On 14 October, we rose at 4-30 a.m. It was a calm and fine morning.

Aoyama and Sakaue started from Camp IV at 5 a.m. for fixing the rope and supporting the attack members. The rope had been fixed upto about 7000 m. the day before. The first attacking party Matsuo, Fujiwara and Sirdar, Nawang Samden left Camp IV half an hour after them. They crossed the glacier-like snow field, and reached the bergschrund, crossed it, and ascended the frozen snow of the central ridge.

From 7100 m. they had rope up and resume climbing with great effort. When they got to 100 m. beneath the summit, they found a rockbelt, which they turned from the right. Until 3 p.m. the weather had been fine but now the wind began to blow harder and harder.

Finally at 4 p.m. they were successful in reaching the summit. The summit was formed of a fairly level ridge. The southern side which they had come up was steep, but the northern side was a gentle slope.

Two days later, 16 October, four more members of our party repeated the ascent. With the exception of the leader Sahasbi all members and two Sherpas succeeded in reaching the top. Sahashi turned back 3 pitches below the summit because of having been attacked by diarrhoea ail the way up on that day.

We have achieved a great deal, as much as we expected when we set out; we had experienced the delights of climbing in the Flimalaya, and gained the knowledge of the culture and the human life of Nepal.

Members: Tadaaki Sahashi (leaded), Hiroyuki Matsuo, Toshi- hiko Fujiwara, Yukio Aoyama, Daizaburo Ito, Koichi Sakaue, James A. Prichard. Sherpas: Nawang Samden, Mingma, Kanchha, Phuri, Jhabyang Tenzing, Sona Gyaltzen.

 

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