YUGOSLAV EVEREST EXPEDITION

TONE SKARJA

Legend

Mount Everest West Ridge Yugoslav Route

IN SPRING 1978 the reconnaiisancc party (Skarja, Belak, Marence, Robas, Zaplotnik) discovered a difficult but relatively safe approach to the saddle of Lho La, found out the possibilities for the transport of the loads over the last 200 m of the face below the saddle. The pre-parations were finished in 1978 with the selection of 25 members of the expedition, who assumed the responsibility for all the tasks concerning the purchase of food and equipment, organization of the transport of men and loads, in short, the whole organization of the expedition.

We left Yugoslavia with 18 tons of equipment at the end of February 1979, reached Kathmandu in 4 parties between 10 and 14 March, and the complete party was gathered in the base on the Khumbu glacier (5350 m) on 31 March.

Ascent

Between 29 March and 6 April we fixed ropes on faces between the base (5350 m) and the edge of the saddle Lho-La (6050 m), set up a 200 m long hand lift with which about 6 tons of loads were transported, and erected Camp 1 consisting of tents and snow caves with 40 beds. The degree of the difficulty of the face was between II and III, the upper 150 m between IV and V grades.

Between 7 and 14 April we were gathering the equipment on Lho La, ascended and equipped the ice (50-55°) and rock face (IV) above the saddle, and erected Camp 2 (6770 m) with 12 beds.

Between 14 and 18 April we completed our supplies and erected camp 3 (7170 m) with 12 beds above the moderate slope (40°) below the top of the West Shoulder (7220 m).

From the West Shoulder a gentle and easy ridge, but 2-5 km long, leads towards the upper pyramid. From the Western Cwm the American route of 1963 joins the ridge, follows it for some time, and then turns to the northern slope below the Hornbein Couloir. At the end of the snow ridge Camp 4 (7520 m) was erected on 27 April with 12 beds.

Between 3 and 7 May a storm with 150 km/h prevented us from climbing above 8000 m, so that Camp 5 (8120 m) was erected on 9 May. The degree of the difficulty of the face was between II and III.

On 10 May a pair of climbers, Groselj and Manfreda, tried to reach the top. They were forced to retreat from 8300 m because they spent too much time searching for a route, because of the damage of the value on the oxygen bottle and because of frost-bite. However they climbed and equipped the first hard pitch (V).

On 12 May Podbevsek and Robas went astray and arrived at the gendarme above Camp 5, then found the right way but had to return from 8300 m because of the lack of time.

On 13 May two brothers, Andrej and Marko Stremfelj, and Nejc Zaplotnik set off from Camp 5 in strong wind at — 35 °C. Marko had to retreat because of the damage of a valve of his oxygen bottle, while the other two progressed quickly along the ridges (II and III), climbed, after several tries, the second hard pitch (1 rope length of V, 2 rope lengths of IV), and across the American grade IV, at 13.51, conquered the top of Everest (8848 m). They descended the American gully and reached Camp 4 late in the evening.

In consequence of the bad weather conditions (it was snowing) the next party consisting of Belak, Bozio, who filmed the whole ascent, and Ang Phu left Camp 5 two days later, on 15 May. Being three, they were slower than the previous party, reached the top at 14*30, started to descend, but were forced to bivouac in the open, over 8200 m high in the Hornbein Couloir.

In Camp 5 the last party of climbers who were supposed to reach the top was ready to set off. These were Bergant, Kotnik and Mati- jevec. But as the radio connections with the descending party were broken oflF, the three of them decided to go and help them. They found them, in spite of the bivouac, in condition to continue on their own way down, but in a snowfield (35 °) Ang Phu slipped, and, without trying to stop himself, slid 1800 m, where we found him dead the next day.

In consequence of this accident and because the supplies of the oxygen were exhausted, climbing to the top was stopped. Between 17 and 20 May we evacuated the camps, left the base on 21 May, came to Kathmandu on 27 May and on 8 June back to Yugoslavia.

Achievement

This Yugoslav expedition has opened a new route to Everest via the Lho-La. It is the only route from Nepal side, which is independent from the base on. We hoped that, because it avoids the icefall, it would become more attractive than the other routes. But it is technically too difficult. It rises very quickly, leads for a long time on great heights, technical problems accompany the climbers almost to the very top (this is the highest Grade V in the world), it is exposed to the strong winds all the time. With this ascent Zaplotnik belongs among six of those alpinists who have conquered three peaks over 8000 m, while Belak and Andrej Stremfelj have ascended two peaks over 8000 m.

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