BHRIGUPANTH (6772 m), 1989

DIVYESH MUNI

THIS EXPEDITION was organised by Sports and Research Foundation, Pune and led by Dr D. T. Kulkarni as a pre-Everest expedition. The lure of Everest blinded us in joining this high budget expedition to Bhrigupanth.

The team consisted of 22 members of which 4 were untrained. We had 4 Sherpas and one HAP to guide the team, open route and do the major load ferries on the climb.

We reached Gangotri on 15 August 1989. On the 16th we started our three day approach march with 40 porter loads. The balance would be sent up on the next day. We trekked up the Kedarganga valley through lush greenery between the towering rock walls. Camping at Bhojkhadak uid Kedarkhadak, we reached BC on 18 August.

BC (4730 m) was established on the right bank of the Kedaf tal and n reconnaissance for ABC was made on the 19th and established on the lateral moraine on the right of the Kedar glacier. We were now ready for stocking and acclimatizing for the climb. Load ferry started on the 20th.

The difficulties of our selected west face route can be gauged by the observations of Christy Z. Tews, member of the Indian-American Women's expedition which made the first successful ascent of Hhrigupanth. The expedition was led by Arlene Blum. Christy writes, 'I rom base camp we had a clear view of Bhrigupanth's north and west faces. A long, avalanche - prone chute presented itself as access to the north ridge — possibly 4000 ft of neve and ice. We felt it would be too dangerous to justify climbing there, though the technical challenge was exciting'1

The only success on the west face route had been of the 11 member Taiwanese expedition in 1983.

Footnote

  1. Indian Mountaineer, 7, 1981.

 

Photos 7-8
Panorama A
Cover Photo

'Bhrigupanth was climbed by one of the 11-member Taiwanese expedition-Chang Ming Lung along with Sherpa Ang Pasang on 8 October from the northwest (west) face. The success was followed by a grim tragedy. The second summit party consisting of Huang Teung Jye, Hsu Ching Jung and Sherpa Ang Pasang (second time) made a summit bid on 9 October. At 1200 the leader heard them saying on walkie - talkie that they would reach the summit in half an hour. At 12.30 hours the leader tried to contact them but got no response. Repeated attempts the whole day to get them on the walkie-talkie failed. At 0900 hours the following day they heard Sherpa Ang Pasang' s voice calling for help saying that all the three members of the second summit party had slipped and fallen down near the summit and that there was no trace of the other two. The liaison officer was immediately sent to arrange search and evacuation by air. Meanwhile, a search team was formed with two members of the team and two Sherpas. They went up from ABC to C2. At 1600 hrs heavy snowfall started, rendering visibility to zero. At 1700 hrs an avalanche fell followed by another at 1800 hrs, uprooting all the ice pitons and the fixed rope. The search party had to return. The next day (11 October) Ang Pasang spoke on the walkie - talkie pleading for early rescue. A helicopter came on the 12th morning but could not go up as the winds were very fast and manoeuvring became impossible. On the 13th, the helicopter went round and round the mountain but could find no sign of life or bodies of the victims. The search was given up and team returned to Delhi'.2

In 1984 this route was attempted by a 8 member team of Climbers and Explorers Club, New Delhi. The leader describes the west face as : ' The rock wall starting at the foot disappeared under snow and ice and continued up in one single sweep upto the left shoulder that ran sharp and steep to join the jagged first rock tower of the saw-toothed ridge which led to the summit crown'.3 Thus it was evident that the route we were attempting was hazardous.4

Footnote

  1. Report from Indian Mountaineer, 12, p. 179
  2. Indian Mountaineer, 15, 1985.
  3. For sketch-map see Article 8 in this issue. — Ed.

 

View from south ridge of Bhrigpupanth.
View from south ridge of Bhrigpupanth.

Panaroma A. View from south ridge of Bhrigpupanth. Article 9 (Divyesh Muni)

View of the northern ranges from Khardung la.
View of the northern ranges from Khardung la.

Panaroma B. View of the northern ranges from Khardung la. Article 13 (Harish Kapadia)

Mamostong Kangri from 'Col 62' on Aq Tash glacier.
Mamostong Kangri from 'Col 62' on Aq Tash glacier.

Panaroma C. Mamostong Kangri from 'Col 62' on Aq Tash glacier. Article 13 (M. H. Contractor)

Thalay Sagar as seen from west face of Bhrigupanth. North face in front, west ridge on right and east ridge extending to left. The south pillar of Bhrigupanth (on extreme left) falls to the col.

Thalay Sagar as seen from west face of Bhrigupanth. North face in front, west ridge on right and east ridge extending to left. The south pillar of Bhrigupanth (on extreme left) falls to the col. (Divyesh Muni)

On 23rd two members, Theo and Divyesh, and two Sherpas, Tashi and Pasang occupied ABC for further movement on the mountain. Tashi and Pasang opened route on 24th to Cl supported by the two members. 400 m of rope was fixed on the face. Cl was situated on a rocky projection on the northwest face at 5500 m. There was a danger of rockfall on the route, specially on the traverse little before Cl. The traverse was across a gully which formed a natural chute for any rocks coming down the face of the mountain. Therefore it was preferable to move across the traverse before 11 a.m.

On 25th the leader and three more members occupied ABC so thai stocking of Cl could begin. On the next day, four Sherpas and six members went up for load ferry. The members were carrying loads of 8-10 kg. Unfortunately two of the members, Raymond Jacob and Dr. Suhas Mate could not reach Cl due to exhaustion. They dumped their loads before the traverse and went back to ABC.

On 27th the weather turned bad with heavy snowfall and it snowed all day. Next day the snowfall continued with no signs of stopping. The leader and three members went back to ABC. The weather cleared on 29th but movement was not possible to Cl due to huge avalanches coming down the gully. Our ropes across the traverse were swept away. Ten members including three girls shifted to ABC on 30th. On 31st there was heavy snowfall in the morning and after a clear patch in the afternoon, the weather packed up. There was heavy snowfall throughout the night.

September started on a bad note. In addition to the continuing bad weather, there were differences of opinion between the leader and few of the members. There was much debate and discussions but finally the leader concluded that although he agreed to their point of view, he could not change his decision once he had made it. On the 2nd it continued snowing very heavily and the whole team was forced to evacuate ABC. Tashi and Pasang continued to occupy Cl.

The weather cleared on the 3rd but there was heavy accumulation of snow on the face so it was decided that we would wait for a few days till the snow settled. Some of the members moved up to ABC on the r)fh while Tashi and Pasang reopened route to Cl. Tashi, Pasang, Theo (ind Divyesh occupied Cl. It was a day which could have ended our expedition in tragedy. The leader and two members left ABC for load ferry at 11 a.m. By the time they reached the traverse they were dehydrated and exhausted. Two members decided to dump their loads before the traverse. However the leader continued up towards Cl. The traverse was under constant rockfall at this time of the day. Due to exhaustion he could not move across the traverse and was stranded in the middle. Theo, Tashi and Divyesh rushed down to help him. Theo pulled him across the rope and took his load. Unfortunately Theo, Tashi and Dr Kulkarni received minor bruises from the rockfall. Pasang went down and brought up the loads from the dump point where the other two members had left them. Due to this severe exhaustion on the load ferry, these three could not come up for ferry for the next two days.

Pasang, Tashi, Theo and Divyesh opened route to C2 on the 7th. 600 m of rope was fixed on that day over steep mixed terrain. The route from Cl climbs straight up to a point just below the ridge. From here one had to negotiate a steep and exposed traverse of 100 m which leads to the site of C2 on the ridge. Another 150 m of rope remained to be fixed to C2 which was done on the next day. Tashi and Pasang moved down to ABC for rest.

Sherpas Sange and Nima, Dr Kulkarni, Dr Mate and Raymond occupied Cl on 9th September. The party left ABC at 11 a.m. again and reached the beginning of the traverse at 3 p.m. Luckily they arrived safely.

Manda III (6529 m.) south ridge, as seen from above north col of Bhrigupanth.

Manda III (6529 m.) south ridge, as seen from above north col of Bhrigupanth. (Divyesh Muni)

Loads of an average 5 kgs were carried up to C2 the next day by the members. Sange and Nima occupied C2 to open route on the ridge. Unfortunately Dr Mate could not make it to C2 due to exhaustion and technical inability. He had to be escorted back to Cl.

That evening over dinner the leader informed us of further plans Accompanied by Sange and Nima, he and Raymond would attempt the peak. Theo and Divyesh would support them by one more load ferry to C2 and subsequently they would make the second attempt supported by Tashi and Pasang.

However what happened on 11th was something different. Along with Dr Kulkarni and Raymond, Pasang also occupied C2. He moved up straight from ABC under instructions. Dr Kulkarni and Raymond went towards the summit with the Sherpas in the lead on 12 September, and Tashi surprisingly moved up from Cl and joined them for the summit attempt thus making the summit team of four Sherpas and two members. Theo and Divyesh moved to C2 and to their surprise found the camp site empty. The six man summit team retained unsuccessful from the attempt due to technical difficulties. Not only that but they removed all carabiners from the 250 m of fixed rope above C2 to rule out the possibility of any second attempt. Theo and Divyesh requested the leader to allow them to go Up as high as they could safely go and were informed that they could go only up to the point where the fixed rope started since it would be too risky to go beyond that. We were experiencing the politics and manipulations that sometimes mar such large expeditions.

On 13th Theo and Divyesh went up to the first rock pillar on the ridge and traversed. They decided to return from this point to avoid any further complications. By then rest of the members and Sherpas had already moved down to ABC. Five members including 3 untrained and inexperienced members moved up to C2 on the 14th to experience movement on the face. They stayed the night at Cl so that the two members could attempt to reach C2 on 15th.

However 15th was a day of bad weather. The Sherpas moved up from ABC to pack up the camp sites. They removed all fixed ropes from ABC to C2 and also brought down all equipment from the rnountain. Unfortunately they reached ABC with loads of 35 kg each late in the evening at 8 p.m. because no help was sent to them in spite ot requests until distress calls were heard from them on the mountain. The members occupying Cl moved down to ABC by afternoon. ABC and BC were wound up and the team moved down to Gangotri on the 19th.

It was an end to an expedition from which we learnt the lesson of our life time. We joined this expedition, despite the fact that we neither knew nor had climbed with any of the other team members, because we were invited to climb Everest with them and this was a pre-Everest expedition. We must admit that it was the lure of getting an opportunity to attempt Everest that made us set aside fears of incompatibility. In retrospect we feel that in order to have a rich and satisfying experience of climbing, it is imperative to climb with friends. The problems of technical difficulty of the climb and of weather were overshadowed by the problems of differences in attitudes and approaches to mountaineering. Whether the end justifies the means has been a much discussed point of view in mountaineering. More and more mountaineers feel that it is the spirit and manner of doing th climb which is its essence.

The major objective of the expedition was to reach the summit under any circumstances. Therefore eight Sherpas were booked for the climb. Four of them did not turn up at the last moment. However all lead climbing and majority of the load ferrying was done by the Sherpas. Competent members were not allowed to open route for fear that they would not be as fast as the Sherpas.

The technical climbing ability and physical fitness of the team was unequally matched with the demands of the climb. This is obvious from the movement of the members on the mountain and by the previous history of the route. Of the 22 members, only 4 members made it to C2 and above. Many members could not reach Cl on their first attempt. Beyond ABC most members were too exhausted to do load ferry on two consecutive days.

The whole experience brings to ones mind the true reason for such expeditions. Is it the love of mountains and mountaineering that motivates them or the glory and fame attached to mountains like Everest that attracts mountaineers who are willing to sacrifice their values in the mountains ?

Ascents and attempts on Bhrigupanth (6772 m) 1980-1989

1 1980 : 1st ascent of Bhrigupanth: Indian American Women's expedition led by Arlene Blum by the south face. (H.J. 41, p. 175, HCNL 34, p. 17 and I.M. 7, p. 44).
2 1980 : 7 member Japanese Alpine Club expedition, led by M. Tsukahara abandoned the attempt due to the death of one member in an avalanche which hit Cl. (I.M. 8, p. 127).
3 1981 : 8 member Japanese mixed expedition led by U. Sasaki attempted the west shoulder till 5750 m. Expedition unsuccessful (HCNL 36, p. 3 and I.M. 9, p. 114).
4 1982 : 7 members of the Senshu Alpine Club, Osaka, Japan led by K. Yakamura, successful by the south face. (HCNL 37, p. 3 and I.M. 11, p. 120).
5 1982 : A team from Dhanbad, India led by Dr D. P. Roy reached a height of 5550 m. (I.M. 11, p. 120).
6 1983 : 6 member Seiryo Gangotri Expedition from Japan led by R. Monaka. Unsuccessful. (HCNL 37, p. 29 and I.M., 12, p. 179)
7 1983 : 11 member Taiwanese expedition led by Huang Lee Chun-Jung. Successful in climbing from the west face. Climb followed by death of two members and Sherpa Ang Pasang. (HCNL 37, p. 29 and I.M. 12, p. 179).
8 1984 : 6 member Colorado (USA) expedition led by T. Cantwell, unsuccessful. (I.M. 14, p. 133).
9 1984 : 8 member expedition from Climbers and Explorers Club of New Delhi led by S. K. Mehta attempted the west face. Expedition unsuccessful. (HCNL 38, p. 14 and I.M. 15, p. 131).
10 1987 : 10 member team from Warsaw, Poland led by R. Kolakowski, made the first ascent of the west pillar route. They descended by the south face route. (HCNL. 41, p. 39 and I.M. 20, p. 172).
11 1988 : 6 member Spanish team led by J. Vicente climbed the peak. (HJ 45, I/N, HCNL 42, p. 28).
12 1989 : 22 member team from Pune led by Dr D. T. Kulkarni attempted west face. Unsuccessful. (HCNL 43, p. 24).

 

I.M. : Indian Mountaineer
H.J. : Himalayan Journal
HCNL : The Himalayan Club Newsletter

NOTE :

Brigupanth and Thalay Sagar have attracted many expeditions in the past few years, with many routes climbed. Different teams called these routes by different names, sometimes the same route mentioned by different names. Many teams combined the routes; climbing by one route, traversing to the other and descending by a third variation. To avoid confusion and for the clarity of the expedition accounts the following route descriptions are suggested to be adopted. These are based on the various routes climbed — there can be further variation in future.

Bhrigupanth : West face route
North ridge
West pillar or ridge
South face

Thalay Sagar : East ridge
West ridge
North face with variations : Northeast pillar, Northeast buttress
and North ridge
Northwest couloir — Ed.

SUMMARY

An attempt on Bhrigupanth (6772 m) by the west face route in 1989.

 

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