THE TRAGEDY ON TILITSO

Czechoslovak Kali Gandaki Expedition 1988

VLASTIMIL SMIDA

THE SPORTSMEN FROM Northern Moravia undertook an expedition to the Nepalese Himalaya in autumn 1988. The expedition had two aims : the thirteen member rafting team made a descent of two parts of the Kali Gandaki river and the climbing team of seven members made an ascent of the north face of Tilitso (7134 m).

The leader of this twenty member expedition was Jiri Bobak. I was the leader of the climbing party. Further members were physician Dr. Hdimund Miksl, Petr Gribek, Leos Horka, Zdenek Kracmar, Ludvik Palecek and Dalibor Trpik. Most of them were experienced climbers who had been on several expeditions to the Himalaya and other mountains. The average age was forty two.

The choice of the north face of Tilitso was brought about by the fact that our expedition was a joint rafting and climbing venture. The two parties had to operate close to each other because of joint problems regarding transportation, equipment and supplies.

All the equipment for both teams was to have been transported by road from Czechoslovakia to Nepal by the special lorry Tatra. However in April 1988, when the truck was due to leave our country, the war between Iraq and Iran reached its critical point and transit over Iranian territory became extremely perilous. Transportation by ship was the only solution for the time being.

Our truck was unloaded in the harbour of Karachi on 13 August so that we could continue quickly via Pakistan and India to Nepal. But just a few days later the plane with the Pakistani President crashed and ten day's martial law and one week's mourning took place throughout the country. The authorities refused to give us permission for transit across their territory. There was no other solution than to use a ship again for further transport to India. In the end, these troubles caused more jhan four weeks' delay and we eventually reached Pokhara on 30 September.

To save time, the whole team together with all the material and foodstuff was transported from Pokhara to Jomsom by plane, and by 2 October the caravan of fourteen donkeys and eight porters had begun the approach march. The expedition reached the western foot of the saddle of Tilitso West the next day. It is necessary to say that all previous expeditions to the north face of Tilitso started from the opposite side of the above mentioned saddle, that is from the valley of Manang, with their base camps situated just under the north face, at the shore of Tilitso lake. Unfortunately neither the donkeys nor the porters were able to cross the saddle whose eastern flank had been completely covered by snow. That is why our base camp had to be set up at the foot of the saddle Tilitso West, at 4600 m on 3 October.

From that day, our climbing started in full swing. The next day, two tents of Cl were pitched at 5200 m. However the route between our base camp and Cl was difficult. It was necessary to ascend to the saddle of Tilitso West, then to descend on the glacier and afterwards to scale up to the foot of the north face, where Cl was safely situated.

The weather deteriorated rapidly on the same day as we set up Cl. A heavy storm broke out, lasting two days and covering the northwestern buttress of Tilitso with a thick layer of snow. Any movement in this enormous quantity of fresh snow presented great difficulties. In spite of this, two teams, Horka-Gribek and Palecek-Smida took turns at the buttress, rotating at regular 4-5 days intervals. Most of the time was spent in the laying of fixed ropes. The buttress itself seemed to be safe from avalanches but the rocks had been terribly loosened. From time to time remnants of old fixed ropes left by previous expeditions were discovered, but these ropes were in very bad condition and could be utilized only sporadically.

C2 (5700 m) was pitched by L. Palecek and myself on 13 October. After that it was the turn of Horka-Gribek. They were instructed to continue on the next section till C3 could be set up. This camp was supposed to be located up in the icy terrain above the rocky buttress, and its tent was considered the base and starting point for the final assault.

Horka and Gribek finished their section by pitching C3 (6100 m) on 17 October, as we deduced later on. According to the tactical plan they were supposed to be relieved by the second team and come down for a rest. Instead, and contrary to all expectations, they started the final assault setting out for the summit on 18 October. There was an unknown ice-wall in front of them with a difference in altitude of more than 1000 m. The weather was excellent; full of sunshine and moderate wind. May be this was one of reasons for their unexpected action.

They climbed relatively slowly, perhaps because of incomplete acclimatization combined with tiredness brought about by their previous activities. Just before sunset they reached the summit where they had to spend a very hard night, without any equipment for a bivouac. No doubt the weather was favourable. However this year winter had been approaching rapidly with strong winds and a sharp drop in night temperature.

The unexpected assault by these two climbers caused an immediate change of programme. The fact that the Nepalese authorities had not permitted walkie-talkies, because we had submitted the respective application too late, had very bad consequences for our search. We did not have any communication with Horka and Gribek.

On 18 October L. Palecek together with Z. Kracmar, who had in the meantime recovered from the high-altitude sickness and was able to carry on climbing once more, set out from the base camp. They reached Cl where they passed their first night. The next morning they could just see two downward moving figures below the summit. Horka and Gribek were just descending. It was the last time they were seen alive.

The next day, on 19 October, another team, our physician Dr Miksl and me, left the base camp for Cl. Simultaneously L. Palecek and Z. Kracmar continued their ascent, reaching C2 the same day. The next morning only L. Palecek felt well and was capable of going up. Z. Kracmar remained in C2 while L. Palecek climbed the next section of the buttress alone. He used the fixed ropes laid by the two missing mountaineers and soon arrived at C3. The same day he explored the area above C3 and returned.

On the same day as L. Palecek reached the vacant C3, I arrived at C2. The doctor remained in Cl where in the meantime Ang Phurba had arrived with some medical supplies and the oxygen apparatus.

L. Palecek and the date 21 October became the main features in the ensuing tragic events. The rescue effort culminated on this date. I climbed alone from C2 up to the area just under C3, searching for anything that was moving. But owing to the fact that I had to climb over ice without my ice axe, which, as was revealed later on, had been taken by Horka nnd Gribek, I was forced to abandon the icy precipices and go back to C2. In the meantime Z. Kracmar went down to Cl in order to get some more food. He returned on the same day.

L. Palecek spent the night in C3, using Horka and Gribek's sleeping bags, but unable to prepare himself any drinks because he had not found the expected gas-cooker.

He set out from C3 on 21 October at 4 a.m. While it was still dark, he reached the place where both Japanese and French routes met. Not for from there he found a depot of some equipment left by Horka and Orlbek. Besides technical gear he found the missing gas-cooker. The weather was fine and he proceeded quickly with his climb. In the good time of six hours, at 10 a.m., he reached the summit of Tilitso. On the very top he found proof of Horka and Gribek's success. After taking a few summit photographs he began his descent without delay. He Went on with searching for them during the descent and finally he discovered the bodies of the two unfortunate climbers. They had obviously fallen about 500 m. It had happened on the fatal morning of 19 October. Their bodies were lying nearly 300 m from their ascending route. The climbers were roped together. Most probably they died during the fall itself. Their bodies were partially covered by snow blown on them by the wind. L. Palecek only put some more snow over them, marked the place with the broken ice-axe, which he found nearby together with Gribek's camera, and left this mournful spot. The same day, at 4 p.m. he arrived at C2 and told me the terrible result of his search. His physical condition was so admirable that he was capable of descending before the night even to Cl.

After Palecek s descent to C2, all camps were closed down On 22 October a full report was sent to the liaison officer, who had spent the entire expedition, apart from few days at the beginning, in a hotel in Jomsom.

We left the base camp on 25 October going by foot through the Kali Gandaki valley to Pokhara. Both teams, that is the rafting team and the climbing group met there on 31 October.

Despite the tragedy our small expedition has to be considered a success. The summit has been attempted by many expeditions in past years but the last expedition to reach the summit was in 1983. The oxygen had not been used except when our Nepalese kitchen-boy caught pneumonia and had to be taken under oxygen to Jomsom.

An ascent of Tilitso (7134 m) by the north face. Two of the summiters fell to their deaths.

 

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