STORIES FROM EVEREST WINTER CLIMBING

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It turns out that of the 12,015 people who have summited Everest by the end of 2023, only 15 have reached the summit in winter. Thirty-four expeditions were attempted, including 13 without oxygen for artificial respiration. Only five of these expeditions were successful, and only one of the 15 climbers made it to the summit without oxygen. In addition, only one person reached the summit alone.

Everest became the first 8,000-meter peak to be climbed in winter when Polish climbers Leszek Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki reached the summit on February 17, 1980. But before that success there were still several stories that preceded it. Although it contains failures, it does not mean it is not worth knowing.

The Idea of Everest Winter Climb

Between 1950 and 1964, climbs to the world’s 14 highest peaks, in the Himalayas were made. But none of them came in winter. It wasn’t again until February 13, 1973, that Polish climbers Andrzej Zawada and Tadeusz Piotrowski reached the 7,492m summit of Noshaq, the second highest mountain in the Hindu Kush in winter. One year later, Zawada led a winter expedition to Lhotse. On December 25, Zawada and his teammate, Zyga Heinrich, reached 8,250m before an approaching storm forced them to retreat.

During the expedition, they observed the weather conditions in the Everest area. Soon after, the Poles started thinking about getting a winter permit to climb Everest.

After a long wait, the permit finally came in November 1979. The Polish team chose the South Col-Southeast Ridge (normal) route. The Zawada team consisted of 20 Polish climbers, six hired workers above Base Camp, and a climbing sherpa named Pemba Norbu.

According to Jozef Nyka’s report for the American Alpine Journal, the expedition arrived at Everest Base Camp on January 5, 1980. Things looked very bleak. Strong winds were blowing from the north, and the air temperature was very low. On top of the mountain, they saw a jagged, saw-like layer of snow. The glacial streams were also frozen, and the melting ice was the only source of drinking water. Temperatures range between -25ºC and -45ºC. Hurricane force winds batter the mountain.

“The winds strip the snow cover from the slopes, exposing exposed rock and ice. Moving on the ice requires extra care, extra moorings, and extra ropes where it should be easy,” they wrote.

The climbers had trouble breathing, and the icy air made them sick. In these conditions, setting up a lower camp was a challenge in itself.

In the first week of February, the wind continued to destroy their camps. Again and again, the Poles rebuilt them. Camp 3 (at an altitude of 7,150m) was blown down by the wind.

On February 11, Leszek Cichy, Walenty Fiut and Krzysztof Wielicki reached an altitude of 7,960m. There, they set up Camp 4 on the slopes below the mountain saddle. The wind had not yet died down, reaching 200 kilometers per hour (kph). At night, the very strong winds finally pushed the climbers back to Camp 3.

Wind Subsides, Snow Falls

The following night, the wind died down and snow began to fall. On February 13, Ryszard Szafirski and Zawada returned to Camp 4. The next day, they tried to climb the Southeast ridge, but strong winds again forced them back. Szafirski and Zawada left their oxygen cylinders on the mountain and began their descent to Camp 3, with Zawada moving slowly.

Meanwhile, Base Camp heard that the Nepalese government wanted the expedition completed by February 15. Thanks to a Polish official in Kathmandu, the deadline was eventually extended to February 17.

No time was to be lost from then on. Zyga Heinrich and Pasang Norbu Sherpa set off immediately. They reached an altitude of 8,300m, but a violent snowstorm made them fail to reach the summit again. Heinrich and Pasang Norbu’s attempt was made without bottled oxygen.

On February 16, after a night of snowfall, the sky suddenly cleared. That same day, Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy reached Camp 4, the last camp before the summit.

In the morning, the two climbers began their ascent and reached the summit on February 17 at 2:30pm. After taking a short break, they then contacted Base Camp.

“The conditions were very tough. Some parts of the ridge were steeper and became snowless with ice-covered rocks. Strong winds were blowing all the time, it was very cold,” said the climber who reached the summit.

The two climbers then planted Polish and Nepalese flags on the summit and stayed there for 40 minutes before descending.

Not Everyone is Happy

After the first successful winter ascent at 8,000m, Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner stirred up controversy in his own right. As Bernadette McDonald writes in her fantastic book, Winter 8,000: Climbing The World’s Highest Mountains In The Coldest Season, Messner refused to accept the winter climb for two years.

Messner insisted that the climbers not make the climb in winter, as Nepalese officials had recently shortened the season, choosing January 31 as the end of winter.

Although Messner later accepted the climb, he continued to claim that the climb was illegal. Eventually, Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism issued a certificate authorizing the Polish Everest winter climb, and forced Messner to stop his war of controversy.

Other Winter Climbs on Everest

On December 27, 1982, Yasuo Kato of Japan reached the summit alone via the normal route. However, Kato died during the descent.

On December 16, 1983, Japanese climbers Takashi Ozaki, Noboru Yamada, and Kazunari Murakami, plus Nepalese Nawang Yonden Sherpa, reached the summit via the normal route.

On December 22, 1987, Young-Ho Heo of South Korea and Ang Rita Sherpa of Nepal reached the summit via the normal route. Ang Rita Sherpa climbed without supplemental oxygen. To date, she is the only person who has reached the summit of Everest in winter without an assisted oxygen cylinder.

The last winter climbs were made on December 18, 20, and 22, 1993. Japanese alpinists Fumiaki Goto, Hideji Nazuka, Shinsuki Ezuka, Osamu Tanabe, Ryushi Hoshino, and Yoshio Ogata climbed via the Southwest Face (Bonington route).

Unsuccessful Attempts

There were at least 29 expeditions that failed to climb Everest in the winter. They turned back for various reasons, such as dangerous conditions, strong winds, extremely cold weather, bad weather, fatigue, lack of oxygen, accidents, or falling rocks.

Seven mountaineers died during the winter expedition. As already mentioned, Yasuo Kato died during the descent. The other deaths were caused by falls from altitudes at 8,800m, 8,700m, 7,500m, and 6,800m. A climber fell into a crevasse at 6,300m, and a Sherpa died of Altitude sickness (AMS) at 6,500m.

German climber Jost Kobusch attempted his winter ascent via the Lho La-West Ridge. This is the same route he attempted in winter 2019-2020 when he reached 7,366m, and in winter 2021-2022, when he turned back at 6,450m in bad weather.

The British Everest Winter Expedition led by Alan Rouse first attempted the Kobusch route in the winter of 1980-1981. Their highest point was 7,300m in bad weather.

In the winter of 1984-85, a French-Italian-Belgian expedition led by Eric Dossin attempted the route and reached 7,500m. Again, bad weather halted the ascent.

In the winter of 1985-1986, a South Korean group led by Kim Ki-Heyg abandoned the same route at 7,100m due to strong winds. They were exhausted with one team member sick, according to The Himalayan Database.

Writer : Sulung Prasetyo