Gurja Himal. The Tomari Expedition consisted of Yoshimi Yakushi, leader, Nobutaka Ito, Masaaki Nukui, Seiichi Kanayama, Tomokuni Saegi, Hiroyuki Sakai, Akira Inoue and Kenichi Shimoda. They left Pokhara on September 21 and got to the last village of Gurjakhani on the 30th and Base Camp at 13,450 feet in the Kape Khola on October 4. Camp I was established on October 9 at 15,600 feet on the Kape Glacier near a previous British camp. (British attempts were made in 1962 and 1965.) A temporary Camp II was placed at 16,400 feet on the lower end of a tributary glacier, above which avalanche danger complicated route selection. A route was made on the rock wall on the left side of the branch glacier. Camp II was established at 17,400 feet on October 18. On the 20th they climbed a steep rock ridge to an upper snowfield, where Camp III was established on October 22 at 18,850 feet. From there they could see for the first time the west side of Gurja Himal, but they had a difficult time in the deep snow. On October 27 Kanayama, Sakai and the Sherpa Lhakpa Tenzing went to Camp IV at 19,000 feet and two days later to Camp V at 21,150 feet. They climbed to 22,650 feet on October 30 but deep snow and fatigue drove them back. On November 1 Saegi and the Sherpa Lhakpa Tenzing climbed up the tracks and then up a snow and ice ridge at last to reach the virgin summit of Gurja Himal (23,600 feet). They speedily evacuated the camps. From November 2 on, the winter winds began to blow and banner clouds hung off the high ridges. They would not have succeeded one day later.

Ichiro Yoshizawa, Japanese Alpine Club and A.A.C.