Mount Everest Ski Expedition. There were two Japanese expeditions at the same time on Mount Everest. The ski group were not interested in any attempt on the summit but was rather a publicity stunt for the exposition in Osaka. They lost six Sherpas when in early April a sérac fell on them in the Khumbu Icefall at 19,000 feet. A seventh died of exhaustion. Despite these deaths they continued and established Camp V at 26,200 feet on the South Col. From there on May 6 Yuichi Miura descended the Lhotse Face on skis. He reported speeds of almost 100(?) miles per hour over a two-mile stretch. Using a parachute to slow himself down, he took a severe fall which nearly ended in a crevasse.