Kanchenjunga, Normal Route. Our expedition was composed of Franco Garda, climbing leader, Lelio Granier, Oscar Tayola, Riccardo Borney, Abele Blanc, Giuliano Sciandra, Oreste and Arturo Squinobal, Pietro Ferraris, Vittorio Mangili, Sergio Mezzanzanica, Giuliano Trucco, Luigi Pession, Inno-cenzo Menabreaz, Eliseo Cheney and me as expedition leader. We had hoped to climb the main peak by the previously unattempted southwest face, along the center buttress starting at the end of the great sickle. Unfortunately heavy snowfall and bad weather during the first part of the ascent prevented this. We therefore decided to repeat the normal route, first climbed by the English in 1955. We left Dharan with 300 porters on March 10 for the 17-day approach march to Ramser. After some days in Ramser because of heavy snowfalls, we started up to the Yalung Glacier, placing three intermediate camps: Glacier Camp at 15,750 feet, Kuna Camp at 15,825 feet and Intermediate Base Camp at 17,050 feet. We set up Base Camp on April 2 at the foot of Kanchenjunga’s south face. For the first few days we explored the area and then followed the route of previous expeditions. Camp I was installed at 20,850 feet at the top of the first ridge on April 8. The approach to Camp II was more complicated; we had to descend for 650 feet into a very steep and dangerous gully, then cross a crevassed glacier and ascend a second ice wall. Camp II was made at 22,650 feet on April 20. Camp III was placed at the beginning of the sickle at 23,950 feet on April 26. Camp IV at 24,950 feet at the end of the long snow ramp was composed of three small bivouac tents, set up on April 28. Cheney, Menabreaz, O. Squinobal, Ang Chopal and Nga Temba set out for the summit on May 2. At 26,900 feet Cheney and Ang Chopal gave up, while the other three reached the summit (8598 meters, 28,208 feet) at four P.M. Nga Temba and Squinobal did not use artificial oxygen. They were back in Camp IV at nine P.M., while the other two descended to Camp II. Two days later the weather turned bad with heavy snowfalls and we gave up all further attempts.

Renato Moro, Club Alpino Italiano