Pumori. The four members of our expedition were Pierre Faivre, Jean-François Lemoine, Guy Mevellec and I, all mountain guides. We made an alpine-style ascent of the south ridge (French route of 1972) and descended the east ridge, the normal route. We left Kathmandu on September 14 and with 17 porters arrived at Base Camp after a 14-day walk from Kirantichhap. We spent eight days acclimatizing and reconnoitering the lower section of the normal route. On October 5 we placed a camp on the south ridge at 20,350 feet and then waited a full week for good weather. We all left Base Camp on October 14 and camped at 23,000 feet on October 17 at the head of the south ridge, which had been mainly a mixed climb with very sustained difficulties. We fixed the rock sections. On October 18 Lemoine and I reached the summit in a storm. Bad weather obliged us to spend another night at 23,000 feet. On the 19th the weather cleared and Faivre and I got to the top. All four of us descended the normal route in one day to Base Camp.

Erik Decamp, Club Alpin Français