Annapurna, Two Winter Attempts. Japanese led by Kuniaki Yagihara on the south face of Annapurna got to 7200 meters before too much heavy snowfall sent them back. On the north face Koreans led by An Chang-Yeul attempted the Dutch route. They claim to have reached the summit on December 7, but there are serious doubts about this. The leader of the French expedition, Bernard Muller, told me that they saw the Koreans’ summit team of one Korean woman and four Sherpas too far from the summit to have reached it at the time claimed. The Sherpas with the French were told by the Koreans’ Sherpas that no one got to the top.

Elizabeth Hawley