Everest. The Norwegian Everest Expedition, numbering twelve climbers and 28 high-altitude porters, reached Base Camp on March 14. The Icefall was particularly difficult and dangerous this year, being very broken and unstable perhaps because there was so little snow. It took eight days to make a safe route to the site of Camp I at the head of the Icefall. Camp I was occupied on March 25. Camp II was established on March 31 and Camp III at 7300 meters about halfway up the Lhotse Face on April 7. The route to the South Col was completed on April 9. After stocking Camp IV with tentage, food and oxygen, Ralph Høibakk, Ola Einang and Haavard Nesheim with Sundare and Ang Rita moved to Camp IV on April 18, and though they reached the south summit the next day, were turned back by high winds. Odd Eliassen, Bjørn Myrer-Lund, Pertemba, Dawa Nuru and Ang Lhakpa and I set out from the South Col at two A.M. on April 21 and got to the summit at 9:30 in fine weather with little wind. Leader Arne Naess, Høibakk, Nesheim and Stein Aasheim with Sundare, Ang Rita, Pema Dorje and Chowang Rinzing reached the summit on April 29 and Americans Dick Bass and Dave Breashears with Ang Phurba on April 30. Naess had agreed to Bass’ joining the expedition as a semi-independent group within the expedition. They used Norwegian fixed ropes, tentage and some logistic support. Base Camp Manager Christian Larsson and Dr. Kjell Torgeir Stokke completed the members. We made a number of records. We had the most people (seventeen) on the summit and made the earliest complete pre-monsoon ascent. Sundare is the only person to have climbed Everest four times and Ang Rita made his third ascent without oxygen. Dick Bass at 55 years is the oldest man to have reached the top* and in doing so became the first person to have stood on the top of the highest point of each continent. Aasheim established the world record for flying a kite on the summit, although there was so little wind, it barely took off.

Christian Bonington

*Bonington had broken the record with his ascent, but he held it for only nine days.