Everest South Col Winter Attempt. A Korean expedition led by Nam Sang- Tae attempted Everest by the South Col route. They were defeated by winter winds and cold. On December 21 Deputy Leader Kim Jong-Ho, Park Dong- Seok and Ang Rita Sherpa, who has been to the summit of Everest three times, got to 8300 meters. They turned back when Park’s oxygen mask froze and was useless. Ang Rita took no oxygen and Kim had not yet begun using his. The next day Ang Rita went down to Camp II, while Kim and Park tried again for the summit, this time not using oxygen. They did carry one bottle each for use above the south summit. However, their ascent was so slow that after nine hours they were only at 8500 meters at three P.M. and they turned back. This was the highest point reached. Throughout the rest of December, all of January and the first half of February 1986, fierce winds defeated all other summit bids. The team found the body of an Indian climber frozen to ice below the Lhotse Face.

Michael J. Cheney, Himalayan Club, and Elizabeth Hawley