Shishapangma. Our Swiss expedition was organized and led by Markus Itten. The others were Peter Bärtsch, Henrik Rhyn, Marcel Rüedi, Hansruedi Staub, Peter Weber, Diego Wellig, Stefan Wömer and I. We got to Base Camp at 5100 meters on September 7. On the 10th we set up Advance Base at 5800 meters and already on September 12 Rüedi, Wellig and I started out alpine-style. Rüedi had been on K2 and we other two were acclimatized from being high in the Alps. We used skis to our second bivouac at 7100 meters. On September 14 we left our tent at 5:30 A.M., got to 7400 meters at 9:30 and followed just left of the ridge crest to avoid avalanche danger. From 7600 meters the snow was hip-to chest-deep. We got to the summit ridge at five P.M. and the summit at 5:30. We drank a bottle of Swiss wine in lovely but frigid weather and were back at our bivouac at 8:30. This was Rüedi’s eighth 8000er. We skied to Advance Base the next day. Heavy snowfall and avalanche danger kept the others from getting above 7100 meters.

Oswald Oelz, M.D., Schweizer Alpen Club