Asia, Nepal, Kumbhakarna Attempt, 1990

Publication Year: 1990.

Kumbhakarna Attempt, 1990. Our expedition consisted of Stanislaw Dudek, Kazimierz Kieszka, Andrzej Samolewicz, Ryszard Papaj, Adam Potoczek, Ryszard Knapczyk, Dr. Piotr Wojciechowski, Bogdan Stefko and me as leader. We hoped to climb Kumbhakarna by the southwest buttress. We established Base Camp and Advance Base at 4450 and 4850 meters on November 24 and 30. The icefall was much more difficult and dangerous than we had expected and we fixed 700 meters of rope. Despite cold and wind, we set up Camps I, II and III at 5350, 5800 and 6450 meters on December 5, 12 and 20. After December 15, the weather was bad and windy. Snow had been blown off the hard ice. On January 2, 1990, we reached the edge of the “Throne” and pitched Temporary Camp IV. Very steep, hard ice on the “Throne” made us fix 1000 meters of rope. Camp IV was set up on January 8 at 7200 meters. Following the direct French variant on the summit cone, Kiszka and Samolewicz reached a high point of 7360 meters on January 9 but were turned back by high winds. We cleared Base Camp on January 14.

Jan Orlowski, Klub Wysokogórski Kraków, Poland