Pumori, East Face, and Lhotse, First Female Ascent*. On April 15, our Pumori team was established in Base Camp at 5300 meters. Our chosen route was the east face of Pumori. On April 27, Chantai Mauduit, Mike Pearson, and Daniel Mazur climbed from Camp I through mixed snow and ice to Camp II at 6700 meters. Mazur stopped to establish a tent and spend the night, while Mauduit and Pearson carried on to reach the 7161-meter summit at 1:30 p.m. The next day Mazur climbed to the summit. He was accompanied by six Greek climbers from Athens, who had arrived at the high camp the day before.

On April 30, four Pumori members transferred to Lhotse Base Camp. On May 10, Chantai Mauduit, Tim Horvath, and Stephen Koch made a push for the summit in high winds and blowing clouds. Only Mauduit succeeded in reaching the summit, the other two turning back due to cold feet. On May 22, Jon Pratt and Scott Darsney climbed to the summit. On May 23, Daniel Mazur climbed to the summit. All of our ascents were accomplished in lightweight style with no high altitude porters, no artificial oxygen, and placement of no fixed rope.

Daniel Mazur

*There is some skepticism regarding this ascent on the part of a man who watched her, climbing alone, disappear from sight into the couloir just below the summit and re-emerge from it in her descent rather soon afterwards. —Elizabeth Hawley