Ganesh VII, attempt and tragedy. No one knows how far four Frenchmen got on Ganesh VII (6,550m), a peak on the Tibetan border that is not on any permitted list. They had taken an inexpensive permit for the trekking peak Paldor (5,903m), but continued further up valley to climb Ganesh VII, which has no known previous attempt. When Grenoble mountaineers Stefan Cieslar, Jean-Baptiste Moreau, Raphael Perrissin, and Vincent Villedieu, failed to turn up in Kathmandu on November 5, the authorities were notified. A full rescue was organized with the help of French mountaineers, Aymeric Clouet and Christian Trommsdorff, who were in Kathmandu ready to leave for home after an unsuccessful expedition to Manaslu. In mid November the team discovered the remains of a base camp and a diary suggesting the four climbers were about to set off for an attempt on the south face to northwest ridge. Moving up the mountain, the rescuers found another tent at around 5,500m in an area covered with avalanche debris, apparently triggered by a falling serac. It appears the four French must have left their tent for a summit attempt on October 27, but conditions were far too dangerous for the rescue team to make any search for the bodies.

Elizabeth Hawley, AAC Honorary Member, Nepal