Asia, Nepal, Cho Oyu

Publication Year: 1985.

Cho Oyu. Our expedition was made up of leader Lluis Belvis, Emili Civis, Toni Llasera, Carlos Vallés and me, Catalans, Jean Clémenson, French, and Tsambu Tamang, Karma Sherpa and Nima Dorje Tamang, Nepalese. We established Base Camp on August 22 at 5200 meters on a moraine called Dzasampa below the face of Nangpai Gozum, two or three days from Thame. We headed north up the glacier to place Camp I at 5650 meters on August 31. We turned up the moraine-covered glacier beneath the southwest face. At 5850 meters we found the site used by the Czech-American ladies in the spring, and at 6000 meters the bivouac of Messner, it was there that the real climb began up a spur which took us to 6350 meters, where we placed Camp II on September 4. From there the route lay along the snow-covered southwest ridge until the ridge ended in the west face. We placed Camps III and IV at 7050 and 7450 meters on September 11 and 18. On September 19 our first summit attempt was turned back in bad weather. On September 20, Llasera, Vallés, Tsumbu and Kharma reached the summit. Clémenson and I got there on the 21st. This was the third ascent of this route.

Jordi Pons, Centre Excursionista de Catalunya