Ama Dablam | 2008 SW Ridge

A UK expedition to Ama Dablam in 2008 via SW Ridge, led by Sean James. Summit reached on 4th November 2008. 5 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 6189
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID AMAD08317
Peak ID AMAD
Year 2008
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality UK
Leaders Sean James
Sponsor Field Touring Alpine Ama Dablam Expedition 2008
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Canada, China, France
Approach -
Basecamp Date 2008-10-29
Summit Date 2008-11-04
Summit Time 1500
Summit Days 6
Total Days 9
Termination Date 2008-11-07
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6814
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 4
Summit Members 1
Member Deaths 1
Total Hired 1
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits Climbed Island Peak (26 Oct by all members (except Kass, already sick) and Tshering)
Campsites BC(29/10,4600m),C1(01/11,5800m),C2(03/11,6000m),Smt(04/11)
Route Notes Field Touring Alpine Ama Dablam Expedition, led by Sean James - 10 Nov 2008 The membership was reduced to only three when Kass left BC on 31 October in a helicopter. He had become sick during the Island Peak climb (he was the only member who had failed to reach the summit on the 26th) and his chest infection, plus an apparent altitude problem worsened as he arrived at Ama Dablam BC. The remaining three members, Calzarossa, Cui and James, plus Parsu Ram Rai, set out for the summit from C2 on 4 November at 2 am. At 5:00 am, Rai turned around because his feet and hands were very cold; he stayed in C2 to wait for the summiters to return. Calzarossa gave up at 6400m at 7:00 am because he was too slow, and James descended with him to C1. Cui carried on up and reached the summit alone at 3:00 pm. He came down to the grey tower at 6200m, but at 10:00 pm he fell from there 500m down the East Face of the SW Ridge; he fell from about the same spot as the Frenchman, Jean Mary, had fallen on 31 Oct and landed about 5 meters from where Mary's body had lain very badly smashed. The cause of Cui's fall is not known; perhaps he was not properly clipped onto the fixed rope. His body was brought to Kathmandu for cremation. Hired: Parsu Ram Rai, 1969, Rakha-4, Khotang.
Accidents Cui fatal fall
Achievement -
Agency Su-Swagatam Treks
Commercial Route True
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2459393
Year 2008
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sw ridge

Members

5 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Antonin Calzarossa M 1978 France Climber New York, New York Banker Details Other expeditions
Wei Cui M 1972 China Climber San Ramon, California Software engineer Details Other expeditions
Sean Joseph David James M 1970 UK Leader Sheffield, S Yorkshire, England Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Josh Kass M 1976 Canada Climber Calgary, Alberta Plumber Details Other expeditions
Parsu Ram (Tshering) Rai M 1969 Nepal H-A Worker Dhirtel, Rakha Bangdel-1, Khotang - Details Other expeditions

References

1 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
AMAD08317 - - http://www.fieldtouring.com/dispatches/ama_dablam_2008.php - - -