Amphu Middle | 2008 NW Ridge

A Germany expedition to Amphu Middle in 2008 via NW Ridge, led by Olaf Rieck. Summit reached on 20th April 2008. 6 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 5927
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID AMPM08101
Peak ID AMPM
Year 2008
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 NW Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Germany
Leaders Olaf Rieck
Sponsor Khumbu 2008 to Amphu I
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 1st,2nd
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach Lukla->Namche->Phortse->Pangboche->Chhukung village
Basecamp Date 2008-04-10
Summit Date 2008-04-20
Summit Time 1500
Summit Days 10
Total Days 16
Termination Date 2008-04-26
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6202
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 1
Fixed Rope (m) 1400
Total Members 6
Summit Members 5
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
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 -
Campsites BC(10/04,4990m),C1(15/04,5700m),Smt(20-21/04)
Route Notes BC at west side of Lake C1 at start of steep ice section of NW Ridge. Khumbu 2008 to Amphu Middle led by Olaf Rieck - 2 May 2008 Rieck calls his mountain Amphu Middle because he sees it as the middle of three unnamed mountains on the Schneider Khumbu map. It actually is the northern one of these three, which are in the northeastern corner of the Chhukung Glacier, according this map; at 6205m high, east of it, and 6146m high, south of it. Rieck had the Tourism Ministry's permit to climb a 6840m mountain it calls Amphu I, which is east-southeast of Rieck's three and due east of the Schneider map's Amphu Labtsa. His team flew from Kathmandu to Lukla on 3 April and trekked via Namche Bazar, Phortse, Pangboche, Dingboche and Chhukung village. They arrived at Chhukung on 9 April and next day searched for and found a good BC site southeast of Chhukung on the west side of a small lake at 4990m east of the north end of the Ama Dablam Glacier. On the 11th and 12th the members ferried their loads from Chhukung to BC. They had no Sherpas with them. On the 13th they reconnoitered a site for their only high camp C1 which they pitched on the 15th at 5700m at the start of the NW Ridge's steep ice section. On the 14th they had started making the route above BC along the northern edge of the Chhukung Glacier, and on the following days, the 16th to the 20th, they made the route to the NW Ridge and up the ridge to the summit, the last section of it, mixed ice, snow and rock, as Rieck and Graeber climbed to the summit. They fixed a total of 1400m of rope all the way from 5400m (on the edge of the glacier) to the top. Rieck and Graeber left C1 at 7:00 am on the 20th and gained the summit slowly, as they had to fix the route, at 3:00 pm. They abseiled down to C1 at 6:30 pm. On the 21st the remaining four members left C1 for the top at 7:00 am. At 10:30 am at 5950m, Morche turned back because she was getting too cold in the light wind while she had to wait for two ahead of her to move slowly; and she returned to C1 at 12:00 noon at the same time as Jahn, Mehlhase and Pech reached the top. The three took time to descend to C1 because they removed fixed ropes while coming down; they were in C1 at 6:30-7:00 pm. The team had found no traces of any previous climbs. The rest of the rope was removed from the mountain on the 22nd and 23rd; they had a hard and time-consuming job to retrieve all of it. But they were lucky to have fine weather from Chhukung to the mountain and back to Chhukung. All members went down together to BC on the 23rd. On the 26th they went from BC to Chhukung, were in Lukla on 1 May and Kathmandu on the 2nd.
Accidents -
Achievement 1st and 2nd known ascents
Agency Multi Adventure
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2459510
Year 2008
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) nw ridge

Members

6 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Alexander Graeber M 1979 Germany Climber Leipzig, Saxony, Germany Makes pictorial databases Details Other expeditions
Erik Jahn M 1971 Germany Climber Fulda, Hesse, Germany Musical instruments maker Details Other expeditions
Karen Mehlhase F 1966 Germany Climber Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany Mechanic Details Other expeditions
Vera Morche F 1979 Germany Climber Fulda, Hesse, Germany Musical instruments maker Details Other expeditions
Christian Pech M 1952 Germany Climber Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany Electrician Details Other expeditions
Olaf Rainer Rieck M 1964 Germany Leader Leipzig, Saxony, Germany Veterinarian Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
AMPM08101 AAJ Griffin, Lindsay - - 83:342 (2009) -
AMPM08101 HJ Reick, Olaf Amphu Laptsa Middle - First Ascent - 65:26-30 (2009) -
AMPM08101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200934201/Asia-Nepal-Mahalangur-Himal-Khumbu-Section-Amphy-Middle-6238m-First-Known-Ascent - - -
AMPM08101 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/65/4/amphu-laptsa-middle-first-ascent/ - - -