Annapurna I | 1990 N Face (Dutch Rib)

A UK expedition to Annapurna I in 1990 via N Face (Dutch Rib), led by Malcolm Duff. Summit reached on 14th May 1990. 8 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 531
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID ANN190101
Peak ID ANN1
Year 1990
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 N Face (Dutch Rib)
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality UK
Leaders Malcolm Duff
Sponsor Ascent Annapurna Expedition
Success 1 False
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries New Zealand, USA
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1990-04-24
Summit Date 1990-05-14
Summit Time -
Summit Days 20
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 5
Termination Notes Abandoned at 6502m due to dangerously unstable serac barriers
High Point (m) 6502
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 3
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 8
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 2
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 -
Campsites BC(24/04,4150m),C1(26/04,5000m),C2(03/05,5600m),C3(14/05,6500m),xxx(14/05,6502m)
Route Notes BC at normal site C1 at normal site C2 at normal site in snowholes High point at 6500m at top of Dutch Rib. They spent 3 weeks on the N Face, making C1 and C2 in snowholes and pitching C3 at 6500m at the top of the Dutch Rib on 9th May. C3 was stocked during the following few days (9-12 May), but it was never slept in. 13th Duff and 3 went up with personal gear to C2 and 14th to C3. On 14th May, when Duff, Woodall, Nowack and Gray tried to move above C3, just a meter or 2 above the camp they got onto a serac barrier that was extremely broken and dangerous. It would have been safe enough, Duff felt, for 2 people going up and down once, but some of the team's client members were not sufficiently experienced for a rapid ascent. It would have been necessary to fix the rope to 1 more camp, thus requiring 20 passes through the barrier; this would have been unacceptably dangerous (and bad for business - members were paying clients). So the climb was abandoned. Snowholes very good idea for C2. All members reached C3 as did both Sherpas, but it was never slept in.
Accidents None
Achievement -
Agency Rover Treks
Commercial Route -
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2453031
Year 1990
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) n face (dutch rib)

Members

8 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
John Cuthbert M 1962 UK Climber Tideswell, Derbyshire, England Writer & journalist Details Other expeditions
Malcolm (Mal) Duff M 1953 UK Leader Culross, Fife, Scotland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Robert E. (Rob) Fairley M 1953 UK Deputy Leader Fort William, Inverness, Scotland Artist (painter) Details Other expeditions
Lester Gray M 1961 New Zealand Climber London, England Banker Details Other expeditions
Richard Nowack M 1940 USA Climber Julian, California Dishwasher Details Other expeditions
John Walmsley M 1955 UK Climber Poole, Dorset, England Engineer Details Other expeditions
John Daniel Welburn M 1961 UK Climber Gatton, Northampton, Scotland Engineer Details Other expeditions
Ian Woodall M 1956 UK Climber Longhope, Gloucester, England Accountant Details Other expeditions

References

2 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
ANN190101 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 65:239-240 (1991) -
ANN190101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199123905/Asia-Nepal-Annapurna-Attempt - - -