Annapurna IV | 2013 NW Ridge

A Thailand expedition to Annapurna IV in 2013 via NW Ridge, led by Khomrat Pichitdej. Summit reached on 20th April 2013. 9 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 8041
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID ANN413101
Peak ID ANN4
Year 2013
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 NW Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Thailand
Leaders Khomrat Pichitdej
Sponsor Annapurna IV Spring 2013
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 Germany, Poland
Approach -
Basecamp Date 2013-04-11
Summit Date 2013-04-20
Summit Time -
Summit Days 9
Total Days 13
Termination Date 2013-04-24
Termination Reason 5
Termination Notes Abandoned at 5930m due to snowfall and avalanche
High Point (m) 5950
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 4000
Total Members 9
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 5
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(11/04,3900m),ABC(14/04,4400m),C1(15/04,5380m),C2(20/04,5950m),xxx(20/04,5950m)
Route Notes BC 11 Apr 3900m ABC 14 Apr 4400m C1 15 Apr 5380m C2 20 Apr 5950m HPt 20 Apr 5950m by Koniak, Pichitdej, Chumnarnsit, Ponghirunruth and Bader. High-point team reached C2 on 20 April. They were on their summit attempt, however, the weather was not good and they waited there for two nights. After the Sherpas were told by the agency's weather forecast that the snow showers would continue, they unanimously took the decision to go down. They thought the mountain was too dangerous and the risk of avalanches was too high. On the morning of 22 April, they packed up and descended to BC, even though it was a beautiful day. Koniak, who sent the information by email, thinks it was some sort of Sherpa strike. He was very unhappy with what had happened. Kontrong, Marid, Senkaew and Watanyousiripunya reached the C1 at 5380m on 15 April. After four nights at C1 they descended to BC and left BC on 20 April to trek back to Manang. They had lost their motivation to carry on the climb. Oxygen: Not taken, not used Sherpas: Ganesh Rai, Basa-6, Solu Tek Bahadur Rai, Basa-8, Solu Dawa Sherpa, Solu Ganesh Bahadur, Pawai, Solu Dome Sherpa, Kharikhola Janusz Koniak's account (by email, 13 June 2013) Annapurna IV Thai Expeditions 05-29 April 2013 Annapurna IV – 7525m – my Dream Mountain (unachieved!) Persons: Ganesh – expedition Sirdar and Niru's cousin Niru – director and owner of company Adventure Geo Treks Roll – Mr. Roland F. Bader (Germany) 5th April Arrival to Kathmandu and check in to Tashi Dhele hotel. 6th April – Briefing in the morning with Niru's company, during which I bought from Sirdar Ganesh a mobile phone Sim card. This particular network operator doesn't work on the trekking way around Annapurna. It was real meanness to offer these Sim cards by company accepting us. The cost of using local phones was generating costs 10-15 times higher than official fees. In the afternoon, only shopping and renting mountain equipment. Welcome dinner. 7th April – visit at the ministry, collecting permits – continuing shopping during entire afternoon – dinner next to the hotel, I ate two steaks, and as it turned up, it was the very last meat I had during following 3 weeks. It was never said that receiving company will only serve vegetarian food, with no other options (apart from few SPAM cans, which isn't meat anyway). 8th April – finally departure to the mountains. On the suburbs of city, we change vehicles for jeeps. More hours in the cars. Couple of stops on the way. Shopping for drinks, a bit of food, a bit of stretching muscles. We're heading to the mountains; our driver goes through clouds of dust, left by vehicle in front of us. Trying to explain him myself as well as with help of interpreter to increase distance - brings as much result as talking to a donkey, and maybe even giving opposite effect, as he drove even nearer into denser dust and dirt cloud. 9th April – Moving out of Chame – from Shangrila-La Hotel to Low Pisang. On the way stopover for senseless lunch in Dhukur, in Potala hotel, 30 minutes prior to hiking, Low Pisang and Maya Hotel. Sirdar Ganesh claims that expedition has 28 tents for sleeping – strange - I counted barely 16-17. Packing up tents to take them up the mountain – yet another lie. I bring up the question of meat as I'm fed up of eggs with noodle, potatoes or instant Chinese soups. Sirdar Ganesh claims that in this area, buying meat is impossible due to religious reasons. I order 5-6 kg of fresh meat for myself, on my own cost, with delivery from Chame, and also 10 portions of lunches/dinners – lyophilized food – ready to use at camps prior the summit days. Despite the promises, neither meat nor lyophilized food have arrived. Sirdar Ganesh was trying to give me my own lyophilized food from my luggage - as recently bought, new lyophilized food – a lie. We ate fresh meat after getting down, and I photographed about 20-30 kg of meat in the village nearby, Braga village, therefore excuses about unavailable meat were another lie. Problems with the phone - not working. Other options are extremely expensive and moreover, they do not sell Sim cards with network working in the mountains to tourists. 10 April - Low Pisang-Humde and Snow Land hotel. Morning gathering, picture together and trekking groups are on the way. Our group of 9 will depart later, in an hour. Loading belongings on mules, egg breakfast and off we go. I'm calling home from Humde – cannot hear very well. I decided to go on a motorbike to Manang Village, for 2000 rupi, to use a phone, internet and eat a steak – there is a fresh meat in the restaurant – but I did not have enough time. I'm coming back to the group, we eat lunch – eggs and potatoes with curry. 11 April – Humde – Base Camp. In the morning, at last we're on the way to our BC – start around 9:30 am. After relatively short trek – around 12:45, we're at the place. It's strange here. I get into the tent and look for altimeter – shock – we're barely on 3900 meters and according to program, it was supposed to be 4500 meters. We're 600 meters too low! So I ask Sirdar Ganesh why – because of the snow condition, they say. Another lie – the real reason was that there are no porters to take our tents and equipment up the mountain. I'm asking who will be doing it – us and Sherpa. Outrageous. 12 April – After breakfast, Puja celebration, begging gods of mountains for forbearance. We took out all the alpine equipment. After celebration, we took first cargo to ABC – where it is easy to walk, and no problems with snow occurred. Another lie of Sirdar Ganesh. As the place, it turned up that also ABC is too low, barely on height of 4400 meters. A bit of rest and down the mountain. 13th April - Thai New Year. A practical day – using Jumer, prussic and figure eight knot. I help with training people as Sirdar Ganesh was alone. The remaining Sherpa were taking our equipment up the mountain, which is meant to be porters' job in standard cases. 14th April – Shortly before the noon, we march to the mountain. I'm leaving as the last person. After around an hour, I managed to catch up with everyone – they are going down due to allegedly bad weather, indeed it is snowing a bit. I refuse to go back and head forward. I wonder what will be further. I have a sleeping bag and some drinks. I arrive to the ABC place. Nothing is prepared, no tents, no kitchen – no nothing. In the store tent I'm preparing organizing some space, change into dry clothes and I wait. Around 4 pm, they are approaching. All of them had eaten lunch in the lunch camp (BC) and left back to the mountains. Sherpa set up tents. Contrary to program, 2 people per tent. How to rest in this kind of conditions? There are no mattresses. Not enough tents. What shall happen next? After setting up a camp, we start a discussion, we're told to go together in the group. I answer that above all, we ought to stick to the program. Sirdar Ganesh has neither satellite phone, nor radio telephone, how does he want to lead the expedition without means of communication and weather forecast? I tell him that his duty it to set up the camps and what I do or where I go is up to me, with Sherpas or alone, I can go between the camps, including climbing up the summit. This made Sirdar Ganesh absolutely furious and he started screaming at me that it is him who is responsible for everything (so I ask why are we only on 4400, and not 4500) – because there is too much snow, there is no money for porters, that they cost so much – I explain that it's his organization problem, we paid to his company and there is no proper food, no porters, and other things, not to mention that we don't follow the program. "I know those stupid Poles" screams Sirdar Ganesh at me, "This is Nepal, and I can do anything" – he screams at me. "You understand? I can do anything", I heard the words ringing in my ears. What a moron one has to be to have this kind of language with a customer? I gave my satellite phone to him (Sirdar Ganesh), so he can send a message with forecast request from their boss – Niru Rin. He wrote it and sent. We received confirmation that the forecast will be sent. Egg dinner and we're off to bed. 15th April – waking up as usually around 6 am, breakfast, and we're moving to Camp 1. I'm leaving as the last person, as usual, around 10:30 am. Rest on Heli Pad – at 5015m, a perfect place for helicopter airstrip, and off I go up. I'm arriving to the Camp 1 around 4 pm. Sherpa are finishing setting up a camp now. There are 5 tents, 3 pax, 2 pax (me and TJ), 3 pax and in the last one Roll with Sirdar Ganesh. Sherpa walk down. Cooking, drinking, eating and sleep. 16th April – The rest day – Thais do not want to go down for their belongings – delegation speak with Khun Pa about this matter. They are asking Sherpa to bring their possessions and food (mainly). Me too. If everyone, then everyone. 17th April - Cooking breakfast and on off to the Camp 2. Backpack heavy as hell – over 15 kg. As usually, I'm climbing up as last person. Fully loading a 70 liter backpack is not an easy task. Other have 35 liters and nearly empty, how do they do it? After an hour, I reach everyone, take over, and go further up. I'm getting cold, wind and snow blowing in my face, but I go forward. All Sherpa go back down and to encourage me to also go back, they take my backpack. The Camp 2 is not set up, the weather is too bad. True, it's snowing a bit, but is it really that bad to go back? We're walking back down. Very angry, I take everything out of my backpack to the tent and go back with an empty backpack to ABC. Sitting in Camp 1 is senseless. It doesn't improve acclimatization; it's just stupid sitting in one place. Roll is coming down with me. 18th April – Doing nothing and feasting food in ABC, 4400m. 19th April - Breakfast and up the mountain. Backpack is packed with everything ready for the summit attack. On the helipad (5015m), we meet 4 Thais. They are resigning from expedition and go back down. There are 5 Sherpa and 5 out of 9 climbers, a perfect arrangement. I'm reaching Camp 1 and start cooking. I am alone in the tent. Dinner and I'm going to sleep. We're finally heading to Camp 2 tomorrow. 20th April - I'm packing. Fluffy sleeping bag, jacket and pants for summit were taken by Sherpa. Once again, I have a full 70 liters backpack. Loads of food for few days awaiting the summit, underwear and all the rest. Over 15kg, maybe a bit over that. I'm leaving as usually as the last person. Walking is more less easy, although slow. I pass the riggings and follow the traces. There are no tracers, if the traces are blown away, how to go further? I think this Sirdar doesn't even know what means tracer, or there are none to save money. I'm climbing up a steep wall. The road is turning right. There's also an abyss on the right. Three ropes are hanging. I'm following mine. It's getting loose, I fall. Why? I’m standing up and walk further, rigging once again is getting loose and I fall down. I have no glasses, so I can't see properly, but there is someone higher, doing something, After getting up, it turned up to be Sirdar Ganesh. I'm walking; rigging is getting loose and I falling down 2, 3 meters. What's going on? My legs are shaking. I can hear shouts telling me to clip to the green rope and I can see some Sherpa – Doma. He's getting ready to slide down to me. He's taking my backpack to help me. Nothing explains what happened to the riggings. I'm getting back on trail. My legs are shaking. I ask Khun Pa for drink and go to the tent. I live with Roll, so there is not much space. He already rolled my sleeping pad, I can rest. Cooking and sleep. Tomorrow will be also a good day. It's snow showering. 21st April - Break through! I hadn't slept all night, too hot; Malacha's sleeping bag is too good. I stripped all clothes, even though it was 25C below zero. In the morning Tik (Roll's Sherpa) is arriving and he says that there was a 2 feet snow fall and everyone is scared. I say that 2 feet snow wall was perhaps in the valley. They invite me for the conference with Sherpa, all of us, and we discuss what to do next. We barely slept the first night on the 2. Height – about 6000m. Over us, a huge wall of blue ice. Technical difficulties are over. We had option of going around the glacier, there was a valley on the left and reaching the Camp 3. But for the time being, conference with Sherpa. I'm alone, Khun Pa is not here – the tour leader! Roll also not present – well… It's a bit strange. In my satellite phone, I only have weather forecast from Niru: 21 April – Morning, Day Afternoon and Evning snow shwr. 22 April – Morning, Day Afternoon and Evning snow shwr. 23 April – Morning clear, and whole day snow shwr. 24 April only in the evening clear. Thank You and have a good luck. Nothing regarding height, clouds or wind – its strength or direction. Nothing about temperature. Sherpa based on this forecast unanimously took decision to go down, they are not going any further and not waiting anymore, as it gets more and more dangerous and avalanche is likely to happen. No arguments are accepted. That's it. Going back down… I perceived this decision as Sherpas' strike. We're packing up. The end of dreams, the end of expedition for no logical reasons. Dozens of kilograms of food taken up is going straight to snow, after priory ripping the packages. Packing up the tents. Sherpa secure more people – I go down as last, clipped to a green, dynamic (fortunately) rope. On the top, Sherpa Tik and Dom are clearing the camp. Blizzard – Sirdar Ganesh is exchanging my prussic knot for 6mm string. After one clipping, I change know for my own, it works better. After few steps down, I walked to overhang. On the turning of glacier, there was no equalized anchor and the line of riggings goes in straight line over the glacier's turning in the air. Why didn't Sherpas do security position on the turning – nobody answered me this question. Sirdar Ganesh neither. Gladly, I only fell down 4-5 meters (Under me – hundreds of meters of open space) and the rope managed to break my fall (normal rigging on Blue Ice glacier is cut but ice) as well as prussic knot worked very well. Harnesses almost sank in my tight and banging against glacier renewed recently broken ribs. I sank tops of my crampons in the wall and put on put on the other end of rope Jumar, expecting further action – and it was organized very well. Roll from the bottom, and Sirdar Ganesh with Sherpa Doma took me out of this unpleasant trap. Afterwards it was easy. I can see 2 pairs of Sherpa looking for riggings – the trail was blown away by wind long before. No tracers. We're removing snow from tents in Camp 1, I get inside and nothing changed. Drinking, eating – rest. And I think about the miss fortune. Why did they waste 1 month of our lives? What did they take money for? For trekking? Why are they (Sherpa's) here? 22nd April - I open the tent – beautiful weather. Breakfast, packing everything and going down, we're sliding down on riggings. Sometimes it's snowing a little. We arrive to ABC, lunch and packing up whatever I had in tent. I inform that I'm going down. Sirdar Ganesh is irritated that there's lots of snow, that it's dangerous, he is so funny – maybe the snow hit his head. I don't want to look at him anymore. At least down there, I will had lunch on my own (in Camp Low BC). I eat lunch with the cook. I got back to the tent, there's lots to think about. 23rd April – breakfast alone. In the afternoon everyone is going down. Presentation of how to use oxygen bottle. It should be done the first day, not the last. Sirdar is as professional as crackerjack indeed. 24th April – I'm going with Roll, we're heading to Ngawal on 3700m to stay there over night. On the way, we're eating lunch with fresh meat. It's here – they sell it, delicious – even though I don't know what kind of meat is it. Maybe tasty yak meat? 25th April – through Ghyaru, we're going by traverse with the path and without the path towards the base camp Pisang Peak. We reach the holy place over Pisang and find path down. 2 days of beautiful views of Annapurna III, IV and II. We're stopping in Maya hotel and even though it's an expedition hotel, Sirdar Ganesh refuses to refund costs of accommodation and food – because we weren't in the group, and this is what was included. Liar or cheater? 26th April - Low Pisang – Chame. Easy trek. We arrive to Shangri-La Hotel, dinner, alcohol, singing, sleeping. 27 April – Chame – Kathmandu 12 long hours in the car. On the way beautiful views of Masalu 8000m. 28 April - I print and show weather forecast from 22 April, present it to Niru – no effects, he thanks for teachings!!! No apologies for wasted month of life and wasted money. In the evening a farewell dinner. I go back hungry to hotel. I buy a beer and it's time to pack up. Tomorrow is our departure back. 29 April, transfer to the airport and the end of nightmare. Many thanks for all to ADVENTURE GEO TREKS (P) LTD, to Sirdar Ganesh and for his boss Niru Rin.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency Adventure Geo Treks
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2461476
Year 2013
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) nw ridge

Members

9 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Napassaporn Chumnarnsit F 1984 Thailand Climber Sattahip, Chonburi, Thailand Dentist Details Other expeditions
Janusz Koniak M 1955 Poland Climber Bangkok, Thailand Tour operator Details Other expeditions
Pakorn Kontrong M 1973 Thailand Climber Talingchan, Thailand Businessman Details Other expeditions
Kiet Marid M 1963 Thailand Climber Rayong, Thailand Candy export business Details Other expeditions
Khomrat Pichitdej M 1950 Thailand Leader Nakhon Pathom, Thailand Tour guide Details Other expeditions
Titchoke Ponghirunruth M 1967 Thailand Climber Samut Prakan, Thailand Merchant Details Other expeditions
Piraporn Senkaew F 1971 Thailand Climber Pakphayoon, Thailand Nurse Details Other expeditions
Roland Friedrich Bader M 1984 Germany Climber Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany Physician Details Other expeditions
Taweepakkaratch Watanyousiripunya M 1977 Thailand Climber Sampran, Nakronpratom, Thailand Physician Details Other expeditions

References

0 recorded references.