Api Main | 1981 NW Ridge

A Poland expedition to Api Main in 1981 via NW Ridge, led by Stanislaw Rudzinski. Summit reached on 28th October 1981. 8 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1792
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID APIM81301
Peak ID APIM
Year 1981
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 NW Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Poland
Leaders Stanislaw Rudzinski
Sponsor Polish Himalayan Expedition to Mountain Api 1981
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 -
Approach Darchula
Basecamp Date 1981-10-14
Summit Date 1981-10-28
Summit Time -
Summit Days 14
Total Days 27
Termination Date 1981-11-10
Termination Reason 4
Termination Notes Abandoned at 6700m due to bad weather
High Point (m) 6700
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 8
Summit Members 0
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 True
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(14/10,3500m),ABC(24/10,4800m),xxx(28/10,6700m)
Route Notes Rudzinski - 23 Nov 81 2 days walk Darchula to BC but great shortage of porters took 2 weeks to get all loads to BC. BC established 14 Oct with last loads all there on 16th at 3500m at Budhi Khola valley parallel to and west of Api Khola. BC was northwest of Api. Route was east to NW Ridge of Api. ABC was in Api Khola at 4800m on 24 Oct. 3 members Jedlinski, Piotrowski, Terlikowski had already started on 23 Oct alpine-style attack on mountain. ABC for return. They started from BC with 10 days food and equipment. Ridge on point 6070 on topo map and followed ridge to 5800m; from there beyond on ridge difficult ice. 28 Oct reached 6700m on ridge and then stopped by very strong wind. Put tent there in half on ice cave and slept 2 nights there waiting for wind to die down, but wind did not die down. Tried to go up but wind below. One man of 85 kg over 30m. 30 Oct noon they started back. Went through and icefall in descent more difficult and dangerous than Khumbu Icefall. Returned to BC 2 Nov night while 3 men making their attempt others made ABC and C1 on 25 Oct 5400m to be ready to help high climber if necessary. 6 Nov started return to Darchula. Nepal permit valid til 25 Nov but Indian permit to cross from Nepal to India Darchula expired 15 Nov. Delhi to India Darchula is 24 hours by bus and very cheap; would go this way again. Home Ministry in Delhi gives permit and should be obtained well in advance and through an embassy in Delhi. India Darchula has electricity and hard-topped road; Nepalese Darchula only paths. No accidents. Route certainly possible. Expedition lost much there re-Nepalese permits and porters. Where 3 men stopped was only 3-4 hours easy walk to summit. Rudzinski - 21 Sept 81 Route = Northwest side, exactly what feature (face or pillar) will decide often arrival at BC. Approach from India at Darchula in west. Probably approach mountain from Api Khola, perhaps from Nampa Khola; recce party will go in advance to decide where to put BC. 3 members only in KTM, arrived 18 Sept, others 5 in Delhi. Plan leave KTM 25 or 26 Sept and arrive Darchula 29 or 30 Sept. 4-5 days from Darchula to BC. Climb alpine-style; not much equipment, not big expedition; maybe 1 final camp, maybe none. 3 weeks BC to top. Rudzinski and some others return to KTM 5-6 weeks after departure depending on weather. No Sherpas above BC. 1 small oxygen for medical.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2449992
Year 1981
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) nw ridge

Members

8 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Andrzej Gocyla M 1950 Poland Climber Dabrowa Gornicza, Katowice, Poland Mechanical technician Details Other expeditions
Kazimierz Grodziski M 1944 Poland Climber Sosnowiec, Poland Geological engineer Details Other expeditions
Wojciech Jedlinski M 1946 Poland Climber Lodz, Poland Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Eugeniusz Kolodziejczyk M 1928 Poland Exp Doctor Krakow, Poland Physician Details Other expeditions
Tadeusz Piotrowski M 1940 Poland Deputy Leader Szczecin, Poland Writer (mountaineering) Details Other expeditions
Stanislaw Rudzinski M 1944 Poland Leader Katowice, Poland Operates a small window-cleaning business Details Other expeditions
Zbigniew Terlikowski M 1951 Poland Climber Tychy, Poland Mining engineer Details Other expeditions
Michal Wroczynski M 1949 Poland Climber Warsaw, Poland Primary school teacher of history Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
APIM81301 AAJ Cheney, Michael J. & Hawley, Elizabeth - - 56:241 (1982) -
APIM81301 MM - - - 85:12 (May 1982) -
APIM81301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198224101/Asia-Nepal-Api-Attempt - - -