Baruntse | 1994 E Ridge (to 5800m)

A USA expedition to Baruntse in 1994 via E Ridge (to 5800m), led by Georgie Powers. Summit reached on 26th September 1994. 5 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1407
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID BARU94301
Peak ID BARU
Year 1994
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 E Ridge (to 5800m)
Route 2 SE Ridge (to 6600m)
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality USA
Leaders Georgie Powers
Sponsor Wyoming Woman's Baruntse 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 -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1994-09-18
Summit Date 1994-09-26
Summit Time -
Summit Days 8
Total Days 15
Termination Date 1994-10-03
Termination Reason 10
Termination Notes Abandoned at 6600m due to lack of strength
High Point (m) 6600
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 5
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 False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(18/09,5200m),ERidge(25/09,5600m),xxx(26/09,5800m); SRidge.C1(30/09,6100m),C2(02/10,6400m),xxx(03/10,6600m)
Route Notes BC at Barun west side of Glacier due south of Makalu BC East Ridge route C1 east of pt 6190m and northwest of pt 6220m on Schneider map South Ridge route C1 north of Sherpani Col C2 at 6400m at ridge. Got to top of serac and bottom of slope and didn't like snow conditions: lot of avalanche debris and crown fractures where slabs had started their slides. 5 hours tedious scrambling from BC to C1. Abandoned East Ridge as a route and went to West Col area and made new C1 at 6100m north of Sherpani Col to attempt SE Ridge; made C2 at 6400m on 2 Oct on normal route. Summit bid on 3rd by Brew, Powers and Wolfe to 6600m: 2 members not well and Brew not interested in continuing alone, so down to BC same day, 3rd Oct. Expedition News - Wyoming Women's Baruntse Expedition On September 18, 1994 the Wyoming Women's Baruntse Expedition arrived at Baruntse basecamp. Two days later the monsoon broke to blue skies continuing a streak of luck that had included the arrival of all of the climber's baggage, an excellent Nepali staff, and the absence of altitude illness amongst the expedition, even at 17,000 feet. The only blight was an accidental fall that caused Christine Lichtenfels bruises, cuts and a pulled leg muscle that were to hamper her the rest of the trip. The equipment was ferried up the Barun glacier the first week. The presence of huge and unstable rocks and four miles of slogging made for slow going. Baruntse was visible from the base camp but the expedition was anxious to head towards C1 to get a view of the projected route, the East Ridge. On Sept 24, Georgie Powers, Aileen Brew, and Sue Miller moved up to C1 at 18,000 ft. The three set out to scout the East Ridge the next day. There were large slab avalanche crowns on both sides of the ridge, some right at the ridge crest. There were cornices on the north side of the ridge, and the entire route was snowy including the initial headwall. The team moved up through an icefall, and eventually came to a snow slope at 19,000 ft that was determined to be unsafe and avalanche prone. Given the dangerous snow condition and the reduced load ferrying capacity due to Christine's accident, the team decided to abandon an East Ridge attempt. The new plan was to climb the normal route on the mountain, the SE Ridge. This route was more accessible, starting directly above base camp. It was not as technical either, allowing for a quick alpine style attempt. After a few days of ferrying loads back down the glacier to basecamp the group embarked on the SE Ridge. The new C1 was located at 20,000 feet. Aileen, Georgie, and Lynne Wolfe moved up to C1 while Sue remained at basecamp with the flu and Christine nursed her injuries. C1 was located at the head of a cirque: a 200-foot rock ridge the team dubbed "the Cleaver" would have to be surmounted in order to gain the Lower Barun Glacier and the summit ridge. On Oct 1, the team negotiated the Cleaver and followed a ramp to C2 at 6500m. The team woke at 3 am for a summit bid. Unfortunately, the isobutane cannister used for cooking leaked fumes into the tent, Georgie became severely ill, vomited, and became exhausted. Lynne was not faring much better. After some rest, the team headed up the summit ridge, but turned around after two hours. While the summit was not reached the expedition succeeded in its goals of remaining safe and remaining friends. The experience was unforgettable.
Accidents Lichtenfels injured leg on approach march and was unable to go on
Achievement 1st woman's expedition to Baruntse
Agency In Wilderness (Kunga)
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2454856
Year 1994
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) e ridge (to 5800m)

Members

5 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Aileen Brew F 1965 USA Climber Lander, Wyoming Outdoor educator Details Other expeditions
Christine Lichtenfels F 1961 USA Climber Lander, Wyoming Outdoor educator Details Other expeditions
Susan B. Miller F 1960 USA Climber Lander, Wyoming Outdoor educator Details Other expeditions
Georgie Powers F 1967 USA Leader Lander, Wyoming Outdoor educator Details Other expeditions
Rebella Lynne Wolfe F 1961 USA Climber Lander, Wyoming Outdoor educator Details Other expeditions

References

2 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
BARU94301 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 69:232-233 (1995) -
BARU94301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199523202/Asia-Nepal-Baruntse-in-the-Post-Monsoon - - -