Cholatse | 1982 SW Ridge-S Ridge

A USA expedition to Cholatse in 1982 via SW Ridge-S Ridge, led by Al Read. Summit reached on 20th April 1982. 7 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1674
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID CHOL82101
Peak ID CHOL
Year 1982
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Ridge-S Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality USA
Leaders Al Read
Sponsor Mountain Travel Nepal's Expedition to Cholatse 1982
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 1st
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries UK
Approach Lukla->Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1982-04-20
Summit Date 1982-04-20
Summit Time 1630
Summit Days 0
Total Days 4
Termination Date 1982-04-24
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 6440
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 6
Summit Members 4
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(13/04,4700m),C1(20/04,5600m),C2(21/04,5800m),Biv(22/04,6300m),Smt(22/04)
Route Notes Roskelley: "We climbed it too fast so people are going to think its too easy." Cholatse last virgin peak in Khumbu. Very difficult technical climb. No easy route to summit, easiest route is very difficult. One of most difficult routes in Himalayas. Done in difficult way: alpine style, without fixed camps, fixed rope or Sherpas on mountain. Route was SW Ridge. Total time climbing actually 4 days. Put camp in first: supply dump established higher than BC, from there started climb. April 20-22 BC to top - 35 rope pitches (150 ft each rope pitch) 20 - BC to 18,400 ft on 15,400 ft a col (the camp already put in) by 5 (all except Read). 21 - Hackett ill (same kind of flu) and stayed at 18,400. Other 4 at 19,000 ft that night after having reached 19,400 ft. Found head ice climbing all the way to top so decided would have to make all all out push without tent to carry and to sleep out. 22 - Roskelley, best at ice climbing, led all the way and first on top. Left tent at 19,000 ft at 4:30 am and reached top at 4:30 pm and went down to summit plateau at 5:30 pm at 20,700 ft without shelter and snowed on us but got sleep in sleeping bags that were synthetic and not affected by wet. 23 - reached Hackett at 18,400 ft at noon and all five down to BC at 4:00 pm. Left Hackett behind because very few days of good weather this spring. 21st and 22nd were good until 2:30 pm on 22nd stayed on top very briefly. Electrical effects: buzzing and hair stood on end, afraid of lightning. None of us saw any alternate routes any better than ours. Anyone making a good route will have really tough time. Very steep and ice so hard it takes really good ice climber to do it. No avalanches. Went through an icefall smaller but just as dangerous as Khumbu Icefall (16,500-18,500 ft) danger of seracs falling. 18,400 to 20,700 ft continuously difficult ice climbing and continously more difficult than Everest. Roskelley had at least equal ability of Messner says Al Read. Had it not been for Roskelley, Gaurishankar would not have been climbed in 1979. Cholatse small, light, fast, cheap expedition. Al Read - 1 April 82 Roskelley, Clevenger, Hackett and O'Connor leave KTM 3rd April to Lukla. Galen Rowell leave KTM 6th but joins expedition after trek about 16th. Read joins about 16th also. Approach via Khumjung - Pheriche - Dzanglha to pass 5420 to BC BC in Charchung Valley southeast of Gokyo at about 16,500 ft. Route West Ridge. "I think we have pretty good chance of making it (summit), pretty strong team." Letter from Bill O'Connor, BC - 25 April Cholatse was climbed on April 22nd at Circa 3 pm. Myself Roskelley, Clevinger and Rowell reached the summit. A really fantastic route. We had all understimated it. Had a cold, cold biv in a storm near the summit.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2450347
Year 1982
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sw ridge-s ridge

Members

7 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Vern Clevenger M 1955 USA Climber Mammoth Lakes, California Professional photographer Details Other expeditions
Peter Harvey Hackett M 1947 USA Deputy Leader Bishop, California Physician (mountaineering medicine) Details Other expeditions
William H. (Bill) O'Connor M 1947 UK Climber Harrogate, N Yorkshire, England Alpine guide & photographer Details Other expeditions
William Albert (Al) Read M 1936 USA Leader Moose, Wyoming & Kathmandu, Nepal Alpine guide in Nepal Details Other expeditions
John Fenton Charles Roskelley M 1948 USA Climber Spokane, Washington Photojournalist Details Other expeditions
Galen Avery Rowell M 1940 USA Climber Berkeley, California Photographer & writer Details Other expeditions
Ang Nima Sherpa M - Nepal Sirdar - - Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
CHOL82101 AAJ Rowell, Galen A. Cholatse - 57:15-21 (1983) -
CHOL82101 AJ O'Connor, Bill Last Virgin in the Khumbu - 88:21-28 (1983) -
CHOL82101 MM - - - 85:11-12 (May 1982) -
CHOL82101 HIGH - - - 138:8-9 (May 1994) -
CHOL82101 - Rowell, Galen High & Wild Spotted Dog Press, Bishop, CA - -
CHOL82101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198301500/Cholatse - - -
CHOL82101 - - https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1983_files/AJ%201983%2021-28%20O'Connor%20Tsolatse.pdf - - -