Cho Oyu | 2001 NW side

A USA expedition to Cho Oyu in 2001 via NW side, led by Michael Bell. Summit reached on 26th September 2001. 1 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field	Value
ID	3899
Imported	2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID	CHOY01324
Peak ID	CHOY
Year	2001
Season	3
Host Country	2
Route 1	NW side
Route 2	-
Route 3	-
Route 4	-
Nationality	USA
Leaders	Michael Bell
Sponsor	Independent climber (on IMG permit)
Success 1	True
Success 2	False
Success 3	False
Success 4	False
Ascent 1	413
Ascent 2	-
Ascent 3	-
Ascent 4	-
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Countries	-
Approach	-
Basecamp Date	2001-09-02
Summit Date	2001-09-26
Summit Time	1030
Summit Days	24
Total Days	28
Termination Date	2001-09-30
Termination Reason	1
Termination Notes	-
High Point (m)	8188
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Camps	3
Fixed Rope (m)	0
Total Members	1
Summit Members	1
Member Deaths	0
Total Hired	3
Summit Hired	0
Hired Deaths	0
No Hired	False
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	True
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Taken	False
O2 Unknown	False
Other Summits	-
Campsites	BC(02/09),ABC(06/09,5600m),C1(12/09,6300m),C2(17/09,7000m),C3(25/09,7500m),Smt(26/09)
Route Notes	Left C3 at 1:30 am alone, got top 10:30 am and down to C3 about 2:00 pm and slept in C2. Bell was "a difficult person to get along with" - had bad judgement and did stupid things [according to the IMG team]. Independent climber in John Race IMG group. Letter to Miss Hawley January 3, 2002 In answer to your questions I found the most difficult sections of the climb to be the 2 most technical parts. These were the ice wall between Camps 2 and 3 and the yellow band just above C3. Since these sections were fixed they did not present any problems to ascend. The weather was cloudy at the summit by the time I arrived. Heavy clouds prevented me from seeing Everest but I was able to top. I found the prayer flags and a black bird resembling a raven came to investigate my arrival looking for food. I did not expect to see a bird at this altitude. My oxygen ran out just above the fixed lines on the yellow band. I am not sure about my exact time of arrival at Camp 2 on the 26th. I remember having plenty of daylight to prepare hot water.
Accidents	Nothing
Achievement	-
Agency	Great Escapes Trekking
Commercial Route	True
Standard Route	True
Primary Route	False
Primary Member	False
Primary Reference	-
Primary ID	-
Checksum	2457510
Year	2001
Summit Success	True
O2 Summary	Used
Route (lowercase)	nw side

Members

Field	Value
ID	30694
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	CHOY01324
Member ID	01
Peak ID	CHOY
Year	2001
Season	3
First Name	Michael
Last Name	Bell
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1955
Calculated Age	46
Citizenship	USA
Status	Leader
Residence	Redmond, Washington
Occupation	Software engineer
Leader	True
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	True
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8188
Summit Date 1	2001-09-26
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	1030
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	413
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	True
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	In C3, to top & back towards C3 but it ran ou
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	5
Summit Term	1
HCN	0
Checksum	2433250
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	michael bell
Year of Birth	1955
Year	2001
Age at Expedition	46
Role	Leader

1 recorded members.

Name	Sex	Year of Birth	Citizenship	Status	Residence	Occupation
Michael Bell	M	1955	USA	Leader	Redmond, Washington	Software engineer	Details Other expeditions

References

0 recorded references.