Cho Oyu | 1978 SE Face

A Austria expedition to Cho Oyu in 1978 via SE Face, led by Eduard Koblmueller. Summit reached on 27th October 1978. 5 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2154
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID CHOY78301
Peak ID CHOY
Year 1978
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 SE Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Austria
Leaders Eduard Koblmueller
Sponsor Austrian-German Team on Cho Oyu in Autumn 1978
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 3rd
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed True
Countries W Germany
Approach Gokyo Valley
Basecamp Date 1978-10-13
Summit Date 1978-10-27
Summit Time -
Summit Days 14
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8188
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 3
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 5
Summit Members 2
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(13/10,5000m),C1(15/10,5250m),C2(18/10,6600m),C3(25/10,7400m),Smt(27/10)
Route Notes Kolbmueller - 1 Oct 1996 "Very difficult technically - it was my best and most difficult climb except perhaps K2". Climbed without permit because it was impossible to get one in 1978. Got the idea of this great wall to climb from Messner's writing about it as a wall that will not be climbed in many years. Team had only 8 loads of baggage and were on a trekking permit for Gokyo - members only (no Sherpas). Ferried loads in 2 days to BC. Summit reached on 27 Oct at about 6:00 pm, as sun was disappearing; saw Everest and everything from top - returned to cave at 10:00 pm and others were waiting there: Haberl had turned back at 8000m because of toes frostbitten day before and others 2 had turned back at 7800m. When had descended to camp at 6600m there was very heavy snowfall and they had to stay there without fuel and food - there was avalanche danger but they were not hit. Stefan Woerner - 23 May 86 Woerner & Haberl doubt Koblmueller climbed SE Face - think they did Tichy route - SE Face is very dangerous. Messner - 19 March 82 Austrians surely scaled Cho Oyu in '78 (via SE Face). Messner has seen their pictures. Ohmari, et al, Japan Cho Oyu expedition - 5 June 81 We don't believe Austro-Germany '78 party reached Cho Oyu summit via South Face because it's very difficult and great danger from daily avalanches. No sign of previous climbers on south side of Cho Oyu. Hermann Warth - 12 June 81 Gunter Hauser did not believe Austro-Germans reached summit and DAV did not also. Jan Boon - 15 April 78 While in Khumbu recently Boon met 3 Austrians on 4 Nov who said they had just climbed Cho Oyu by its East Face alpine-style. They had their Sherpas leave all baggage somewhere short of BC and the Austrians themselves ferried it to BC. The face was extremely difficult, nearly vertical snow and ice and they had a heavy snowfall. One member's fingers were black with frostbite. Boon got no names, but they said they planned to tell their story to Alpininmus and the Austrian Alpine Journal. All previous expeditions to Cho Oyu were on the West Ridge - West Face route. Boon believes they reached the summit because one said they had a fine view of Tibet and this view they would have had only from the top, Boon says. Ministry of Tourism - 23 Dec 1979 His Majesty's Government of Nepal has decided to prohibit following persons for a period of five years from entering into the Kingdom of Nepal for non-complying Mountaineering Regulation 1976 and climbing Cho Oyu, an unopened peak, without the permission of HMG in October 1978. Alois Furtner, Dr. Peter Von Gizicky, Dr. Gerhard Haberl, Eduard Koblmueller, Herbert Spousta. Expedition Report, Alois Furtner - 20 Jan 1979 The "poor trekkers" (in the eyes of the natives they even looked as a trekking group rather unsophisticated and miserable) lugged 250 kg to the base camp: inclusive everything, three tents, food for three weeks, climbing gear as was used for the Eiger-North Face, medicine, down clothing. 50 kg for every man and that on his own back, because the yaks on the Gokyo-Alm, 4750m, refused to continue the march because of heavy snowfall. At last, the base camp, a single tent at 5000m at the foot of the 3000m Cho Oyu South Face. Three weeks time were available for the ascent. The peak had to be reached within this time. The highland storms, up to 200 km/hr of Tibet, render any further advancement above 7000m impossible. Information about the nature of the wall were not available to the pioneers. Till now a serious attempt to climb this mountain had never been made. Three problems were recognized from the base camp; firstly a 1000m high ice-saturated rock pillar which was going to lead on to a high plateau; secondly the crossing of the three km long plateau, bordered by avalanche-walls; and thirdly the determining peaks wall of 6000m to 8150m. One could foresee the difficulties: ice troughs in the lower part of the wall, with danger of rolling stones, nerve-wracking crack work at the high plateau, and the overcoming of the steep wall belt in the already very thin zone between 7000 and 7500m. The advance troop comprised of Edi Koblmueller, Herbert von Gizycki, and Alois Furtner. A week later Spouster and Gerd Haberl caught up with them. By the way, the idea of the Cho Oyu South Face came from Gerd Haberl. So, first of all, the outsiders had to pave a way across Nepal's largest glacier, the Lungsampa Glacier. A general expedition problem which causes without Sherpas and by new snow fall considerable hardship and trackwork. At the foot of the wall the most economic and surest slip through had to considered among many possibilities: as how to reach the plateau 1000m above. Except for tremendous heat reflection, the plateau itself did not cause any great difficulties. At the foot of the wall an ice cave was erected. This rather easy provisional success generated a dangerous optimism. Koblmuller even toiled with the thought of ascending the peak within one go. But the lack of acclamatization put a stop to these daring reflections. In high spirits three descended back to the base camp. After a few rest days, five of them would undertake the only and direct advance to the peak. Everything went according to schedule: safe route, constant weather, no high altitude sickness. The team had a bite and was prepared to mobilize the last reserves. After ten days of expedition the whole team was assembled in 6000m, C2, below the peak wall. First of all the steep wall belt had to be overcome. Koblmuller and Haberl undertook the task and fixed 350m of rope at a risky passage for the descent. Here was a hard nut to crack. Up to 70 degrees of steep bare ice, partially saturated with rock, and steep troughs filled with powder snow. During this work Haberl had seven fingertips frozen and because of this the peak had moved for him into a far distance, but not altogether unreachable. Two ice caves in 7400m served as Camp 3; poorly, spartanic and practical planned, it was starting point for the onslaught on the peak. The climbing on ice and the fixing ropes did cost a considerable amount of energy, so that the following day had to be spent in preparations and resting. Austrian Nation[al Day] is on 26th October. National day was also observed by the team at 7400m. Nevertheless, the next morning all of them left the camp at six o'clock in direction peak. Haberl and Furtner tracked ahead. Hour by hour went. From Tibet the wind carried 100m long snow flags over the Cho Oyu peak. Like ants the five barebooters crawled towards the peak. The advance troop might have just crossed the 8000m line. High time, the clock is already showing 16:00 hours. At this point the peak seemed to be very near but unreachable. The last 150m reared up to a steep ascent. Similar to the foam cloud at the Konigspitz N Face. Haberl decided to return. Because of his frozen fingertips he had to give up. Also the two from Munich, Gizycki and Spouster descended, they were not willing to risk a descent during the night. Koblmuller and Furtner were the only two left in the hip-deep snow below the seizable peak. Step by Step Koblmuller crawled upwards till the snow turned softer and the rest of the slope turned into a 60 degree steep bare ice trough. Without protection, each one for himself, zig-zagged upwards. After one hour of robot-like climb, they literally stumbled onto the flat roof of the Cho Oyu 8153m. After a 2 weeks expedition the team had reached its goal. The shortest of a 8000m ascent in history and that across one of the largest walls [Messner and Habeler faster on "Hidden Peak" in 75]. Everything went according to plan till the day of the peak descent, it turned out to be a race with the avalanche. Bad weather started to set in one day after the peak victory and the group was snowed up in 6000m height. Two meters of new snow nearly unleashed a disaster. Sunk into snow up to the stomach the team dug itself across the plateau to reach the base camp. A stretch which needed two hours to cover, was made in two days. The nights in the ice-caves at 7400m demanded their tribute. With last efforts they dragged themselves to the base camp on 1 Nov 1978.
Accidents Nothing except Haberl slight frostbite
Achievement 1st ascent of this face
Agency -
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2449432
Year 1978
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) se face

Members

5 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Alois Furtner M - Austria Climber Gurten, Upper Austria, Austria Member of low-level management of ski manufacturing company Details Other expeditions
Peter Von Gizycki M - Austria Climber Munich, W Germany Geologist Details Other expeditions
Gerhard Haberl M 1946 W Germany Climber Munich, Bavaria, W Germany Engineer Details Other expeditions
Eduard (Edi) Koblmueller M 1946 Austria Leader Linz, Upper Austria, Austria Forestry technician in '78 Details Other expeditions
Herbert Spousta M 1944 W Germany Climber Gemering, Bavaria, W Germany Computer programmer Details Other expeditions

References

1 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
CHOY78301 - - https://blogs.dw.com/adventuresports/index.html%3Fp=35805.html - - -