Cho Oyu | 1981 SE Face (to 5200m)

A Japan expedition to Cho Oyu in 1981 via SE Face (to 5200m), led by Takeshi Komatsu. Summit reached on 21st May 1981. 42 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1848
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID CHOY81101
Peak ID CHOY
Year 1981
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 SE Face (to 5200m)
Route 2 S Ridge (to 7120m)
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Japan
Leaders Takeshi Komatsu
Sponsor Nepal-Japan Joint Expedition to Mt. Cho Oyu
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 Nepal
Approach Lukla->Gokyo->Lungsampa Glacier
Basecamp Date 1981-04-11
Summit Date 1981-05-21
Summit Time -
Summit Days 40
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 4
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 7120
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 6
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 42
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 Climbed Lungsampa (LSAM)
Campsites BC(11/04,5150m),C1A(14/04,5200m),C1B(23/04,5600m),C2(27/04,5950m),C3(04/05,6350m),C4(09/05,6450m),C5(17/05,6850m),C6(21/05,7120m),xxx(7120m)
Route Notes C6 placed on 21 May at 7120m but not occupied; this expedition's highest point. Messner - 19 March 82 Japanese route in Spring 1981 = SE Face (mountain has two faces on Nepalese side: SW & SW Faces). Ohmri T. Komatsu, et al - 5 June 81 BC on 11 April on Lungsampa Glacier at 5150m. C1 at 5200m on 14 April for east route, at point just south of "L" in black on Schneider map of Lungsampa. Route changed because very dangerous: every day big avalanche of snow and ice; icefall was not so difficult but dangerous. Route changed to South Ridge; BC same but C1 changed. New C1 - 23 April at 5600m on South Ridge C2 - 27 Apr - 5950m C3 - 4 May - 6350m C4 - 9 May - 6450m C5 - 17 May - 6850m C6 - 21 May - 7120m (but not slept in at all) New C1 to C4 of point 6500m and atmost at this point Max altitude 7120m = C6 just above "U" west point 7110m 22 May tried to go up to C6, but bad weather prevented reaching it: every day it snowed. No one very reached C6 again. After 4 days waiting to be able to go up, decided to stop climb. C6 is still there. No accidents or frostbite. Doubt Austria-Germany scaled South Face because its very difficult and dangerous from daily avalanche. Same possibility via East Face especially in post-monsoon. No sign of previous climbers on South Face, a route east of Japanese route. South Ridge is possible if had many days good weather. Need at least C7 and maybe C8, very long route. Same difficult below 6500m and above 7200m (above 7200m difficult rock ridge). Shailendra Sharma, Tourism - 24 May 81 C5 22 May 7200m, weather bad on 23rd, no plans of summit. Otsu - 6 May 81 Cho Oyu expedition changed route because of too many avalanches; not so difficult. Shailendra Sharma - 4 May 81 Cho Oyu route changed: reason not known why changed; thinks because of difficulty. No camp information at all. Kamatsu, Yoshio & Ohmori - 23 Feb 81 Route = East Face = new route Approach via Gokyo Pokhari and Lungsampa Glacier. BC at about "p" of L. Glacier on Schneider Khumbu map at 5250m 5 camps above BC (see leaflet for altitudes). East Face is snow face. Icefall above BC to C2 (C2 = ABC above icefall). Most difficult area is C3 to C4 because of hanging glacier; "little danger" from hanging says deputy leader. Half members use no oxygen and others will use it because women and old who use it sleeping in C5 and to summit. 29 Japanese members. 12 Nepalese members including 3 Sherpas. No Sherpas above BC who are not members. 26 Japanese now in KTM and 3 arrive today. Leave KTM 27 or 28 Feb by air to Lukla. Arrive BC 20 March after acclimatization in route. Summit early May: 1-10 May So many members because want give training for other peaks including Lhotse and Everest in 3-4 years. Komatsu x 2 - 14 April 81 3 Japanese and 3 Nepalese members are now in KTM; go to Lukla tomorrow and take 15 days to reach BC (acclimatizing en route). Others in Gokyo; made BC on 11 April. Summit after 35-40 days. Total 11 Nepalese members. Yogendra Thapa - 14 April 81 Total 12 Nepalese members Cho Oyu 11 Nepalese members: Yogendra Thapa, joint Leader Mingma Tenzing Kamal Bhandari Gupta Bahadur Rana + new members not yet decided by the above. 11 total
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2450372
Year 1981
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) se face (to 5200m)

Members

42 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Yoshinaga Fujioka M 1953 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Construction worker Details Other expeditions
Kazuo Fusejima M 1949 Japan Climber Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan Physician Details Other expeditions
Hitotsu Hara M 1951 Japan Climber Komagane, Nagano, Japan Watchmaker Details Other expeditions
Masahiko Komatsu M 1954 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Staff member, trading company Details Other expeditions
Takeshi Komatsu M 1937 Japan Leader Tokyo, Japan Director of printing company Details Other expeditions
Yutaka Kudo M 1947 Japan Climber Inakadate, Minamitsugaru, Aomori, Japan Railway ticket collector Details Other expeditions
Masafumi Kurita M 1951 Japan Climber Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan Draftsman Details Other expeditions
Masayoshi Makanae M 1941 Japan Climber Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan Agricultural engineer Details Other expeditions
Yorimoto Mikami M 1951 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Staff member, municipal office Details Other expeditions
Sachio Miyanaga M 1948 Japan Climber Kyoto, Japan Interior decorator Details Other expeditions
Hajime Muramatsu M 1947 Japan Climber Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka, Japan Worker in motorcar factory Details Other expeditions
Itsuo Muroi M 1957 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Sake wine dealer Details Other expeditions
Junji Naito M 1948 Japan Climber Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, Japan Building designer Details Other expeditions
Takeshi Namatame M 1958 Japan Climber Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan University student (veterinary medicine) Details Other expeditions
Hiroshi Oda M 1951 Japan Climber Osaka, Japan Building designer Details Other expeditions
Masaaki Ogata M 1954 Japan Climber Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan Works in mountain lodge as jack of all trades Details Other expeditions
Masahisa Ohno M 1952 Japan Climbing Leader Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan Computer parts buyer Details Other expeditions
Shinji Okui M 1954 Japan Climber Toyama-shi, Toyama, Japan Service engineer on typewriters and other business machines Details Other expeditions
Emiko Okutani F 1954 Japan Climber Funaba-shi, Chiba, Japan Nurse Details Other expeditions
Yoshihiko Omori M 1945 Japan Climber Tosa, Kochi, Japan Assistant professor of physical education in university Details Other expeditions
Kosaku Suda M 1941 Japan Climber Niiza, Saitama, Japan Carpenter Details Other expeditions
Tadashi Suzuki M 1949 Japan Climber Obuse, Nagano, Japan Motorcar-repairs technician Details Other expeditions
Tetsuji Suzuki M 1948 Japan Climber Ryuyocho, Iwate, Shizuoka, Japan Steel worker Details Other expeditions
Daisuke Taketsugu M 1955 Japan Climber Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan Physical therapist Details Other expeditions
Toshihito Yamada M 1952 Japan Climber Kosugi, Toyama, Japan Insurance company clerk Details Other expeditions
Hiroshi Yamaguchi M 1951 Japan Climber Tomobe, Ibaraki, Japan Stationery salesman Details Other expeditions
Tateo Yamanaka M 1948 Japan Climber Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan Director of construction company Details Other expeditions
Hideki Yatsuhashi M 1952 Japan Climber Myoko-kogen, Niigata, Japan Sake wine dealer Details Other expeditions
Hiroshi Yoshio M 1937 Japan Deputy Leader Funaba-shi, Chiba, Japan Staff member, fish market Details Other expeditions
Yogendra Bahadur Thapa M 1948 Nepal Leader Gandako Anchal, Kaski, Gandaki Zone Nepal Police Details Other expeditions
Gupta Bahadur Rana M 1945 Nepal Deputy Leader Gundhar, Pokhara Government service Details Other expeditions
Kamal Bhandari M - Nepal Climber Anchal, Rupandehi, Lumbini Zone Government service Details Other expeditions
Gore Tamang M - Nepal Climber Suwarapani, Gorkha, Gandaki Zone Government service Details Other expeditions
Gita Bahadur Joshi M 1958 Nepal Climber Taluwa, Okhaldhunga Government service Details Other expeditions
Phul Bahadur Rai M - Nepal Climber Jubacheme, Solukhumbu Government service Details Other expeditions
Mingma Tenzing Sherpa M - Nepal Climber Thami, Khumbu Government service Details Other expeditions
Tendi Sherpa M - Nepal Climber Solukhumbu Government service Details Other expeditions
Madan Rai M - Nepal Climber Diktel, Khotang Government service Details Other expeditions
Hum Bahadur Nagarkoti M - Nepal Climber Gorkha, Gandaki Government service Details Other expeditions
Jit Bahadur Thapa M - Nepal Climber Gorkha, Gandaki Government service Details Other expeditions
Karna Bahadur Gurung M - Nepal Climber Gumda, Gorkha, Gandaki Government service Details Other expeditions
Shigehiko Toyoda M 1928 Japan Leader Tokyo, Japan Director of institute teaching mountaineering & skiing Details Other expeditions

References

5 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
CHOY81101 AAJ Cheney, Michael J. & Hawley, Elizabeth - - 56:220 (1982) -
CHOY81101 MM - - - 80:12 (Jul 1981) -
CHOY81101 IWA - - - 88:187-188 (1982) -
CHOY81101 IWA - - - 88:43-44 (1982) -
CHOY81101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198222003/Asia-Nepal-Cho-Oyu-Attempt - - -