Cho Oyu | 1990 SW Face up; W Face-W Ridge down

A Poland expedition to Cho Oyu in 1990 via SW Face up; W Face-W Ridge down, led by Voytek Kurtyka. Summit reached on 21st September 1990. 3 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 695
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID CHOY90302
Peak ID CHOY
Year 1990
Season 3
Host Country 2
Route 1 SW Face up; W Face-W Ridge down
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Poland
Leaders Voytek Kurtyka
Sponsor Swiss-Polish Cho Oyu Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 72nd
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Switzerland
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1990-08-25
Summit Date 1990-09-21
Summit Time 0830
Summit Days 27
Total Days 32
Termination Date 1990-09-26
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8188
Traverse True
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 3
Summit Members 3
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 Xixabangma (middle summit) on 3 Oct by 2 Swiss at 10 am, by Polish at 6 pm via South Face
Campsites ChineseBC(25/08),ABC(28/08,5700m),Biv(20/09,8150m),Smt(21/09)
Route Notes After arrival at expedition's BC, acclimatization climb to 7000m done by all 3 men on normal route (to C2) and then to expedition's BC on 8 Sept. Started up only on 19th having waited for snowfall to stop; started on 19th at 11:00 am and at 2:00 pm were base of face where had rest & meal. At 6:00 pm started up (at sunset/dusk) had personal biv sack and half of a thin mattress, 1 gas stove and 1 gas cartridge; each had candy bars, nuts and mineral drink powder; cache was down-type suits but took no sleeping bags; 2 ice axes each, crampons; 2 30m rope X 7mm; 10 pitons and 4 ice screws ("upper part looked more difficult route than normal route, no crampons" - Kurtyka) but actually used only 1 or 2 pitons and no screws; up the face, which was reached at 7:00 pm, via a couloir which is about 1000m high & covered in snow and acting as a shute, requiring climber to move a meter or so to right or left; top of couloir started to get much steeper and became mixed rock and snow; at 7500m, 3/4 of way up face, stopped to heat water and rested an hour. On 20th from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm on face; at 4:30 pm reached SE Ridge and on SW Ridge they took 2 hrs to gain 20 vertical meters (mixed rock and snow with some snowfield in poor snow which was very deep and loose); at 7:30 pm stopped at small flat place 50 vertical meters below true summit where cold (too small to lie down). Stayed 12 hrs at this spot at 8150m because Voytek needed to sleep and difficult for him to go non-stop without food, water and sleep in his first experience of this kind of climb (says Swiss). Next day, 21st, to top at 8:30am in not very cold, clear morning with no wind; stayed 1/2 hr on top and then started down. Came straight down to C2 via direct variation of normal route others on mountain at this time were following. At C2 Hungarian presented 1 tin of beer and congrats. At expedition's BC at 5:00 pm after visiting other's camps enroute; waited for yaks to arrive and left expedition BC 26th and 27th to Nyean. Most difficult part: steep snow and rock just above couloir, also 20 vertical m; total of 4 sections of 20-30m that were technically difficult. Fixed no rope: used rope and pitons only for belays - had taken 2 ropes in case of rapelling. Would not recommend route for anyone who cannot do quick ascent; if snowfall would be dangerous avalanching. How they could succeed when others on normal route failed? "You have to have the mental push" says Troillet.
Accidents Troillet serious pulmonary edema on Aug 30 down to Zangmu hospital
Achievement -
Agency None
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2453836
Year 1990
Summit Success True
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sw face up; w face-w ridge down

Members

3 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Wojciech (Voytek) Kurtyka M 1947 Poland Leader Krakow, Poland Owner, cotton cloth import business Details Other expeditions
Erhard Loretan M 1959 Switzerland Climber Cresuz, Fribourg, Switzerland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Jean Fernand Troillet M 1948 Switzerland Climber Orsieres, Valais, Switzerland Alpine guide Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
CHOY90302 AAJ Kurtyka, Wojciech New Routes, Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma - 65:14-18 (1991) -
CHOY90302 HJ Kurtyka, Wojtek New Routes on Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma - 48:44-47 (1991) -
CHOY90302 MM - - - 137:8 (Jan 1991) -
CHOY90302 - Ammann, Jean & Loretan, Erhard Erhard Loretan, Les 8000 Rugissants Editions La Sarine,Fribourg, Switzerland - -
CHOY90302 - Ammann, Jean & Loretan, Erhard Erhard Loretan, Den Bergen Verfallen Paulusverlag, Freiburg, Switzerland - -
CHOY90302 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199101400/New-Routes-Cho-Oyu-and-Shisha-Pangma - - -
CHOY90302 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/48/6/new-routes-on-cho-oyu-and-shishapangma/ - - -