Cho Oyu | 1991 SE Ridge-E Ridge

A USSR expedition to Cho Oyu in 1991 via SE Ridge-E Ridge, led by Sergei Efimov. Summit reached on 20th October 1991. 16 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 578
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID CHOY91310
Peak ID CHOY
Year 1991
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 SE Ridge-E Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality USSR
Leaders Sergei Efimov
Sponsor Russian Cho Oyu Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 98th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach Gokyo Valley
Basecamp Date 1991-09-22
Summit Date 1991-10-20
Summit Time 1100
Summit Days 28
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8188
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 5
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 16
Summit Members 5
Member Deaths 1
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent True
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(22/09,5100m),C1(23/09,5200m),C2(27/09,6200m),C3(29/09,6950m),C4(08/10,7750m),C5(19/10,7900m),Smt(20/10)
Route Notes BC at between 2 lakes, northeast of Gyazumpa on Schneider map. Fixed rope: 100m icefall below C2 and 120m just befor C2, 400m between C2 and C3, 730m C3 to C4, 320m between C4 and C5 and 80m above C5. Above C5, stayed on ridge and into gully stayed on border, from west and of gully climbed/traversed on Tibetain side for 200m before rejoining border ridge to summit and gully is 70m deep from eastern lip to bottom - gully was mixed rock and ice and snow (rock not hard, would shatter, but found some points where could fix bolts). This area's N and S faces were rock 3000m from top of ridge down to very steep snow and same snow on top of ridge. Very steep rock faces also in section beyond gully in another step before final climb to summit. On Tibet side of gully is couloir. Far west side of gully was a shelf which used in traverse. This traverse was most difficult part of entire climb and was very difficult - faces 80 degrees perhaps in this area. After C4 established, all down for rest; first to go beyond C4 started this section on 15th Oct to see route and fix ropes. On 18th Oct on attempt made from C4 to top but when reached 7900m (beyond gully) realized now, at 1:00 pm was too late to reach top and return in daylight and to climb after dark "very hard work" so decided to cancel this attempt. On 19th next summit party take from C4 equipment to make C5 (this removed C4 to make C5) - arrived at C5 site at 3:00 pm and fixed 100m rope before spending night at C5. 20th Oct left C5 at 8:00 am and reached summit around 11:00 am and down 12:50 pm. Besides 5 summiters, doctor also tried for summit and reached 8000m; tired and fingers begining to freeze (he was surgeon) so turned back and he returned to C5 at 1:30 pm with 1st 3 summiters. All slept in C5 that night. 21st C5 tent left there and took sleeping bags to descend to C3 and 5 summiters slept in C3 but doctor hit by falling stone when he had climbed up 15m to get out of gully; he was not wearing helmet and hit on forehead (had not expected to need helmets above C3 and none taken up there) and lived only a minute (had several inches deep wound). Had to leave body in sleeping bag on shelf in gully because impossible to carry it down to C3 (trying to move body, Pershin got frozen fingers and used oxygen that night in C3; finger tips are black now but will heal now).
Accidents Timofeev hit by falling rock & top of head wounded (no helmet); Pogorelov had painful nerve problem in one leg, rested in BC one week and resumed climb; Pershin frostbite; doctor's fatal rock fall
Achievement 1st ascent of E Ridge
Agency Mustang
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2454231
Year 1991
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) se ridge-e ridge

Members

16 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Sergei Bogomolov M 1951 USSR Climber Saratov, Russia, USSR Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Sergei Borisovich Efimov M 1944 USSR Leader Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia, USSR Physicist Details Other expeditions
Yuri Grebeniuk M 1957 USSR Exp Doctor Izevsk, Russia, USSR Surgeon Details Other expeditions
Salavat Khabibulin M 1961 USSR Climber Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia, USSR Worker on tall buildings Details Other expeditions
Piotr (Petr) Kouznetsov M 1958 USSR Climber Korolev (Kaliningrad), Russia, USSR Worker on tall buildings Details Other expeditions
Valeri Kouzmine M 1965 USSR Climber Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia, USSR Engineer Details Other expeditions
Vladimir Lebedev M 1954 USSR Climber Krasnoyarsk, Russia, USSR Engineer Details Other expeditions
Irina Miller F 1955 USSR Climber Moscow, USSR Housewife Details Other expeditions
Valeri Pershin M 1948 USSR Climber Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia, USSR Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Ivan Plotnikov M 1960 USSR Climber Barnaul, Russia, USSR Engineer Details Other expeditions
Alexander Pogorelov M 1957 USSR Climber Rostov-on-Don, Russia, USSR Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions
Valeri Putrin M 1940 USSR Climber Moscow, USSR Engineer Details Other expeditions
Sergei Timofeev M 1957 USSR Climber Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia, USSR Worker on tall buildings Details Other expeditions
Evgeni Vinogradski M 1946 USSR Climber Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Russia, USSR Physician Details Other expeditions
Aleksander N. (Al) Yakovenko M 1960 USSR Climber Irkutsk, Russia, USSR Manager of travel agency Details Other expeditions
Nikolai Zakharov M 1953 USSR Climber Krasnoyarsk, Russia, USSR Alpine instructor Details Other expeditions

References

3 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
CHOY91310 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 66:210 (1992) -
CHOY91310 MM - - - 143:5 (Jan 1992) -
CHOY91310 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199221001/Asia-Nepal-Cho-Oyu-East-Ridge-Ascent-and-Tragedy - - -