Dhaulagiri I | 1989 W Face

A Spain expedition to Dhaulagiri I in 1989 via W Face, led by Francesc Dalmeses Cunill. Summit reached on 9th October 1989. 3 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 327
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID DHA189301
Peak ID DHA1
Year 1989
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 W Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Spain
Leaders Francesc Dalmeses Cunill
Sponsor Dhaulagiri 1989 - to Dhaulagiri I
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 Andorra
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1989-08-27
Summit Date 1989-10-09
Summit Time -
Summit Days 43
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 5
Termination Notes Abandoned at 7600m+ due to deep snow and avalanche danger
High Point (m) 7600
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 3
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 1
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(27/08,3750m),Bivs,xxx(09/10,7600m+)
Route Notes C2 a series of bivs C3 up West Face. After initial acclimatization period, the 2 climbing members began their climb of W Face on 3rd Oct. No camps above BC. On 7th day (9th Oct) they reached 7600m, where face ends at ridge; there was a lot of deep snow on the mountain and grave avalanche danger; Jordi decided to descend via North Face (which Dalmases also intended to descend if not the NE Ridge). Jordi came down N Face and reached Lavier's BC on 14th Oct, exhausted and with badly frostbitten toes. Was helicoptered to KTM with Lavier from BC on 17th Oct. Dalmases not seen after Jordi left him; his girl friend waits for him at BC. Esteve, French military expedition leader - 20 Oct 1989 2 Spaniards started up on 5th Oct, reached 7600m on 9th. Feet of both men very cold for past 2 days and Jordi wanted to descend from 7600m across N Face whereas Dalmases said that would be fatal, that it would be safer to go to summit and down normal route. It took Jordi 5 days to traverse N Face in a diagonal crossing and was seen from French BC in morning of 14th. He had had with him a tent (which Dalmases did not) plus sleeping bag, stove, gas and food (which Dalmases did). Esteve thinks Dalmases probably became exhausted, rested, fell asleep and froze to death. Swiss German-Austrian-Mexican Dhaulagiri I Expedition, Spring 1995 led by Norbert Joos German summiter Albrecht Hammann died near the summit in his decent. His body lies on its back and is seen by most Dhaulagiri I summiters via the NE Ridge. The father of a Spanish climber, Quico Dalmases, came to believe that this body was that of his son who disappeared when he was climbing alone in the autumn of 1989, and the father, Joan Dalmases, appealed in the spring of 2007 to climbers that season to check various details to identify the body as that of Quico. Inaki Ochoa, one of the climbers whom Dalmases asked for help, summited Dhaulagiri I on 26 April 2007, said that the body was that of the German on Norbert Joo's team in the spring of 1995. The kind of crampons worn by the body did not exist in 1989. Gian Mario Merelli & Mariarosa Morotti - 4 May 2007 (DHA1-071-03) Morotti said she saw two bodies near the summit. One was at a small col on the ridge that leads eastward to the top; it is, she says, the body of the Spanish climber, Quico Dalmases, who went missing in 1989. The other was slightly below the Col (and is perhaps a German [Albrecht Hammann who died in 1995]).
Accidents Jordi frostbitten toes on both feet; Dalmases disappeared
Achievement -
Agency Kunga
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2453713
Year 1989
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) w face

Members

3 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Jordi Canameras Sanahuja M 1964 Spain Climber Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain Photographer Details Other expeditions
Francesc (Quico) Dalmases Cunill M 1957 Spain Leader Encamp, Andorra Skier & mountaineer Details Other expeditions
Nathalie Rico Benezech F 1965 Andorra BC Manager Encamp, Andorra Travel agent Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
DHA189301 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 64:254 (1990) -
DHA189301 MM - - - 131:5 (Jan 1990) -
DHA189301 - Canameras, Jordi Dos Homes Per a un 8000, Dhaulagiri '89 Club Muntanyenc de Terrassa, Terrassa, Spain - -
DHA189301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199025401/Asia-Nepal-Dhaulagiri-Tragedy - - -