Everest | 2007 N Col-NE Ridge

A USA expedition to Everest in 2007 via N Col-NE Ridge, led by Conrad Anker. Summit reached on 14th June 2007. 13 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 5713
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER07154
Peak ID EVER
Year 2007
Season 1
Host Country 2
Route 1 N Col-NE Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality USA
Leaders Conrad Anker
Sponsor Altitude Everest Expedition 2007
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries New Zealand, UK
Approach -
Basecamp Date 2007-05-07
Summit Date 2007-06-14
Summit Time 0955
Summit Days 38
Total Days 43
Termination Date 2007-06-19
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 4
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 8
Summit Members 6
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 22
Summit Hired 5
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb True
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep True
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(07/05,5141m),ABC(18/05,6376m),C1(25/05,7024m),C2(03/06,7511m),C3(12/06,7800m),C4(13/06,5250m),Smt(14/06)
Route Notes Conrad Anker - 22 June 2007 The point of this expedition was to discover whether the Second Step can be surmounted without using its ladder. Before the summiters reached the Step, the ladder and fixed ropes were removed by the expedition's Sherpas [and Tibetans]. The summit team of Anker, Houlding, Moffatt, Thaw, Mingma Dorje, Nima, Mingma Tshering, Jangbu and Karsang Namgyal left C4 at 3:00 am NST and were on the summit from 9:55 to 10:45 am on 14 June. Snow conditions were good: "everything was completely filled in" said Anker. Anker and Houlding scaled the Second Step to its top at 8600m in 20 minutes. "It is more difficult with the ladder than without it," Anker said, because the best area to climb is the rock normally behind the ladders. Its difficulty is between 5.9 and 5.10 (US rating). They used two No. 4 cams and one No. 3 cam here; they did not use bottled oxygen while climbing the Step because of its weight and because a mask obstructs one's view of where to place one's feet. They ascended different lines on the Step: Houlding, the rock expert, moved to the left and up the "wide crack" to its exit and then up the rest of the Step; most of the line he took did not cross the area behind the ladders. But Anker climbed to the right of the "crack", and traversed across the Step in the area which is normally behind the ladders, then up the rest of the Step. Anker and Houlding descended from summit to ABC at 7:00 or 7:30 pm. Anker said he didn't mind being very tired from the day's climb because "I'm so elated to have finished it successfully." Anker and Houlding (as Mallory and Irvine) wore 1924-type clothing to be filmed in them at BC, ABC, C1 and C2, but did not climb in them. Russell Brice's large expedition came to Everest a month earlier than this team. Brice's people fixed all the ropes to the top (which Anker's team -- like all other expeditions were using except at the Second Step), set up all the camps, which Anker's group could use, and had everything in place for them. Five of Brice's Sherpas helped remove the ladders and ropes at the Second Step (and then summited), and two of his deputy leaders, Staples and Woodward, were also involved in making Anker's effort a success by filling in for Anker's film-makers who could not tolerate the high altitudes, and they summited with this expedition. Anker does not believe Mallory or Irvine got to the top. There were no fixed ropes in place for them, their clothes were too thin for the extreme cold at the highest altitudes, and their gear was not so good as today's gear. "Its incredible they got to the Yellow Band" (8100m Anker's altitude, 8250m to 8453m, according to Brice) where Irvine's ice axe was found in 1933. Non-summiting members Chin reached 7000m, left expedition on 3 June because of his mother's serious illness. Sauls reached 7500m, but persistent serious cough made him stop climbing. Oxygen: Summit party members: Houlding, Moffatt, and Thaw from 7900m to top to around C3, Anker from 8400m to top to C3 -- but Anker and Houlding did not use it while climbing the Second Step (see the reasons above), nor from "Mark's rock" at 8752m to summit in memory of Mallory and Irvine. Sherpas used it from 7900m to top to 7900m. [Also for sleeping] Anker's Sherpa summiters: Jangbu, 22/2/81, Kharikhola Karsang Namgyal/Namgel, 24/8/71, Thami, Everest X7, Cho Oyu X7 Mingma Tshering, 26/9/82 (10/6/2039), Beding, no 8000ers Mingmar Dorje, 17/7/79, Tapting-1, Everest 17/5/04 Nima Sherpa, 30/9/75, Tapting-1, no 8000ers Brice's Sherpas, who helped at Second Step and then summited with this expedition after having already summited with Brice's members, are included in the report of Brice's expedition. Phurba Tashi Son Dorje Dorje Sonam Gyalzen Lhakpa Nuru Nuru Gyalzen
Accidents -
Achievement Ascent of Second Step without ladder
Agency Mountain Experience
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2460503
Year 2007
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) n col-ne ridge

Members

13 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Conrad Daniel Anker M 1962 USA Leader Bozeman, Montana Professional alpinist Details Other expeditions
James Kuo-Wei (Jimmy) Chin M 1973 USA Climber Victor, Idaho Photographer Details Other expeditions
Leo Houlding M 1980 UK Climber Hope Valley, Derbyshire, England Professional rock climber Details Other expeditions
Gerard (Gerry) Moffatt M 1964 UK Climber Ketchum, Idaho Adventure guide Details Other expeditions
Kenneth Brian (Ken) Sauls M 1965 USA Climber Silverton, Colorado Cine-photographer Details Other expeditions
Kevin Thaw M 1967 UK Climber Joshua Tree, California Professional alpinist Details Other expeditions
Mingma Dorje (Mingmar Dorje) Sherpa M 1979 Nepal H-A Worker Tapting, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Nima (Ngima) Sherpa M 1975 Nepal H-A Worker Tapting, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Mingma Tshering Sherpa M 1982 Nepal H-A Worker Beding, Dolakha - Details Other expeditions
Jangbu Sherpa M 1980 Nepal H-A Worker Kharikhola, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Karsang Namgyal/Namgel Sherpa M 1971 Nepal H-A Worker Thami, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Dean Douglas Staples M 1964 New Zealand Climber (Film Team) Queenstown, New Zealand Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Mark Wynton Woodward M 1963 New Zealand Climber (Film Team) Queenstown, New Zealand Alpine guide Details Other expeditions

References

5 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER07154 AAJ Anker, Conrad - - 82:448 (2008) -
EVER07154 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 82:449 (2008) -
EVER07154 - MacKenzie, Mark In the Footsteps of Mallory and Irvine John Murray, London - -
EVER07154 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200844800/Asia-Tibet-Himalaya-Everest-North-side-Second-Step-Free-Climb - - -
EVER07154 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200844901/Second-Step-History - - -