Everest | 2012 S Col-SE Ridge

A USA expedition to Everest in 2012 via S Col-SE Ridge, led by Courtney Richards. Summit reached on 18th May 2012. 19 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 7550
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER12160
Peak ID EVER
Year 2012
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 S Col-SE Ridge
Route 2 W Ridge (to 6800m)
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality USA
Leaders Courtney Richards
Sponsor North Face Everest Expedition 2012
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 -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 2012-04-01
Summit Date 2012-05-18
Summit Time 1300
Summit Days 47
Total Days 57
Termination Date 2012-05-28
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 4
Fixed Rope (m) 4000
Total Members 10
Summit Members 6
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 9
Summit Hired 9
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 Climbed Lhotse (LHOT-121-21)
Campsites BC(01/04,5250m),C1(04/04,6100m),C2(16/04,6400m),C3(13/05,7150m),C4(24/05,7800m),Smt(18,25-26/05)
Route Notes C2 in Western Cwm C3 on Lhotse W Face C4 at South Col. The plan was to climb the 1963 West Ridge route as well as the normal South Col route and for all to descend via the Col. But climbing the West Ridge had to be abandonded after Anker got to 6800m below the ridge. They found that the Hornbein Couloir, which they were supposed to scale, was covered in blue ice, after falling rocks were funnelling down the couloir. After cancelling any West Ridge effort, the team concentrated on scaling the South Col route. For this climb, their C1 at the top of the Icefall and C2 in the Western Cwm were already in place. Now C3 had to be pitched on the West Face of Lhotse, which was shedding rocks and seracs, and some of these ahd alread fallen on tents of one team and broken a Sherpa's leg. This team was careful to put their camp in a safe place not threatened by falling items, and they were not hit. The majority of members and Sherpas went for the top on the 25th, but Ang Kazi had already summited on the 18th while rope fixing and Anker, who reached C4 with the main summit party, stayed there without oxygen for an extra day to climb when the route would not be so crowded. The main party's members were Elias, Erickson, Harrington, Jenkins, O'Neill, with Sherpas with Danuru, Ms. Dawa Yangzum, Jangbu, Lhakpa Bhote, Mingmar, Panuru, Sonam Dorje and Tendi. They left C4 at 9:00 pm on the 24th and were at the summit at 4:00 am on 25 May. All of them descended to C2 the next day except for Erickson and O'Neill, who stopped in C4 on the 25th and went directly to the summit of Lhotse the following day, then down to C2. Anker left C4 for the summit at 12:40 pm on the 25th and was on the top at 10:05 am on the 26th after having spent an hour at the Balcony (8400m) watching the sunrise with its dramatic changes of vivid colors. He used no oxygen on this climb, and without the protection of oxygen equipment, his lungs were torn by the very cold air at these great heights. Elias, Harrington and Jenkins started using oxygen at 7400m, while the other Everest summit-party members started on it in C4 at the South Col; they used it to the top and back to C4 or wherever it ran out. On Lhotse, Erickson and O'Neill went directly from Everest C4 at the South Col to Lhotse's C4 at about 7800m (below the couloir) on the 25th, slept there that night and summited Lhotse early in the next morning (26 May). No Sherpas accompanied them. They used oxygen from the South Col to the summit of Lhotse and down to C2. (They had already been using it on Everest in C4 to the top of Everest and back to C4). Non-summiting Everest members: Bardon went once to C2, but stayed most of the time at BC as BC manager. Henderson reached C2 on 25 April, then ran out of steam and motivation. Richards, the team's original leader, climbed to 6800m on 28 April onto the W Ridge, then developed a serious lung problem and left Nepal. Sherpas: Ang Kazi Sherpa, 11/5/78 (28/1/2035), Chitre-9, Sankhuwasabha, Everest X4, Manaslu X1 Danuru Sherpa, 26/10/78 (9/2/2035), Phortse, Khumbu, Everest X12, Cho Oyu X8, Manaslu X1 Ms. Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, 28/9/90 (12/6/2047), Beding, no 8000ers Jangbu Sherpa, 20/7/87 (4/4/2044), Sisuwakhola-9, Sankhuwasabha, Everest X1 Lhakpa Bhote, 5/11/1970 (20/7/2027), Hariya-3, Sankhuwasabha, Everest X3 Mingmar Sherpa, 24/11/89 (9/8/2046), Taksindu-4, Solu Panuru Sherpa, 22/5/68 (9/2/2025), Phortse, Khumbu, Everest X9, Cho Oyu X4 Tendi Sherpa, 20/6/84 (7/3/2041), Jubing-7, Solu Sonam Dorje Sherpa, 14/4/88 (2/1/2045), Phortse, Khumbu Note from IMG web site: 8 Sherpas summited on 18 May as part of a joint expedition rope-fixing team: Ang Kazi (Chitre) - USA (North Face, Conrad Anker) Jyamchang Bhote (Hungung) - India (Ajay Kothiyal) Kami Rita (Thami) - USA (AAI, Garrett Madison) Phura Kancha (Thami) - Chile (Eugenio Guzman) Karma Gyalzen (Phortse) - USA (IMG, Mike Hamill) Phu Tashi (Phortse) - Canada (Peak Freaks, Tim Rippel) Palden Namgyal (Phortse) - Canada (Peak Freaks, Tim Rippel) Nima Dorje - (Seven Summit Treks)
Accidents Richard's illness
Achievement -
Agency Sherpa Shangri-La Trekking
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2462488
Year 2012
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) s col-se ridge

Members

19 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Conrad Daniel Anker M 1962 USA Deputy Leader Bozeman, Montana Sales associate Details Other expeditions
Andrew James Bardon M 1981 USA BC Manager Jackson, Wyoming Photographer Details Other expeditions
Samuel Anthony Elias M 1982 USA Climber Boulder, Colorado Professional alpinist Details Other expeditions
Kristoffer Jon (Kris) Erickson M 1974 USA Climber Livingston, Montana Photographer, alpinist, skier & guide Details Other expeditions
Emily Anne Harrington F 1986 USA Climber Boulder, Colorado Professional alpinist Details Other expeditions
Philip Darnell Henderson M 1963 USA Climber Vernal, Utah Educator Details Other expeditions
Mark David Jenkins M 1958 USA Climber Laramie, Wyoming Writer Details Other expeditions
David Rodney (Dave) Lageson M 1950 USA Climber Bozeman, Montana Geology professor Details Other expeditions
Hilaree Janet O'Neill F 1972 USA Climber Telluride, Colorado Alpinist & skier Details Other expeditions
Courtney Woodward (Cory) Richards M 1981 USA Leader Boulder, Colorado Photographer Details Other expeditions
Dawa Nuru (Danuru) Sherpa M 1978 Nepal H-A Worker Phortse, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Dawa Yangzum Sherpa F 1990 Nepal H-A Worker Beding, Dolakha - Details Other expeditions
Jangbu Sherpa M 1987 Nepal H-A Worker Chitre, Sisuwa-9, Makalu-Barun - Details Other expeditions
Lhakpa Bhote M 1970 Nepal H-A Worker Hatiya-3, Makalu-Barun - Details Other expeditions
Mingmar Sherpa M 1989 Nepal H-A Worker Taksindu-4, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Panuru (Pasang Nuru, Pa Nuru) Sherpa M 1968 Nepal H-A Worker Phortse, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Tendi Sherpa M 1984 Nepal H-A Worker Jubing-7, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Ang Kazi (Ankaji) Sherpa M 1978 Nepal H-A Worker Chitre, Sisuwa-9, Makalu-Barun - Details Other expeditions
Sonam Dorje Sherpa M 1988 Nepal H-A Worker Phortse, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

1 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER12160 - - http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/everest/american-expedition-2012/ - - -