Everest | 1978 S Col-SE Ridge

A Austria expedition to Everest in 1978 via S Col-SE Ridge, led by Wolfgang Nairz. Summit reached on 3rd May 1978. 16 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2765
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER78102
Peak ID EVER
Year 1978
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 S Col-SE Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Austria
Leaders Wolfgang Nairz
Sponsor -
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 24th-27th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Italy, UK, W Germany
Approach Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1978-03-24
Summit Date 1978-05-03
Summit Time 0810
Summit Days 40
Total Days 57
Termination Date 1978-05-20
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 5
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 14
Summit Members 8
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 25
Summit Hired 1
Hired Deaths 1
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(24/03,5340m),C1(02/04,6050m),C2(03/04,6400m),C3(13/04,7200m),C4(24/04,7980m),C5(02/05,8500m),Smt(03,08,11,14/05)
Route Notes Ang Phu - 16 May 1978 Not correct 2 bottles were found to be missing after Messner and Habeler climbed. Messner and Habeler had 2 bottles with them in C4 and these 2 used by 3rd summit team. Habeler not sick in May; had recovered health. No Sherpas at C4 on 8 May because Sherpas needed for load carrying from lower camps for next summit assault. People don't realize Messner's and Habeler's strength, stamina and experience. They have gone for 5-7 days on previous expeditions without food. Most people take 1 to 1-1/2 hours from C1 to BC but Messner took 20 mins. Not true about Messner's face not properly sunburned; he had beard and lots of lip salve. Correct that Messner threatened Mingma Norbu, but dagger or knife in Messner's rucksack was on Mingma's back. Messner imperious, not good relations with Sherpas. Parajuli - 15 Jun 78 Ang Tshering and Shambu Tamang do not agree with Sherpa doubts regarding Everest without oxygen. Netra Baratawa, Press Nepal Trekking Association press conference - 14 Jun 78 Lhakpa Tenzing and Pertemba agree with statement and Dawa Gyalzen of Austria Everest Expedition (DG went to Col with Messner in May) regarding attempt without oxygen, good deed but some things not clear. 1) Time of ascent - Sonam Gyalzen, Baratawa and others summiters asked Tourism for proof: Tourism said have accepted since signed by LO. 2) in press conference in KTM; no opportunity to question them here so talked with expedition's Sherpas. When Habeler got sick and turned back, Sherpa named Mingma Nuru also said he wanted to turn back also between C2 and C3 because not well. Messner said he had dagger in bag and if you don't come, I will stab you, throw in crevasse and no one will know what happened to you (Mingma Nuru now in Khumjung). Messner had shown knife at BC. This incident happened day before reached Col in April. 3 Sherpas went on up and established C4 on Col. Arrived 3 US masks and regulator (1976 US expedition left 30 full cylinders on Col). On descent, Mingma reaches C2 one hour ahead of Messner. Messner most of time carried only his toilet paper not even his camera. If he physically weaker than Sherpa, how can he make such rapid ascent in May? At C2 Habeler says he will use oxygen, Bergmann showed him how. When they go up from C2, team carried 2 full oxygen cylinders, masks and regulators. Sherpas reached Col 10 minutes ahead of Messner and Habeler and far ahead of Jones. 4 or 5 cylinders in tents, some with oxygen and Habeler asked Dawa for 2 more cylinders. Then Messner told Sherpas then to go down to C2 and doing descent met Jones at Yellow Band and would have taken at least 2-1/2 hours to reach Col. Had told Sherpas next day Messner and Habeler would go only to C5. At 2:00 pm this next day they spoke from Col to BC that they had reached summit. This means impossibly short time to go to summit and return to Col that night Messner. Habeler and Jones slept at C4. Next day Messner and Habeler reached C2. Jones more seriously frostbitten than Messner, but he only to C3 that day. Messner and Habeler told Jones night before went to top then would do recce and day after. When woke up on summit [day], found Messner and Habeler had already left Col, Jones said. Jones involved commercially in BC, talked with LO. Sirdar asks Gyalzen to report how many cylinders are on Col; should be 2 Messner and Habeler took and 4 carried up on day after Messner and Habeler to top. Gyalzen with Oelz and Karl: should be 16 French cylinders there - this discrepancy discussed at BC by Sherpas with sirdar and sirdar said maybe used while sleeping. Messner lips not burned - would not be if wore mask. Why no Sherpas in C4 and even C3 very night before Messner and Habeler ascent. C1 then Messner is super human or Everest is easy. Habeler was sick from altitude all along - how could he move so fast? Why we doubt: it is not practical, not scientific, not logical to have gone without oxygen within mentioned listed time - if they can change time. Tenzing From South Col without oxygen to summit and back in 6 hours. I don't think it possible. Hillary and Tenzing from Ridge to top and back to Col 4 hours with oxygen. If going up in 8 hours okay. Not quarrelling whether went to top, only question is whether without oxygen; also doubt speed and were Sonam Gyalzen, 1973 Italian Chotare and Pemba Norbu, Korean 1977. Letter of Tenzing to Ministry of State for Tourism It is not impossible to reach top of Everest without oxygen, but claim by Messner and Habeler to have made speed record, I very anxious to know: - whether Messner and Habeler climbed without oxygen and Sherpa help in period of time claimed, - during climb to top always been Nepalese national at Col and during this climb Sherpa with Messner asked to return. In C3 also no person. In my opinion, not impossible to climb Everest without oxygen but claim of Messner and Habeler about time spent in a matter of wonder. Letter of 6 Sherpas to Ministry of State for Tourism: With oxygen takes South Col to C5 4 hours, C5 to summit 6 hours, summit to col 4 hours. Claim of Messner and Habeler unbeliveable. 1973 Japanese - South Col 6:00 am to 4:30 pm on top and on return had to stay night at South Summit. Himalayan of 8000m oxygen is necessary as is known to Minister so how Messner and Habeler without oxygen able to reach summit from South Col in that such short time. With an experience, we doubt and anxiety regarding oxygen-less claim; we want proof of no oxygen. Bobby Chhetri, MT - 14 Jun 78 Sherpas went yesterday to Tourism Ministry to dispute Messner-Habeler claim of climbing Everest without oxygen. Sherpas were told PM, Bista, has stated they did so unless proof can be produced. Tourism will take no action. Sherpas have no proof. No one claims to have seen them use oxygen or claims oxygen bottles were empty after they had had them in their tent. Messner not popular with Sherpas: this probably their way of getting back at him. One Sherpa says Messner pulled a knife and threatened to kill him if he didn't carry load when he was very tired. SR Sharma, Tourism - 9 May 78 Success again. Messner and Habeler started on 8 May from C4 at South Col 6:00 am. Without oxygen for climbing they reached top at 12 noon stayed for a short time on summit and returned via C5 to the Col and C4 when arrived at 2:30 pm. Next summit team: 4 to C3 9 May. Letter from W. Nairz, BC - May 7, 1978 Returned to BC. Some lines before the mailrunner leaves tomorrow morning. As you heard, we could reach the top of Everest on May 3. We started on South Col the day before. It was with 5 Sherpas we carried up all the things for establishing the last [camp] in 8500m. On May 3 was in the morning strong wind, so that we started at 8:10 hours. At 12:50 hours we reached the summit. It was a beautiful day without wind and only little bit cloudy, so that we could stay on the summit for 1-1/2 hours. We took a lot of pictures and also the Chinese tripod was to see, about 1 m high. On the way down to C5 we took 1 hour 10 min and than we went on to South Col, where we reached about 7 pm. On the next day we went on to C2 and after this to the BC. The next group, Dr Margreiter, H. Schell and H. Hagner went up to C3 on May 4, but a lot of fresh snow made the way to the South Col impossible. Today R. Messner and P. Habeler reached South Col again and if the weather will do, then they will try again without oxygen in the next days. Also the next group Dr. Oelz, J. Knoll, F. Oppurg and R. Karl followed today to C1 and will go on the next days. Letter from Werner Kopacka - May 7th, 1978 There are great things happening here: Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler reached Camp 4 (South Col, 7986m) today without oxygen and are trying to get to the summit tomorrow. We'll be getting the news (success or not) later tomorrow evening, and that's too late for the Tuesday plane. Therefore our request: we'll be sending a runner to the Namche checkpost, as soon as we know that we had been happening on the mountain. There the news will be transmitted to you immediately. Letter from Ronald Faux - Shyangboche, 28 April A severe storm on Everest 28,029 ft, has defeated Reinhold Messner first attempt to climb the mountain without oxygen. Messner was ready to set out alone from the South Col on Tuesday until then the Austrian expedition supporting the attempt has made rapid progress up the South Col route first climbed 25 years ago by Hillary and Tenzing. Messner aged 33, of Italy, had climbed to camp five at 26,000 ft and was "feeling fit." According to reports from BC then the storm ended the long spell of good weather, badly damaging tents and equipment in the South Col and forcing Messner to a lower camp. He said on the radio "it was appalling weather. For two nights, I did not sleep. I am going down to recover and then I will try again." Letter from Wolfgang Nairz, BC - April 5,1978 On April 3, one day after Camp 1 was established, Reinhold Messner and P. Habeler could make the way up to C2, what we will extend as advanced BC. It was in a height of approx 6400-6450m. They have had a very bad night in C2, because of strong wind, also the members from C1 came all down yesterday because of the wind. Today we started again and 4 members stayed in C1, and extend tomorrow in C2 (ABC). Also the load transport from BC to C1 and from C1 to C2 is now in full action. With Ang Phu and Sherpas we are very happy, they are very strong and work very well. Letter from W Nairz, BC - April 2, 1978 Finally we got all equipment today. The last days we did a lot of work in the upper part of the icefall and we could reach yesterday the place for C1. Today we will establish C1. I hope that it is possible, because the last part of the way still has to be assured with ladders and fixed ropes. R. Messner and P. Habeler will stay tonight in C1 and try to find tomorrow the way in the Western Cwm. The upper part of the icefall is very difficult and very dangerous, but I think we found the best possible way. The Sherpas all say that the icefall this year is more dangerous than the years before. The Sherpas work very well and we are very content with them. The next days if the way up to C1 is fixed, we will start with the load-transport up to C1. W Nairz, BC - 26 March On March 24th all arrived BC well except the Liaison officer. He didn't feel good and stayed for one more day and arrived yesterday. He said not necessary to send a report with this mail, so we will do it with the next on Thursday. The icefall looks not so bad and the advanced group did already half the way through the icefall. They found an objective safeway. In the upper part one some great crevasses and we start tomorrow to prepare the way with fixed ropes and ladders. All members feel well and are desirous to come to the mountain. Everest BC May 8 from Ronald Faux Everest has been climbed without oxygen, Reinhold Messner, aged 33 of Italy and Peter Habeler, aged 35, of Austria supported by the Austrian Everest expedition, reached the summit at noon on May 8. Their historic climb, 25 years after the first conquest of Hillary and Tenzing, settles an old argument that has gone on since the earliest explorations of the mountain by British expedition 57 years ago. The highest point on earth can be reached purely without artificial aid. Carrying only a camera, emergency kit and a light rope the two climbers reached the summit in an alpine style ascent in five and a half hours from the South Col. This was remarkably fast even by the standards of climbers using oxygen. The descent was even more remarkable. Peter Habeler, a professional ski instructor with a keen sense of balance, slid on his bottom from below the South Summit of the mountain for much of the 28,000 ft to the South Col. After a series of precarious slides he debouched onto the col in an avalanche of snow and feathers as his down suit burst. Messner followed at a more sedate pace, arriving one and three quarters of an hour later. Both men were in good condition and the highest spirits. Later in the evening Messner's whose thumb had been frostbitten from taking photographs on the summit, complained of snow blindness. The news broke at BC at 2:30 pm with a radio message relayed from C2 on the mountain. Dr. Oswald Oelz, a member of the fourth summit party, his voice breaking with excitement announced "Everest has been climbed without oxygen. Peter has just arrived at the South Col." Mr Eric Jones, the Welsh climber who accompanied Messner and Habeler to the South Col filmed the start and finish of their climb and is to join a later attempt on the summit using oxygen. The pair had waited more than two days at more than 7000m for the weather to clear before starting out on their attempt. They spent an uncomfortable night on the South Col in minus 35 degree and 40 kt winds. "We had to wriggle our toes all night long but we had never felt better or more fit. In the morning the wind was blowing strongly over the South Col and there were gusts of snow. We had hoped for a miracle and it did not seem there wasa to be one. The miracle came later Messner said. They moved quickly to the South Summit keeping to outcrops of rocks and avoiding where possible the deep new snow. They climbed unroped to the Hillary Step just before the summit ridge. By then Habeler complained that he could not feel his arms but they still made rapid progress, taking 40 steps or more before resting. On the top the wind was strong, blowing a wild flurry of spindrift from the ridge. On the return Messner watched astonished as his partner sat down on the steep snow and accelerated away to the South Col. "I experimented briefly and wore only a small hole in my trousers" he told me over the radio, "it was not a happy try, I kept veering towards Tibet. Peter said he felt too tired to descend any other way." The climb was a particular triumph for Peter Habeler who three days ago had asked to join a oxygen party to attempt the summit. He had been deeply impressed by descriptions from the first summit party of the agony of removing their oxygen mask. When he had been told that he would have to join the end of the queue, Habeler changed his mind and decided to stay with his original climbing partner. Messner has now climbed four peaks over 8000 meters without oxygen - Nanga Parbat, Hidden Peak, Manaslu & Everest. During his climb on Nanga Parbat his brother was killed in an avalanche. Everest BC - May 8 Nature played a mischievous trick when Everest at stopped growing at 29,028 ft. One further heave in the convulsions that produced the Himalayas would have put the summit positively out of human reach without artificial aid. the physics spent days on and clambering around the high reaches of the mountain's North Face. Some remain brightly alive to tell the story and the question of whether the highest point on earth can be reached without an artificial supply of oxygen remains tantalisingly open. The challenge grew as mountaineering at its highest and most committed levels trended away from the armony of the modern technician. Among the present generation of climbers one man springs to mind as having the experience and the physical and mental toughness to reach the top of Everest without oxygen. Reinhold Messner from the South Tyrol had made a speciality of reaching summits over 8000m without the cumbersome oxygen equipment that adds to the cost of an expedition puts a formidable load on the shoulders of sahibs and Sherpas alike, and in the Messner view, robs the climb of its aesthetic purity. He has united with the Austrian Everest Expedition which already has put four men on the summit, but is scathing about a number of the members who in his view put on their oxygen apparel long before the summit. To start using oxygen at 7200m is to make Everest a smaller mountain. The risks are great both from the physical deterioration that occurs without oxygen at high altitude and the brain damage than can be caused. Dr. Oswald Oelz, one of the expedition's doctors believes Messner can succeed. "We know that British climbers reached high up hte mountain 50 years ago. That was great achievement with oxygen. We also now have vastly improved equipment and much better knowledge about the medical aspects of high altitude climbing. Added to that every metre of the route is well known. Someone some day will succeed." The gentlemen, Messner and his small party, are aesthetically making their way up the mountain. The player, nine other members of the Austrian team are busily drawing up lists that will ensure that everyone bar the expedition dog will reach the summit. Mr Leo Dickinson and Mr Eric Jones from Wales are among the potential summit parties. Late on Friday the first three Austrians to reach the top with a Sherpa came stumbling out of the night back to base camp. Mr. Wolfgang Nairz, leader, was eager to return to the South Col with a hang glider in the hope of improving on his own world record for a high alititude launch achieved when he flew from the summit of Noshaq, a 7000-meter peak in the Hindu Kush. So one can detect several ambitions on this expeditions which has not been without its share of troubles in spite of rapid early progress. One Sherpa has died in the Ice Fall and another dramatically rescued after he suffered a heart attack at more than 26,000 ft which left him partly paralysed. Eric Jones has cause to wonder at the risk-reward ratio for the Sherpas after he fielded one in the early stages of a 1000 ft dive. "I had just clipped into a piece of old Korean rope sticking out of the ice when I looked round and saw Dawa trip up on an unprotected stretch of the Lhotse face. He started to fall head first and I dived out and caught him round the waist. We both ended up dangling from the bit of old rope. Fortunately the Korean had done a good job and it held." A second near disaster happened when Leo Dickinson and Mr. Werner Kopacka, an Austrian journalist, were climbing through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall. Suddenly a small area of ground beneath Mr. Kopacka opened up in the manner of a trap door and he disappeared without a sound. Mr. Dickinson appeared down the hole and saw his partner pinned painfully by the knees above a green void. "We had no hope so I ran to the nearest crevasse ladder and dismantled it. This gave me 30 ft. I lowered one end to Werner and tied the other around my waist. Werner moved and slid further into his crevasse pulling me towards the edge. I let out the slack rope and jumped into a parallel crevasse to act as a counter weight. Werner then freed his ice axe and started chipping steps in the walls of his crevasse." As Werner rose, Leo descended in the manner of the Hoffnung barrel with the added denoument that when he emerged triumphant from his crevasse he would be immediately plucked into Leo's. They resolved the position by surfacing simultaneously and taking photographs of each other. The Messner bid has fitted amicably into the Austrian expedition and the Italian climber was the first to arrive at all but one of the camps strung out between the foot of the Ice fall and the summit ridge. The logistics have been unusual with the first camp lying well into the Western Cwm, the second three quarters of the way towards Lhotse, the third halfway up the Lhotse Face and the fourth on the South Col. The ridge camp, a sturdy remnant of the Korean expedition last September, is the last before the summit. The communal tent at Base is sharply different from the dark cave I recall on the British and Nepalese Army expedition two years ago. That had the air of a NAAFI that had fallen on hard times. The Austrians have invested the same four walls with a much more cheerful atmosphere. A light waterproof forms the roof giving a permanent air of sunshine. There is a flowered tablecloth, garlic sausages hanging from the roof beam and the Nepalese Everest. Wolfgang Nairz made it clear today that there were supplies enough to support two more groups attempting the summit after the "gasless" bid. He and Horst Bergmann, aged 36, a car body repairer from Innsbruck would then fly their kites from the South Col and everyone could go home.
Accidents 1 Sherpa died in icefall
Achievement 1st ascent without oxygen (Messner and Habeler)
Agency -
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2445700
Year 1978
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) s col-se ridge

Members

16 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Wolfgang Nairz M 1944 Austria Leader Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria Staff member, Austrian Alpine Club Details Other expeditions
Hans Robert Schauer M 1953 Austria Climber Graz, Styria, Austria Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Horst Bergmann M 1942 Austria Climber Lans, Tirol, Austria Owns & manages motor car body repair shop & cameraman Details Other expeditions
Reinhold Messner M 1944 Italy Climber Villnoss, Bolzano, Italy - Details Other expeditions
Peter Habeler M 1942 Austria Climber Mayrhofen, Tirol, Austria Alpine guide & ski Instructor Details Other expeditions
Oswald Oelz M 1943 Austria Exp Doctor Zurich, Switzerland Staff of the Univ. Hospital Details Other expeditions
Reinhard Karl M 1946 W Germany Climber Heidelberg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, W Germany Student Details Other expeditions
Franz Oppurg M 1948 Austria Climber Wattens, Tirol, Austria Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Ang Phu Sherpa M 1950 Nepal Sirdar Khumjung, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Dawa Nuru Sherpa M - Nepal H-A Worker Thami, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions
Raimund (Manni) Margreiter M - Austria Exp Doctor - Physician Details Other expeditions
Helmut (Helli) Hagner M 1939 Austria Climber Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Hanns Schell M 1938 Austria Climber Graz, Styria, Austria Businessman (part owner of numerous shops & department stores) Details Other expeditions
Josef (Josl) Knoll M 1924 Austria Climber Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria Civil servant Details Other expeditions
Leonard (Leo) Dickinson M 1946 UK Film Crew Old Sodbury, Bristol, England Photographer Details Other expeditions
Eric Jones M 1936 UK Film Crew Flint, Clywd, Wales Decorator, camera assistant Details Other expeditions

References

16 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER78102 AAJ Nairz, Wolfgang - - 53:262-263 (1979) -
EVER78102 AAJ Oelz, Oswald - - 53:263-264 (1979) -
EVER78102 - Messner, Reinhold Expedition to the Ultimate Oxford University Press, New York - M338
EVER78102 - Messner, Reinhold Everest, Expedition zum Endpunkt BLV, Munich - M338
EVER78102 - Habeler, Peter The Lonely Victory Simon & Schuster, New York - H08
EVER78102 - Habeler, Peter Everest, The Impossible Victory Arlington Books, London - H08
EVER78102 - Nairz, Wolfgang Gipfelsieg am Everest Molden, Vienna - N11
EVER78102 MM - - - 62:11 (Jul 1978) -
EVER78102 MM Dyhrenfurth, G. O. & Dyhrenfurth, Norman Everest - 76:30-43 (Nov 1980) -
EVER78102 - Dauer, Tom Reinhard Karl AS Verlag, Zurich - -
EVER78102 DAV Nairz, Wolfgang Alpenvereinsexpedition 1978 zum Hochsten Berg der Erde - 103:194-204 (1978) -
EVER78102 - Nairz, Wolfgang Nepal, Durchwandern und Erleben Steiger Verlag, Innsbruck - N12
EVER78102 - Habeler Der Einsame Sieg Goldmann, Munich - H08
EVER78102 - Feldman, Tony Everest Without Oxygen Macmillan, London - F266
EVER78102 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12197926300/Asia-Nepal-Medical-Aspects-of-the-Austrian-Alpine-Club-Expedition-to-Mount-Everest - - -
EVER78102 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12197926200/Asia-Nepal-Mount-Everest-Austrian-Expedition - - -