Everest | 1979 Lho La-W Ridge (up); N Face (Hornbein)-W Ridge (down)

A Yugoslavia expedition to Everest in 1979 via Lho La-W Ridge (up); N Face (Hornbein)-W Ridge (down), led by Tone Skarja. Summit reached on 13th May 1979. 32 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2101
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER79101
Peak ID EVER
Year 1979
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 Lho La-W Ridge (up); N Face (Hornbein)-W Ridge (down)
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Yugoslavia
Leaders Tone Skarja
Sponsor Yugoslavs on Everest
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 32nd,33rd
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1979-03-28
Summit Date 1979-05-13
Summit Time 1351
Summit Days 46
Total Days 54
Termination Date 1979-05-21
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 5
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 31
Summit Members 4
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 20
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 Climbed Khumbutse (KHUM-791-01) by Franc Knez
Campsites BC(28/03,5350m),C1(06/04,6050m),C2(14/04,6770m),C3(18/04,7170m),C4(27/04,7550m),C5(02/05,8100m),Smt(13,15/05)
Route Notes Skarja - 7 May 2013 A pulley was used to convey about 5000 kg of supplies 200m up onto the Lho La. It worked very well where they had it, but the Americans' effort was in an unfavorable place where the loads constantly swung against the rock face, which is why they stopped using it. Kunaver - 4 Sept 79 Yugo Everest Expedition's route: From Lho La, went left onto north side of W Shoulder. At highest part of W Ridge, 1st summit team followed ridge all the way up to summit and down via Hornbein Couloir. 2nd team traversed slightly left onto face going up because Ang Phu would not have managed a difficult overhang; also down via Hornbein Couloir. Expedition had no indication of any HMG displeasure at their having been on North Face. Skarja - 25 May 79 1st attempt for summit [Groselj and Manfreda] did not find right route and had oxygen problem; they were those who came to KTM with frostbite. 2nd group [Podbevsek and Robas] also had trouble finding correct route. Used Hornbein Couloir in descent because bad weather in afternoon including fog required use of easier route; also lack of fixed rope high on ridge. 3 or 4 May were ready to make 1st attempt but very strong wind 150 km/hr and -40 degrees C temperature. Groselj & Manfreda - 18 May 79 Groselj, Manfreda, Vavken arrived today by helicopter. Manfreda (3 fingers) and Groselj (5 toes) and doctor Ok; stay in KTM 2-3 days and in Delhi 2-3 days. Frostbite: 1st attempt ascent started from C5 on 10 May; wall very hard and Groselj had oxygen trouble. Manfreda had to go without oxygen because so difficult, could have no load. Put in fixed rope which was key to success 3 days later. C5 established 9 May at 8100m. No C6 at all. 13 May Zaplotnik and Stremfelj to summit from C5 and down via Hornbein Colouir because no fixed ropes above C4 at 9:30 pm. Left C5 going up at 5:30 am; summit at 1:51 pm; are Ok, no frostbite. 15 May from C5 3 men at 5:00 am; on top about 2:20 pm and also down via colouir; biv that night at 8000m in colouir; stopped descent about 9:00 pm because of snowstorm and wind. 16 May about 5 am again began descent. 3rd team for summit [Bergant, Kotnik and Matijevec] went to help this 2nd group; from C5 up and then down to Couloir and met at 6:00-7:00 am; summiters very tired but not frostbitten. Bozic and Belak reached C4 about 12 noon with 3 helpers. When 2 parties met, helpers went to shake hands in congrats, Ang Phu made a mis-step, fell 20m, lost ice axe, unable to stop himself and fell 2000m down Main Rongbuk Glacier from 8000m. 17 May from C1 4 Sherpas and 3 Yugoslavia found body in pieces and Sherpas put pieces in crevasse. 7 men went to site together which is 1-1/2 km east of Lho La. Ang Phu's family at BC today saying Yugoslavia killed him. 1st summit team were actually 3rd planned to - on 11 May two members were 1st but got no where really. Groselj & Manfreda - 18 May 79 Ang Phu and 1 Yugoslav had just emerged from bottom of Hornbein's Couloir at about 8000m when met by helpers and he fell - other Yudoslav still in it. Yugoslavia followed AMME 1963 West Ridge route all the way from to C4 which was same place as US C4. Groselj and Manfreda put in same fixed rope above C5, but not enough fixed rope above C5 for safe descent. Bad weather about 11 May was believed to be monsoon (actually was cyclone in Bay of Bengal) so expedition thought had no time to put in fixed rope. Shailendra Raj Sharma, Tourism - 16 May 79 Yesterday's 3 summiters could not reach C4 last night because of bad weather and made temporary camp. At 8:00 am today 2 Yugoslavs reached C4 but at 7600m, just above C4 and just few minutes before 8:00 am, Ang Phu slipped and was not found as of 12:30 pm; still searching for him. Expedition probably stopped climbing. Shailendra Raj Sharma, Tourism - 13 May 79 Zaplotnik and Stremfelj reached summit. Started at 5 am 13 May from C6 8700m and on top 13:15 hours. Coming down slowly but steadily as of 4:30 pm because of high wind. 1st 2 groups failed to reach top: names and reasons not known. 4th group tomorrow. AXT - 10 May 79 Yesterday 5 men at C5 at about 8200m and hoped to try today for top from C5. West Ridge best: no Icefall and see both Nepal and Tibet are right on the West Ridge. Yugoslavs apparently first onto Lho La from Nepalese side. From Tibetan side: 1921 - George Leigh Mallary and George Bullock recce 1935 - Eric Shipton and LV Bryant; HW Tilman and EHL Wigram also recce Tone Skarja - 20 Feb 79 True West Ridge route BC usual site C1 on East Ridge of Khumbutse 6050m (last 300m much loads up) C2 on ridge of West Shoulder 6600m C3 top of West Shoulder 7200m C4 on Everest on West Ridge 7400m, 1-1/2 km from C3 C5 high on West Ridge 8000m C6 West Ridge 8500m Total route 10 km; about 5 km from where shoulder joins Everest proper. Leave KTM 3 March Arrive Pheriche 25 March Arrive BC 31 March 6 weeks to summit, top about 15-25 May Technically most difficult BC to C1; on West Shoulder new snow avalanching; again technical difficult C4 to C5 25 climbers including doctors and 5 photographers and journalists 20 Sherpas Use oxygen above C4.
Accidents Ang Phu Sherpa fell to death on descent
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2446076
Year 1979
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) lho la-w ridge (up); n face (hornbein)-w ridge (down)

Members

32 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Zvonimir (Zvone) Andrejcic M 1950 Yugoslavia Climber Lesce, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Locksmith Details Other expeditions
Stanislav (Stane) Belak-Srauf M 1940 Yugoslavia Climber Kamnik, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Mechanical technician Details Other expeditions
Borut Bergant M 1954 Yugoslavia Climber Trzic, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Machinist Details Other expeditions
Stipe Bozic M 1951 Yugoslavia Climber Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Matjaz Culiberg M 1950 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Camera crew's sound technician Details Other expeditions
Muhamed Gafic M 1948 Yugoslavia Climber Sarajevo, Bosnia, Yugoslavia Electrical technician Details Other expeditions
Viktor (Viki) Groselj M 1952 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Teacher Details Other expeditions
Tomaz Stanko Jamnik M 1938 Yugoslavia Climber Kranj, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Electrical engineer Details Other expeditions
Stanko (Stane) Klemenc M 1950 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Photographer Details Other expeditions
Francek Knez M 1955 Yugoslavia Climber Celje, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Machinist Details Other expeditions
Ivan (Ivc) Kotnik M 1951 Yugoslavia Climber Velenje, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Mining engineer Details Other expeditions
Rade Kovacevic M 1936 Yugoslavia Climber Novi Sad, Serbia, Yugoslavia Journalist Details Other expeditions
Marjan Manfreda M 1950 Yugoslavia Climber Bohinjska, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Electrician Details Other expeditions
Stefan Marence M 1951 Yugoslavia Climber Medvode, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Vanja Matijevec M 1946 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Staff member, government sports organisation Details Other expeditions
Vladimir (Vlado) Mesaric M 1949 Yugoslavia Climber Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia Electrical engineer Details Other expeditions
Franc Novinc M 1938 Yugoslavia Climber Skofja Loka, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Painter (artist) Details Other expeditions
Dusan Podbevsek M 1958 Yugoslavia Climber Kamnik, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Student Details Other expeditions
Bojan Pollak M 1943 Yugoslavia Climber Kamnik, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Marjan Raztresen M 1936 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Journalist Details Other expeditions
Roman Robas M 1942 Yugoslavia Climber Medvode, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Slavko Setina M 1947 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Camera crew's sound technician Details Other expeditions
Anton (Tone) Skarja M 1937 Yugoslavia Leader Menges, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Electrical technician Details Other expeditions
Muhamed Sisic M 1948 Yugoslavia Climber Sarajevo, Bosnia, Yugoslavia Electrician Details Other expeditions
Andrej Stremfelj M 1956 Yugoslavia Climber Kranj, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Student of physical education Details Other expeditions
Marko Stremfelj M 1954 Yugoslavia Climber Kranj, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Electrical engineer Details Other expeditions
Igor Tekavcic M 1950 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Physician Details Other expeditions
Slavko Vajt M 1935 Yugoslavia Climber Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Cameraman Details Other expeditions
Evgen Vavken M 1927 Yugoslavia Exp Doctor Ljubljana, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Physician Details Other expeditions
Jernej (Nejc) Zaplotnik M 1952 Yugoslavia Climber Kranj, Slovenia, Yugoslavia Teacher Details Other expeditions
Joze Zupan M 1954 Yugoslavia Climber Celje, Slovenia, Yugoslavia University student Details Other expeditions
Ang Phu Sherpa M 1950 Nepal Sirdar Khumjung, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

13 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER79101 AAJ Skarja, Tone The Complete West Ridge of Everest - 53:429-436 (1980) -
EVER79101 HJ Skarja, Tone Yugoslav Everest Expedition - 37:1-2 (1979-80) -
EVER79101 - Skarja, Tone Everest Mladinska Knjiga, Ljubljana - S582
EVER79101 - Bozic, Stipe Put Na Vrh Svijeta Slobodna Dalmacija, Split, Croatia - -
EVER79101 MM - - - 68:13 (Jul 1979) -
EVER79101 MM Dyhrenfurth, G. O. & Dyhrenfurth, Norman Everest - 76:30-43 (Nov 1980) -
EVER79101 - Andlovic, Joze Na Vrh Svijeta Globus, Zagreb - K367
EVER79101 - Groselj, Viki Do Prvih Zvezd Zalozba Obzorja, Maribor, Yugoslavia - G381
EVER79101 - Groselj, Viki Everest, Sanje in Resnicnost Didakta, Ljubljana - -
EVER79101 - Kriselj, Marijan YU3DRL-9N1YU, Mount Everest, Sagarmatha Zalozba Obzorja, Maribor, Yugoslavia - -
EVER79101 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198042900/The-Complete-West-Ridge-of-Everest - - -
EVER79101 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/37/2/yugoslav-everest-expedition/ - - -
EVER79101 - - http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web17f/wfeature-the-life-of-francek-knez - - -