Everest | 1985 N Face (Hornbein Couloir)

A Japan expedition to Everest in 1985 via N Face (Hornbein Couloir), led by Michiko Takahashi. Summit reached on 15th December 1985. 10 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field	Value
ID	431
Imported	2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
Host Country	2
Route 1	N Face (Hornbein Couloir)
Route 2	-
Route 3	-
Route 4	-
Nationality	Japan
Leaders	Michiko Takahashi
Sponsor	Japanese Everest N Face Winter 1985
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	-
Approach	-
Basecamp Date	1985-10-25
Summit Date	1985-12-15
Summit Time	-
Summit Days	51
Total Days	53
Termination Date	1985-12-17
Termination Reason	4
Termination Notes	Abandoned at 8450m due to winds-very cold on sunless N Face
High Point (m)	8450
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Camps	5
Fixed Rope (m)	0
Total Members	9
Summit Members	0
Member Deaths	0
Total Hired	10
Summit Hired	0
Hired Deaths	0
No Hired	False
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	True
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Taken	False
O2 Unknown	False
Other Summits	-
Campsites	TempBC(20/10,5500m),BC(25/10,5900m),C1(30/10-01/11,6200m),C2(15/11,6700m),C3(lateNov,7400m),C4(earlyDec,8000m),C5(10/12,8200m),xxx(15/12,8450m)
Route Notes	TBC at road head BC at Rongbuk Glacier (last stop for yaks) C1 at beginning of North Face C2 on North Face C3 on North Face C4 at bottom of Hornbein Couloir C5 in Hornbein (slept by 2 or 3 Japanese only) C1 and C2 very steep ice climbing and all fixed with rope; C2 to C3 not so steep, mixed rock and snow. C3 to C4 little steeper, lower part rock, higher part mostly snow. Avalanche destroyed C4 gear dump (no one slept there) in late Nov. All equipment transported to site but when next set of Sherpas arrived there soon after found all carried away by avalanche down Hornbein Couloir and some of it found near C1. Another supply carried up and slept in by almost all climbing Japanese and by 5 Sherpas. Then winds came up. Fixed 12 ropes up Hornbein and had depot camp in Hornbein. More progress upwards but winds worse and worse. Leader: Mrs Michiko Takahashi; climbing leader Okura; Total 9 Japanese. Leader to BC and C1, only 4 motorcyclists to near C1 and 8 climbers; total 13 Sherpas; sirdar at BC and C1 only; BC kitchen boy; C1 cook and 10 climbers. Sherpas: Lhakpa Tenzing, sirdar to Everest summit 1973 spring Italian exp Dawa Norbu to Everest summit 1985 spring Norwegian exp Nawang Yonden to Everest summit 1983 winter Japanese exp Sherpas went to Everest for 1885 expedition via Kodari, but Chinese gave permission for only one crossing at Kodari, so returned to Nepal via Peking. Kim Ki-Heyg (Everest W Ridge leader) - 24 Dec 85 Japanese Everest N Face Winter 85: Koreans often saw Japanese. Japan C2 very near Koreans C2. Japanese making good progress had no strong winds inside Hornbein Couloir. Saito (Japan Everest, autumn 1985) - 20 Aug 85 Everest Winter 85-86: Mrs Kobayashi again leads on all male climbing team to Everest N Face (Hornbein Couloir) starting in Oct - about 15 members.
Accidents	Some Sherpas frostbitten cheeks; 2 Japanese fingers frostbitten but none serious; no accidents or illnesses
Achievement	-
Agency	-
Commercial Route	False
Standard Route	-
Primary Route	False
Primary Member	False
Primary Reference	-
Primary ID	-
Checksum	2448535
Year	1985
Summit Success	False
O2 Summary	Used
Route (lowercase)	n face (hornbein couloir)

Members

Field	Value
ID	9501
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	05
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Kenji
Last Name	Kondo
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1962
Calculated Age	23
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8450
Summit Date 1	1985-12-15
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	True
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	4
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	2435807
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	kenji kondo
Year of Birth	1962
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	23
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	9502
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	07
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Yoshitomi
Last Name	Okura
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1951
Calculated Age	34
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	True
Personal High Point (m)	8450
Summit Date 1	1985-12-15
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	1
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	True
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	4
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	2431658
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	yoshitomi okura
Year of Birth	1951
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	34
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	9503
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	01
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Michiko
Last Name	Takahashi
Sex	F
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1942
Calculated Age	43
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Leader
Residence	Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Physician
Leader	True
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	True
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	From C2 or C3
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	2428373
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	michiko takahashi
Year of Birth	1942
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	43
Role	Leader

Field	Value
ID	28080
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	10
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Lhakpa Tenzing
Last Name	Sherpa
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1940
Calculated Age	45
Citizenship	Nepal
Status	Sirdar
Residence	Namche Bazar, Khumbu
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	True
Sherpa	True
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	2427814
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	lhakpa tenzing sherpa
Year of Birth	1940
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	45
Role	Hired

Field	Value
ID	29552
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	06
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Muneo
Last Name	Nukita
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1951
Calculated Age	34
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	2431699
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	muneo nukita
Year of Birth	1951
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	34
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	29553
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	03
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Masaaki
Last Name	Hukushima
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	-
Calculated Age	35
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	-
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	True
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	True
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	From C2 or C3
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	-77
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	masaaki hukushima
Year of Birth	-
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	-
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	29554
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	02
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Akio
Last Name	Hayakawa
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	1956
Calculated Age	29
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	-
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	2433648
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	akio hayakawa
Year of Birth	1956
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	29
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	29555
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	08
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Masahiko
Last Name	Oya
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	-
Calculated Age	27
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	-
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	-77
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	masahiko oya
Year of Birth	-
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	-
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	29556
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	09
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Koji
Last Name	Sakane
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	-
Calculated Age	30
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	-
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	False
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	-77
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	koji sakane
Year of Birth	-
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	-
Role	Member

Field	Value
ID	29557
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:05.675609
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Member ID	04
Peak ID	EVER
Year	1985
Season	4
First Name	Yoshiaki
Last Name	Kashihara
Sex	M
Age	0
Birth Date	-
Year of Birth	-
Calculated Age	38
Citizenship	Japan
Status	Climber
Residence	-
Occupation	-
Leader	False
Deputy	False
Basecamp Only	False
Not to BC	False
Support	False
Disabled	False
Hired	False
Sherpa	False
Tibetan	False
Summit Success	False
Claimed	False
Disputed	False
Solo	False
Traverse	False
Ski	False
Paraglide	False
Speed	-
High Point (m)	False
Personal High Point (m)	0
Summit Date 1	-
Summit Date 2	-
Summit Date 3	-
Summit Time 1	-
Summit Time 2	-
Summit Time 3	-
Route 1	0
Route 2	0
Route 3	0
Ascent 1	0
Ascent 2	0
Ascent 3	0
O2 Used	False
O2 None	True
O2 Climb	False
O2 Descent	False
O2 Sleep	False
O2 Medical	False
O2 Notes	-
Death	False
Death Date	-
Death Time	-
Death Type	0
Death Height (m)	0
Death Class	0
AMS	False
Weather	False
Injury	False
Injury Date	-
Injury Time	-
Injury Type	0
Injury Height (m)	0
Death Notes	-
Member Notes	-
Necrology	-
Summit Bid	1
Summit Term	3
HCN	0
Checksum	-77
Summit Note 1	-
Summit Note 2	-
Summit Note 3	-
Death Route	-
Name (lowercase)	yoshiaki kashihara
Year of Birth	-
Year	1985
Age at Expedition	-
Role	Member

10 recorded members.

Name	Sex	Year of Birth	Citizenship	Status	Residence	Occupation
Kenji Kondo	M	1962	Japan	Climber	Tokyo, Japan	-	Details Other expeditions
Yoshitomi Okura	M	1951	Japan	Climber	Tokyo, Japan	-	Details Other expeditions
Michiko Takahashi	F	1942	Japan	Leader	Tokyo, Japan	Physician	Details Other expeditions
Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa	M	1940	Nepal	Sirdar	Namche Bazar, Khumbu	-	Details Other expeditions
Muneo Nukita	M	1951	Japan	Climber	Tokyo, Japan	-	Details Other expeditions
Masaaki Hukushima	M	-	Japan	Climber	-	-	Details Other expeditions
Akio Hayakawa	M	1956	Japan	Climber	-	-	Details Other expeditions
Masahiko Oya	M	-	Japan	Climber	-	-	Details Other expeditions
Koji Sakane	M	-	Japan	Climber	-	-	Details Other expeditions
Yoshiaki Kashihara	M	-	Japan	Climber	-	-	Details Other expeditions

References

Field	Value
ID	357
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:36.307770
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Reference ID	01
Year	1985
Type	2
Journal	AAJ
Author	Eguskitza, Xavier
Title	-
Publisher	-
Publication Date	1988
Language	-
Citation	62:266 (1988)
Yak 94	-
Notes	-

Field	Value
ID	6903
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:36.307770
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Reference ID	02
Year	1985
Type	3
Journal	IWA
Author	-
Title	-
Publisher	-
Publication Date	1986
Language	Japanese
Citation	:27-28 (1986)
Yak 94	-
Notes	-

Field	Value
ID	7364
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:36.307770
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Reference ID	03
Year	1985
Type	1
Journal	-
Author	Takahashi,Michiko
Title	Macho Quomolungma
Publisher	Asahi Shimbum, Tokyo
Publication Date	1986
Language	Japanese
Citation	-
Yak 94	jA132
Notes	-

Field	Value
ID	12506
Imported	2026-03-06 18:06:36.307770
Expedition ID	EVER85401
Reference ID	04
Year	1985
Type	5
Journal	-
Author	-
Title	http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198826602/Asia-Tibet-Everest-Hornbein-Couloir-Winter-Attempt
Publisher	-
Publication Date	-
Language	-
Citation	-
Yak 94	-
Notes	-

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID	Journal	Author	Title	Publisher	Citation	Yak 94
EVER85401	AAJ	Eguskitza, Xavier	-	-	62:266 (1988)	-
EVER85401	IWA	-	-	-	:27-28 (1986)	-
EVER85401	-	Takahashi,Michiko	Macho Quomolungma	Asahi Shimbum, Tokyo	-	jA132
EVER85401	-	-	http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198826602/Asia-Tibet-Everest-Hornbein-Couloir-Winter-Attempt	-	-	-