Everest | 1988 Face between N and NE Ridges (to 8000m)

A Canada expedition to Everest in 1988 via Face between N and NE Ridges (to 8000m), led by Barry Blanchard. Summit reached on 24th October 1988. 2 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1655
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER88311
Peak ID EVER
Year 1988
Season 3
Host Country 2
Route 1 Face between N and NE Ridges (to 8000m)
Route 2 N Col-N Face (Great Couloir) (to 8400m)
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Canada
Leaders Barry Blanchard
Sponsor -
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 USA
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1988-09-16
Summit Date 1988-10-24
Summit Time -
Summit Days 38
Total Days 43
Termination Date 1988-10-29
Termination Reason 7
Termination Notes Abandoned at 8450m due to 'deteriorating control of situation'
High Point (m) 8450
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 0
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 2
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical True
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(16/09,6400m),Biv1(05/10,7200m),Biv2(14/10,7600m),Biv3(23/10,7000m),Biv4(24/10,8080m),xxx(24/10,8450m)
Route Notes BC at E Rongbuk where moraine ends Biv1 at small glacier Biv3 at 7000m at N Col Biv4 at 8080m at Great Couloir High point at Great Couloir rock. 2 men only with permit for NE Ridge with 2 other Canadians at BC and ABC (had planned to be 4 Canadian climbers but 3 dropped out and Twight joined) but really wanted to climb couloir from East Rangbuk Glacier leading to North Ridge. However Hasegawa Japanese team (who had been there last winter unsuccessfully) said this was their route, so Blanchard and Twight moved to left to a small couloir and made first attempt with no ropes and 1 sleeping bag. Left ABC 4th Oct 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm at 23,200 ft where Twight's feet very cold without overboots and back to ABC. 5th Oct 2nd attempt from ABC at 2 pm; 9 or 10 pm dug snow cave and stayed till 2:00 am on 6th Oct; kept on up to 24,500 ft when Blanchard developing pulmonary edema so down to ABC for 1 day and on to BC at 16,800 ft. rested till 11th Oct and up to ABC. 13th up from ABC in 3rd attempt: 10 pm left for ABC with small tent but no sleeping bags but with stove. 7 am 14th set up tent at 25,000 ft above small couloir and now on spur on easier terrain; no Japanese around so moved to left edge of their couloir. At 5 pm Banchard developing cerebral edema at 26,300 ft. Traversed Japanese Couloir to N Ridge at 25,000 ft, down to N Col where Wyoming expedition gave Blanchard a bottle of oxygen and on down to ABC at 10:30 pm of 14th. Blanchard slept on oxygen and in special bag. 15th to BC. 20th Blanchard started to ABC and took 2 days to get there. Twight same day catching up with Blanchard, passed out 5900m and returned to BC for 2 days. 22nd Blanchard at ABC and Twight arrived there that night. 23rd noon both left ABC and went to N Col and bived there; 24th on N Ridge to 25,000 ft and then traversed to Great Couloir where set up tent at 26,500 ft at 7:30 pm. 25th at 2 am up again, up Great Couloir to start of first rock band where falling asleep, Twight's feet and hands freezing. Twight turned back at 6:00 am at 8400m, Blanchard at 7 am at slightly higher 8450m. Down N Ridge and N Col back to ABC on 25th. Climb finished: no food, no sleep and altitude affected.
Accidents Altitude sickness
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2449582
Year 1988
Summit Success False
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) face between n and ne ridges (to 8000m)

Members

2 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Barry Blanchard M 1959 Canada Leader Alberta Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Marc Francis Twight M 1961 USA Climber Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France Alpine guide & photographer Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER88311 AAJ Twight, Marc Francis - - 63:277-278 (1989) -
EVER88311 HJ Blanchard, Barry The Everest Express Expeditions, 1988 - 46:116-124 (1988-1989) -
EVER88311 - Patterson, Bruce Canadians on Everest Detselig, Calgary - P100
EVER88311 - Hayhurst, Jim The Right Mountain John Wiley & Sons, Toronto - -
EVER88311 MM - - - 125:10 (Jan 1989) -
EVER88311 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198927702/Asia-Tibet-Everest-Attempt-by-a-New-Route - - -
EVER88311 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/46/22/expeditions-and-notes-46/ - - -