Everest | 1989 Khumbutse-W Ridge-N Face (Hornbein Couloir)

A Poland expedition to Everest in 1989 via Khumbutse-W Ridge-N Face (Hornbein Couloir), led by Eugeniusz Chrobak. Summit reached on 24th May 1989. 19 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 482
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER89103
Peak ID EVER
Year 1989
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 Khumbutse-W Ridge-N Face (Hornbein Couloir)
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Poland
Leaders Eugeniusz Chrobak
Sponsor Eugeniusz Chrobak Spring 1989 Everest Expedition
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 96th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Canada, Mexico, UK, USA
Approach Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1989-03-26
Summit Date 1989-05-24
Summit Time 2000
Summit Days 59
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 5
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 19
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 5
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb True
O2 Descent True
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(26/03,5350m),C1(01/04,5850m),C2(04/04,6850m),C3(14/04,7200m),C4(21/04,7500m),C5(11/05,8000m),Smt(24/05)
Route Notes BC at normal site C4 at top of West Shoulder C5 at bottom of Hornbein Couloir. 1st summit attempt by Carlos alone from C4 11th May at 5:00 pm and 12th May 3:00 am reached 8200m in Hornbein Couloir; down to C5 at 5:00 am because throat trouble and was given oxygen in C5 for exhaustion and on down. 2nd attempt 22 May from C5 by 2 members [Dasal and Gardzielewski] with oxygen at 5:00 am; fixed rope up Hornbein to snowfield at its top (had fixed lower part on 21 May); reached 8500m at Hornbein's top at 2:00 pm and turned back oxygen almost finished. 24th May 1:00 am from C5 by 2 members [Chrobak and Marciniak] with oxygen; at 3:00 pm reached top of snowfield; left their oxygen bottles here and went on up without oxygen to summit at 8:00 pm; stayed 10 mins on top (Chrobak arrived first), left nothing there. 25th May 3:00 am returned to C5 (no others in C5) and left C5 at 7:00 am, reached C3 and spent night there while other 2 members [Dasal and Gardzielewski] descended at same time from C4 to C2, where they slept. 26th May all 4 men reached C1; 2 members [Heinrich and Otreba] up from BC to C1 to support them and retrieve gear from C1; all 6 men slept in C1 night of 26th May. 27th 6 men from C1 at 7:00 pm and started up Khumbutse at 10:00 am in deep snow and very slow progress; at 1:00 pm were still on lower part of face of Khumbutse in upper part of a small couloir and avalanche hit. Marciniak only man in control of himself: Chrobak in deep shock and broke leg; 1 man [Heinrich] lived only 15 or so minutes and other three dead. After rescuers reached C1 and Marciniak at 7:00 am on 1 June, BC packed up and left BC 12:00 noon; in BC only 6 members. Had left early: Claus, Jacobs, Jeziserski & Rooney - about 2 weeks earlier. Lobodzinski about 2 weeks earlier - health not so good. Todd left BC 25 April - back problem. Hajzer left to climb Lhotse S Face on Messner's expedition. Many remains of other expeditions at C1 site because safer than using snow slope up from Lho La which have seracs and snow avalanching. Bulgarians and all on West Ridge route thereafter used the same route. Route to C1 via Khumbutse discussed and decided to use it because snow conditions on Khumbutse were good until the last days of season; and in last days Yugoslavia-Catalan route was also being avalanched. 11th Dec 89: A Polish party this month went to bury the 5 bodies but could find no trace whatsoever; could not find large rock they were near. No ropes left on Khumbutse; had been much avalanching since May, snow was deep. Priest said prayers, items from widows left at site and memorial plaque installed near BC. Party led by Krzysztof Paul, member of spring 1985 Polish Cho Oyu expedition. Were in couloir Khumbutse going up to return to BC when avalanche came down couloir at 1:00 pm. Going single file up fixed rope. Was 3rd on rope from its top. Chrobak and Gardzielewski changing over lead as avalanche hit at about 6000m, about 500m from top of couloir. Avalanche carried 6 men down to bottom to glacier and broke ropes - 3 covered by snow; Dasal hanging (dead) on rope, Marciniak and Chrobak not covered. Chrobak in shock near Dasal and could do nothing except go down on his bottom, talking nonsense. Marciniak dug out three others. Heinrich still alive and talking nonsense too; Marciniak put jacket on him. Heinrich died in 15 minutes with broken back and perhaps other injuries. Chrobak kept going down while Marciniak tried to resucitate Otreba, failed then up to Dasal, found him dead, cut rope and body down. "4" bodies left where they lay when Marciniak went down to Chrobak already on glacier with broken leg with ribs and back injuries. Marciniak put him in sleeping bag on platform; 2 men slept in sleeping bags in open that night. During night 2nd avalanche danger same couloir, Marciniak got himself out of snow got Chrobak out of slight snow cover. Chrobak still alive, Marciniak could scarcely talk but put another sleeping bag on Chrobak and pulled him down 40m. Was snowing now but Marciniak happy they are two alive, but when Marciniak went to Chrobak after radio contact with BC, saw sleeping bag not on Chrobak; tried to talk to Chrobak but no answer as Chrobak died in his sleeping position; must have died during night. Marciniak made snowhole for his own shelter, waiting for rescue from BC, from which about 6 people tried to go up to him on 28th but could not because snowing and avalanching. So BC advised him to go to C1, which was not at Lho La but at 5800m on Rongbuk Glacier just north of point 6145m on National Geographic map. Left snowhole at 1:00 pm and reached C1 in night 28th May, took long time to find camp because in thick cloud/mist. At C1 could now have his first tea (after drinking water on top of tent) since avalanche. By now was snowblind but a little vision. Was alone till rescuer reached him on 1 June morning. He had decided to go towards Rongbuk monastery; had no food and fuel left C1 to walk to Rongbuk monastery and was about to leave when rescuers arrived. When he was dreaming or hallucinating but went out of tent to look, saw figure not clearly and they saw him. They embraced. He felt weak but walked all the way to Chinese BC, where Chinese truck waited. Wants to go back to Everest? "No" Lost lot of weight, how much don't know (Hajer says 7-8 kgs) Hajer - KTM/C1 5 hours, from midnight 29 May - 8 hours trek from BC and returned KTM 11:00 pm 2nd June. Gary checked Marciniak's body and Marciniak started down immediately. Ang Tshering, Asian Trekking - 1 June 89 Rescue team arrived at La 7:00 am. Polish weak but no danger of death. Arrives Rongbuk monastery this eve where vehicle is. Hope Chinese mail helicopter from Rongbuk to Zhangmu and Asian trekking sending small boy to border this evening. 6 left BC about 10:00 am. Peter Hillary - 1 June 1989 Peter left BC late on 27 May after news of Polish disaster had been received at BC. 2 summiters coming down from top and 4 supporters met them probably on 25th at C3. 6 down to C1 at night end of Lho La. On 27th terrible snow conditions. 27th took 2-1/2 hours from C1 to find bottom fixed rope on Khumbutse started up Khumbutse and were hit by avalanche off Khumbutse's East Face in early afternoon of 27th. 1 man broken ankle and shock and unable to talk, other broken ribs. These 2 dug out a body and tried to recusitate but failed. When Peter left BC 2 were left lying out without tent, could be that Marciniak returned to C1. Messner - 29 May 1989 Rob Hall, Gary Bull, Artur Hajzer and a Sherpa leave KTM midnight tonight by road to north side of Everest BC, which they expect to reach in 2 days to bring Marciniak from Lho La camp. He is snowblind and his broken ribs but walking. Took this route to reach him because of avalanching down steep slopes to Nepalese side. MFA via Bhola Rana - 28 May 1989 Marciniak descending alone from C3 towards C1 as of 5:00 pm radio contacts. Others below could not go up to help him.
Accidents 5 fatalites on Khumbutse; Lobodzinski altitude sickness; Todd back problem
Achievement -
Agency Asian Trekking
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2449795
Year 1989
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) khumbutse-w ridge-n face (hornbein couloir)

Members

19 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Elsa Flor Avila Bello F 1963 Mexico Climber Mexico City, Mexico Civil engineer Details Other expeditions
Carlos Miguel Carsolio Larrea M 1962 Mexico Climber Mexico City, Mexico Civil engineer Details Other expeditions
Carlos Carsolio Pacheco M 1934 Mexico Member Mexico City, Mexico Chemical engineer Details Other expeditions
Eugeniusz (Genek) Chrobak M 1939 Poland Leader Krakow, Poland Chemical engineer Details Other expeditions
Nicholas Jan (Nick) Cienski M 1966 Canada Climber Ottawa, Ontario Alpinist & trekking guide Details Other expeditions
Paul Claus M 1959 USA Climber Chitina, Alaska Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Miroslaw Falco-Dasal M 1952 Poland Climber Chrzanow, Poland Engineer, geophysical Details Other expeditions
Miroslaw Gardzielewski M 1953 Poland Climber Kielce, Poland Electrical engineer Details Other expeditions
Artur Henryk Hajzer M 1962 Poland Climber Katowice, Poland Student, world cultures Details Other expeditions
Zygmunt Andrzej (Zyga) Heinrich M 1937 Poland Climber Krakow, Poland Civil engineer Details Other expeditions
Robert E. Jacobs M 1952 USA Climber Anchorage, Alaska Wilderness guide Details Other expeditions
Jacek Pavel Jezierski M 1958 Poland Climber Gdansk, Poland Ornithologist Details Other expeditions
Slavomir Lobodzinski M 1948 Canada Deputy Leader Long Beach, California Engineer, computer & professor Details Other expeditions
Janusz Majer M 1946 Poland Climber Katowice, Poland Metallurgical engineer Details Other expeditions
Andrzej Marciniak M 1959 Poland Climber Kolbudy, Poland Civil engineer Details Other expeditions
Waclaw Otreba M 1947 Poland Climber Gdynia, Poland Electrical engineer Details Other expeditions
George Rooney M 1957 USA Climber Anchorage, Alaska Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Marek Roslan M 1954 Poland Exp Doctor Gdansk, Poland Physician, urologist Details Other expeditions
Henry Barclay Todd M 1945 UK Climber Edinburgh, Scotland Businessman Details Other expeditions

References

8 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER89103 AAJ Wirski, Ziemowit J. - - 64:230 (1990) -
EVER89103 AAJ Nyka, Jozef - - 64:228-230 (1990) -
EVER89103 - Falco-Dasal, Miroslaw Kazdemu Jego Everest Wydawnictwo At, Warsaw - -
EVER89103 MM - - - 128:14 (Jul 1989) -
EVER89103 - Kobierowska, Dorota Dosiegnac Everestu Druk (Zaklad Poligraficzno-Wydawniczy), Gdansk - -
EVER89103 ALP McDonald, Bernadette & Porebski, Jerzy The Lho La Tragedy: The Beginning of the End - 40:76-83 (Autumn 2012) -
EVER89103 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199023002/Asia-Nepal-Everest-Funeral-Expedition - - -
EVER89103 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199022803/Asia-Nepal-Everest-Polish-Ascent-and-Tragedy - - -