Everest | 1990 S Col-SE Ridge

A New Zealand expedition to Everest in 1990 via S Col-SE Ridge, led by Rob Hall. Summit reached on 10th May 1990. 11 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 633
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER90108
Peak ID EVER
Year 1990
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 S Col-SE Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality New Zealand
Leaders Rob Hall
Sponsor New Zealand International Everest Expedition 1990
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 107,109
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Belgium, Canada, Sweden, USA
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1990-04-01
Summit Date 1990-05-10
Summit Time 0845
Summit Days 39
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 4
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 10
Summit Members 6
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 9
Summit Hired 1
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 BC(01/04,5350m),C1(10/04,6100m),C2(14/04,6400m),C3(19/04,7300m),C4(09/05,7900m),Smt(10-11/05)
Route Notes Hall talked to his mother from S Summit and Hillary with his father from summit. From summit 2 New Zealanders talked to NZ Prime Minister and Ed Hillary ("What like following your father's footsteps? asked reporters - Peter Hillary: I couldn't...see them anywhere." Prime Minister and Ed Hillary were in radio studio with half of NZ population listening in). Icefall was faster and easier than last year. Apa Sherpa was member of team. Peter Hillary: order of arrived on summit: Dawa Nuru Sherpa from US expedition Hillary A Soviet man from north side Ball and Hall Apa Sherpa Van Snick Everest - The end of an Apprenticeship As Christchurch climber Rob Hall's voice boomed over the roof of the world, the 1990 Cold Water Surf Everest Challenge Expedition made the first broadcast from the summit of Everest direct into New Zealand homes. For Hall as expedition organiser and Leader, reaching the top was culmination of three years effort which included two previous attempts on the mountain. The summit of Everest effectively divides Chinese occupied Tibet from Nepal with snowflakes that fall on the top either ending up in the Tsang Po or the Ganges river catchments. As the three Kiwis were shaking hands, taking photographs and getting ready to dial up the New Zealand Prime Minister simply said to Gary "I USSR" handed him a postcard and asked Gary to take his pictures. Gary only had time to reply "I Kiwi" before the Soviet turned and stoped off down his ascent route, this climber was a member had already put 12 climbers on the summit over the previous ten days. Soon after the three days New Zealanders began the descent of the South East Ridge back to their camp on the 8000m South Col they were engulfed in a storm. Unable to see properly they were forced to remove their goggles which immediately exposed them to high levels of UV radiation. Snow blindness was to severely hamper each of the climbers during the retreat to their 5700m base camp below the dreaded Khumbu Icefall. Snowblindness is a UV burn of the cornea which feels like having hot sand thrown in the eyes. It effectively means the eyes are too painfull to open. Only twenty minutes below the summit the Kiwis met two other members of their international team who were sitll plodding upwards. Rudi Van Snick was soon to become the first Belgian to summit. He was accompanied by Apa Sherpa from Thame village only 50 kms from the base of the mountain. Unlike the other 14 support was invited as a friend and full climbing member of the team. Both Rudi and Apa were suffering from snowblindness by the time they reached the South Col just on dusk at 6 pm, a full two hours behind the New Zealanders. By now, Peter Hillary had descended to a lower camp in the Western Cwm. The weather remained fine next day so Gary and Apa, with watery inflamed eyes, set off to grope their way downwards. Rob, as the least affected, stayed on the South Col to nurse a totally blind Rudi. They lay in the tent sucking oxygen through a mask. Meanwhile, two of the three Swedish members of Rob's team, Michael Reutersvard and Oskar Kihlborg, both 26 year old, had made their own way to the summit. As the first Swedes on the summit they look great pleasure in calling the King of Sweden on the Satellite-linked radio. The Swedes spotted the lanky Australian climber, Tim Macartney-Snape, high above the South Col that day. Unlike their own ascent and that of the others in their team including, the New Zealanders, this Australian was travelling alone and wasn't using bottled oxygen. Everest is climbed regularly now without oxygen since Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler first proved the feat possible in 1978. Rob Hall finally joined Peter and Gary at BC on May 13th, having had an epic job guiding the still partially blind Rudi down the steep icy Lhotse Face (one serious fall) then through the 500m Khumbu Icefall - chaotic jumble of crumbling ice towers that has claimed many lives in the past. The relief in his voice when interviewed at base camp for this story was more than noticeable. As he said "only now have I truly climbed my Everest." Peter Hillary Everything went perfectly - "extraordinary spell of good weather." In 8 hours from Col to top on 10th and 2 hours down to Col and BC 11 May and spent 1/2 hour on top in which time Russian member of Peace Expedition turned up at about 8:30. "Its incredibly high: you think on the next step, you're joining Neal Armstrong." Really difficult - no yak route.
Accidents Van Snik serious snowblindness
Achievement -
Agency Wilderness Adventure
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2450192
Year 1990
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) s col-se ridge

Members

11 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Gary Ian Ball M 1953 New Zealand Climber Twizel, Canterbury, New Zealand Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Karen J. Fellerhoff F 1959 USA Member New York, New York Alpinist Details Other expeditions
Carl Henrik (Calle) Froste M 1964 Sweden Member Taby, Stockholm, Sweden Journalist Details Other expeditions
Robert Edwin (Rob) Hall M 1961 New Zealand Leader Christchurch, New Zealand Alpinist Details Other expeditions
Peter Edmund Hillary M 1954 New Zealand Climber Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Author & alpinist Details Other expeditions
Oskar Khilborg M 1964 Sweden Climber Stockholm, Sweden Salesman, sporting clothes Details Other expeditions
Carl Johan Lagne M 1964 Sweden Climber Saltsjobaden, Sweden Student, forestry Details Other expeditions
John O'Brien M 1955 Canada Exp Doctor Ottawa, Ontario Physician Details Other expeditions
Mikael Reutersward M 1964 Sweden Climber Stockholm, Sweden Stockbroker Details Other expeditions
Rudy Van Snick M 1956 Belgium Climber Vieux Genappe, Belgium Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Apa (Appa) Sherpa M 1960 Nepal H-A Worker Thami Og, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER90108 AAJ Hall, Robert - - 65:223-225 (1991) -
EVER90108 - Froste, Calle Drommen om Mount Everest Raben & Sjogren, Stockholm - F217
EVER90108 - Detienne, Herman Vaincre le Geant Studio Lannoo, Tielt, Belgium - D179
EVER90108 MM - - - 134:9 (Jul 1990) -
EVER90108 NZAJ Ball, Gary Everest: The Right Way - 43:84-88 (1990) -
EVER90108 - Detienne, Herman Naar de Top Studio Lannoo, Tielt, Belgium - -
EVER90108 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199122303/Asia-Nepal-Everest-New-Zealand-International-Ascent - - -