Everest | 1991 N Face

A India expedition to Everest in 1991 via N Face, led by Pranesh Chakraborty. Summit reached on 22nd September 1991. 21 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 612
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER91301
Peak ID EVER
Year 1991
Season 3
Host Country 2
Route 1 N Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality India
Leaders Pranesh Chakraborty
Sponsor Indian Everest Expedition (China) 1991
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 1991-08-06
Summit Date 1991-09-22
Summit Time -
Summit Days 47
Total Days 48
Termination Date 1991-09-23
Termination Reason 5
Termination Notes Abandoned at 7500m due to snow conditions
High Point (m) 7500
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 21
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 3
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
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(06/08,5100m),ABC(15/08,5600m),C1(26/08,6000m),C2(20/09,7200m),xxx(22/09,7500m)
Route Notes BC at Chinese BC C1 at NNW of Hornbein on icefield C2 at snow cave just below "White Limbo". Did some training climbing before ABC established. Split team into 3 groups and 1st tried to open route slightly E of Australian route towards couloir: many avalanches coming down Australian's White Limbo as snow fell every night and avalanched every day as sun warmed it. Then 3 days snowfall buried ropes fixed at bottom of face and 28th Aug called all back to ABC as entire face was avalanching. Regrouped team as half of 2 months time gone. Fresh group of 6 and climbing leader up to C1 on 1 Sept and tried to retrace way to bottom of face and ropes but could retrive little. 3 or 4 Sept started on route to make to C2 and on 1st day fixed from 6400m to 6550m to just below rock buttress. Meanwhile dumped loads at base of Changtse including most of technical gear. Then continuous snowfall 3-4 days and Hornbein and W Ridge avalanching badly with huge ice shelf collapsing 8 Sept from below couloir and snow covered entire face (Indians were at C1 and not hit). 11th Sept back to ABC, 14th Sept back to C1, moved cache gear down a bit and opened route up face to 7200m and made snow cave for rations, oxygen, tents etc. - these for summit attack. Took 13 hrs to carry from C1 and no place to rest seated. Finally Sept 4 members move into cave and established C2. 21st support group moved more supplies up to C2 while 4 started on route above C2 and fixed ropes 150-200m vertical; this area a mix of ice and snow. Had planned 5 camps but now running time decided only 4 total. 22nd Sept fixed 75m rope but now steeper and snow powdery and extremely slippery and impossible to fix anchors and face to west of them avalanched, so back to snow cave. Strong wind had started 21st night and on 23rd impossible to leave cave because of its strength; up to see snow conditions but at least 100 km/hr wind made progress difficult and slow; went to high point reached on 22nd, retrieved tent and now retreat began: progress so slow impossible to succeed in time allotted. Used 3 Tibetans to C2.
Accidents 1 case pulmonary edema (Das sent to Calcutta, left BC Aug 7 and never climbed)
Achievement -
Agency Unknown
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2450693
Year 1991
Summit Success False
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) n face

Members

21 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Pranesh Chandra Chakraborty M 1939 India Leader Hooghly, West Bengal, India Government service Details Other expeditions
Soumitra Ganguli M 1959 India Climber Burdasan, India Machine shop owner Details Other expeditions
Samir Kumar Roy M 1943 India Manager Calcutta, India Service, journalist Details Other expeditions
A. K. Bhattacharya M 1943 India Climber Calcutta, India Government service-army officer Details Other expeditions
Sonam Sangbu M 1948 India Climber Uttarkashi, UP, India Service, instructor at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering Details Other expeditions
Rattan Singh Chauhan M 1953 India Climber Uttarkashi, UP, India Service, instructor at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering Details Other expeditions
Ranveer Singh Negi M 1964 India Climber Uttarkashi, UP, India Nehru Institute of Mountaineering Details Other expeditions
Chandra Prabha Aitwal F 1941 India Climber Uttarkashi, UP, India Government service Details Other expeditions
Bivujit Behari Mukhoty M 1960 India Climber Calcutta, India Student, post graduate Details Other expeditions
Atanu Chatterjee M 1961 India Climber Calcutta, India Business (factory owner) Details Other expeditions
Susantha Kumar Majumder M 1955 India Climber P. S. Kharadh, West Bengal, India Service, bank official Details Other expeditions
Shayamal Sarkar M 1960 India Climber Calcutta, India - Details Other expeditions
Gautam Datta M 1959 India Climber Vill, West Ichapur, West Bengal, India Service, mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Utpal Sarkar M 1958 India Photographer Calcutta, India Professional photographer Details Other expeditions
Subhas Das M 1959 India Climber Beliaghata, Calcutta, India Service, teaching Details Other expeditions
Rita Chakraborty F 1962 India Climber Calcutta, India Sportswoman, swimming instructor Details Other expeditions
Nilay Singha Roy M 1962 India Exp Doctor Calcutta, India Government service-army doctor (Captain) Details Other expeditions
Indranil Sen M 1966 India Exp Doctor Calcutta, India Service, physician doctor in medical college Details Other expeditions
Raj Shekhar Ghose M 1959 India Climber Calcutta, India Service Details Other expeditions
Debasis Nath M 1964 India Climber Calcutta, India College student Details Other expeditions
Pasang Namgyal Sarkar M 1950 India Climber Darjeeling, India Service, instructor at Himalaya Mountaineering Institute Details Other expeditions

References

5 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER91301 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 66:264 (1992) -
EVER91301 HJ Bhattacharya, A. K. Indian Everest Expedition: North Face, 1991 - 49:116-122 (1991-1992) -
EVER91301 HMJ - - - 19:9 (1991-92) -
EVER91301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199226401/Asia-Tibet-Everest-Attempt - - -
EVER91301 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/49/14/indian-everest-expedition-north-face-1991/ - - -