Everest | 1993 N Col-NE Ridge (up); SE Ridge-S Col (down)

A S Korea expedition to Everest in 1993 via N Col-NE Ridge (up); SE Ridge-S Col (down), led by Oh In-Hwan. Summit reached on 13th April 1993. 6 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1501
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER93119
Peak ID EVER
Year 1993
Season 1
Host Country 2
Route 1 N Col-NE Ridge (up); SE Ridge-S Col (down)
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality S Korea
Leaders Oh In-Hwan
Sponsor S Korean Everest Expedition (N Side)
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 152
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date 1993-03-29
Summit Date 1993-04-13
Summit Time 1330
Summit Days 15
Total Days 21
Termination Date 1993-04-19
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse True
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 6
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 5
Summit Members 1
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 1
Summit Hired 1
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb True
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep True
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(29/03),C2.ABC(03/04,6500m),C3(10/04,7000m),C4(11/04,7700m),Biv1(12/04,8300m),Smt(13/04),Biv2(13/04,8500m),C5(14/04,6500m),C6(15/04,5300m)
Route Notes BC at Rongbuk C3 at North Col C4 on North Face 1st biv C5 at slightly below North Ridge (snowhole) 2nd biv at SE Ridge C5 in Western Cwm (Changbuk Korean expedition's tent) C6 at south side BC. 4 climbing members and only 1 climbing Sherpa, Ngati. C4 and biv made by Heo & Ngati alone. 13th April both to summit at 1:20 pm Tibet time after having left biv at 4 am in good weather but 6 am snow fall started strongly with wind - very difficulty very long way: rock, snow, rock, snow along with N Ridge up 1st and 2nd steps all the way to summit. 1st Step didn't recognize but 2nd Step very steep; earlier season's team had left ladder at 2nd Step, but it moved when weight put on it and "not safely" but stayed in place (at 2nd Step maybe 10:00 am). At summit found broken tripod on summit; little snow on N Face; stayed 40 min on top; could not talk to Oh in BC and C3 on summit snowing at this time and visibility not good, could not see Lhotse; took video films of each other and broken tripod from 1992. Descended to 8500m at about 8 pm Chinese time and slept in biv here. 14th April down to col (no one had reached there yet), on to C3 (Korean women) and to C2 to sleep in Changbuk Korean Everest Expedition camp (Korean team did not know Heo would to descend Nepalese side and Heo himself did not plan it). Why Heo did this climb? "I like the mountains." Came down Nepalese side because knew route easier than N Route; now in bad weather (snow and wind) easier to descend Nepalese side and thought some people would be camped at S Col (none of Heo's members were in their C4 or higher; C4 tent broken on 12 April). 13th and 14th Heo's teammate thought he was dead; when he arrived south side BC he talked by other Korean's walkie-talkie that he was OK. Today they leave BC for Lhasa and 1 Sherpa cook may bring his passport. Heo and an LO from S Side expedition came to Kathmandu 19 April and went to Tourism Ministry who said no problem. Today with embassy letter went to ministry & they also raised no problem. C4 tent "broken" so took no tent above C4 and had no biv bag but did have 2 sleeping bags. Lusang Dawa, TMA official - 13 June 93 His descent on southern side caused no problem. Lusang Dawa agrees that last year TMA and NMA officials agreed about climbers border traverse when necessary because of bad weather. "We must think about members safety." G. Bass, Swiss Everest (north) - 6 May 93 Korean Everest (north side) Chinese-Taiwanese expedition were very angry at Koreans because Koreans went up on ropes Chinese had just fixed for themselves. Remaining Koreans left BC 20 or 21 April, just as Swiss were arriving. They met each other below BC. Chinese interpreter with Koreans smiled broadly over Heo's having gone down onto Nepalese side of mountain. Lee and Jeon, Korean Everest South Pillar expedition - 17 May 93 Lee, Heo's friend, knew Heo would be on north side of Everest when he himself would be on south, but he knew of no plan by Heo to descend South Col route. Before coming to Everest, Heo was in New Zealand and they did not talk to each other for quite a while before Everest. Lee heard on his walkie-talkie in C2 Heo saying to his BC "this is summit, this is summit - I am very tired" but heard no response and he thinks Heo's walkie-talkie soon died. Next day when he saw two people descending Lhotse Face to C3 there, Lee thought they were Heo and his Sherpa because no teams were yet at Col. Lee was making route to his C3 on Pillar that day, descended to C2 to sleep and met Heo at C2. Jean and Lee Eui-Jae, Korean South Pillar Everest Expedition - 15 May 93 Heo: I almost died he said to Lee at C2 14 Apr. He was extremely tired, coughing a lot, very thin (Lee has known him well, he stayed night of 14 Apr in Lee's tent); too tired to be happy; only thought was that he was now safe. Ngati slept in Korean SW Face tent; his fingers blistered from frostbite but not extremely serious. No doubt he came from summit. In his ascent, hadn't fixed rope; now no oxygen. Heo slept in Jeo's tent at BC. Heo and Ngati - 24 Apr 93 C4 tent 1st broken by wind and wreck still used for shelter but Ngati's cooking caught tent on fire and still could use remnants for cover 8300m used earlier season teams snowhole for 1st biv. 13 Apr summit and bad weather drove down South Side where route easier and expected camp at Col. At 8500m Ngati made snowhole very narrow (slept on their sides). Ngati forgot to put sleeping bag over his head and left hand outside was covered by snow: now 5 fingers frostbitten, almost died, not talking till Heo covered him with sleeping bags and gave extra gloves. No cooking, no waters no eating except snow from C4 North side till reached Korean woman C3 on south side (from 2:00 am 13 Apr to 3:00 pm 14 Apr). To HMG - 16 April 93 "I climbing leader of the Himalaya expedition climbed the to of Mountain Everest from Tibet on the 13th of April at 14:20 (China Time). When I stopped the top of Mount Everest, there was a very strong wind with snow, I cannot afford to descend to the North Col at that time, I have to escape from the hard time. So I bivouaced a night just below the South Peak. The next day, 14th of April, I descended to South Col and C2 at the Khumbu Himalaya. On the 15th of April, I arrived at the base camp. I'd like to go back to Tibet as soon as possible."
Accidents Ngati frostbite 6 fingers but will be OK; Heo altitude cough to day; cook Pasang altitude sickness & given oxygen
Achievement 1st unsupported N-S traverse
Agency None
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2451264
Year 1993
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) n col-ne ridge (up); se ridge-s col (down)

Members

6 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Jae-Chul Choi M - S Korea Climber - - Details Other expeditions
Young-Ho Heo M 1954 S Korea Climber Seoul, S Korea Clerk Details Other expeditions
Sung-Taek Hong M 1967 S Korea Climber Seoul, S Korea - Details Other expeditions
Bum-Taek Kim M 1963 S Korea Climber Masan, Gyeongsangnam, S Korea - Details Other expeditions
In-Hwan Oh M 1946 S Korea Leader Seoul, S Korea Travel agent Details Other expeditions
Ngati Sherpa M - Nepal H-A Worker Phortse, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER93119 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 68:272 (1994) -
EVER93119 HIGH - - - 130:7 (Sep 1993) -
EVER93119 HIGH - - - 132:13 (Nov 1993) -
EVER93119 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199427202/Asia-Tibet-Everest-Traverse-from-the-North-in-the-Pre-Monsoon - - -