Everest | 1997 N Col-NE Ridge

A New Zealand expedition to Everest in 1997 via N Col-NE Ridge, led by Russell Brice. Summit reached on 29th May 1997. 19 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2252
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER97110
Peak ID EVER
Year 1997
Season 1
Host Country 2
Route 1 N Col-NE Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality New Zealand
Leaders Russell Brice
Sponsor Himalayan Experience (Himex) Everest Expedition 1997
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 271
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, Netherlands, UK, USA
Approach KTM->Tingri->Rongbuk BC
Basecamp Date 1997-04-06
Summit Date 1997-05-29
Summit Time 1145
Summit Days 53
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 18
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 11
Summit Hired 0
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(06/04,5200m),IC(13/04,5800m),ABC(14/04,6400m),C1(21/04,7000m),C2(26/04,7500m),C3(25/05,7900m),C4(26/05,8300m),Smt(29/05)
Route Notes C1 at North Col C2 on North Ridge snow slope C3 on North Ridge just before traverse in protected place C4 on North Face. High point at North Face below North Ridge. C3 not slept in till 25 May despite having put equipment there on 27 April: winds too strong - everyone down to BC and ABC. 27 May Blackmore, Tsuzuki, Price, Brice and Karsang (Ang Rita's son) from C4 to 8400m. Tsuzuki technically unable to cope with snow on rock, so Price told her to descend and he went down with her. Brice, Blackmore and Karsang on up for another hour or so looking for fixed ropes but couldn't find them under snow and turned back at no higher than 8450m. 28 May Brice up alone to fix new ropes and find old ones. 29th Brice and Price to top: left C4 at 3:00 am and reached summit Brice at 11:45 am and Price at noon (Tibetans from Da Chimi team ahead left later from C4, caught up with Brice and briefly went ahead: on summit Brice 11:45; 11:55 one Tibetan; Price at 12:10 pm, 2 Tibetans together 12:15 pm - all times NST). 30th Rippel and Okura got top of Second Step (8700m) and turned back because of wind. 1st June Whetu and De Boer got to bottom of 1st Step (8400m) and stopped by wind; climb finished. ** Tsuzuki might have been afflicted on 27th; 28th descended only to C1 and by 30th May, when Brice reached ABC and saw her, her entire body including arms and legs greatly smaller; Brice says this happens to women, even trekkers.
Accidents Tsuzuki edema of entire body (except head); nothing else serious
Achievement -
Agency Asian Trekking
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2452820
Year 1997
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) n col-ne ridge

Members

19 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Russell Reginald Brice M 1952 New Zealand Leader Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Mark Anthony Whetu M 1959 New Zealand Deputy Leader Queenstown, New Zealand Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Simon Blackmore M 1964 UK Climber Little Ouseburn, N Yorkshire, England Farmer Details Other expeditions
Jean Robert Clemenson M 1938 France Climber Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France - Details Other expeditions
Michel Coene M 1953 Belgium Climber Brussels, Belgium Professor of French Details Other expeditions
Antonia (Ansja) De Boer F 1958 Netherlands Climber Queenstown, New Zealand Sports shop executive Details Other expeditions
Tomoo Hirota M 1968 Japan Film Team Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan Television cameraman Details Other expeditions
Roman Hought M 1947 USA Climber Boulder, Colorado Dentist Details Other expeditions
Takashi Kitagawa M 1948 Japan Climber Kyoto, Japan Television cameraman Details Other expeditions
Philip MacNeil M 1957 USA Climber Laguna Beach, California Physician Details Other expeditions
Kuniko Miyashita F 1975 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Student Details Other expeditions
Ken Noguchi M 1973 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Student of international relations Details Other expeditions
Yoshitomi Okura M 1951 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Advertising manager Details Other expeditions
Richard Desmond (Dick) Price M 1947 New Zealand Exp Doctor Timaru, New Zealand Physician Details Other expeditions
Timothy Leonard (Tim) Rippel M 1961 Canada Climber Nelson, British Columbia Alpine guide Details Other expeditions
Takeshi Shiba M 1963 Japan Film Team Mino, Osaka, Japan Television director Details Other expeditions
Hideki Tazuke M 1975 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Student Details Other expeditions
Sumiyo Tsuzuki F 1967 Japan Climber Tokyo, Japan Student Details Other expeditions
Karsang Namgyal/Namgel Sherpa M 1971 Nepal H-A Worker Thami, Khumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

1 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER97110 NZAJ De Boer, Ansja Socialism and Alpinism - 49:82-84 (1997) -