Everest | 1997 N Col-NE Ridge

A Germany expedition to Everest in 1997 via N Col-NE Ridge, led by Peter Kowalzik. Summit reached on 8th May 1997. 1 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2249
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER97116
Peak ID EVER
Year 1997
Season 1
Host Country 2
Route 1 N Col-NE Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Germany
Leaders Peter Kowalzik
Sponsor On Polish (Pawlowski) permit
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 KTM->Tingri->Rongbuk BC
Basecamp Date 1997-04-13
Summit Date 1997-05-08
Summit Time -
Summit Days 25
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 6
Termination Notes Abandoned due to climber's disappearance
High Point (m) 8560
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 1
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 1
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(13/04,5200m),ABC(6400m),C2(7700m),C3(07/05,8200m),xxx(08/05,8560m+)
Route Notes DeChoudens & Cagnin (French-Bulgaria expedition) - 14 May 97: These two Frenchmen met Kowalzik at bottom of ladder on Second Step at 1:00 pm (NST) on 8 May as they were descending from summit and he was going up. They exchanged "congratulations' and "good luck." He said he was fine; he looked tired but ok - he was not seen again. If he reached top it would have been about 4:00 pm, when it was very windy with cloud cover on summits. Pawlowski - 27 May 97 (Pawlowski and Kowalzik shared same kitchen and Kowalzik was on permit with six members group organized by Pawlowski): Kowalzik left C3 at 8200m about 4:00 am (NST) for summit - was not using oxygen and was not a fast climber. Also had not acclimatized enough: had been only once to 7700m+ to deposit gear in late April and back home to ABC. Next time he went up, reached C3 on 7 May and made bid for summit on 8th, then disappeared. Pawlowski waited for Kowalzik in Kowalzik's tent at 8200m on 8th, ready to go to top alone himself on 9th. In middle of night of 8/9 May, strong wind started blowing and it was impossible to go up or down on 9th till 1:30 pm, when Pawlowski went down (to 7700m). Kowalzik was not "an extreme climber" (was not top class). Brice (New Zealand, Japanese, etc expedition leader) - 9 June 97 Kowalzik was really not very well, had to go down to a village below BC to recover strength. When he was at ABC getting ready to start up for summit push, Brice, Whetu (Brice's deputy leader) and Price (his team's doctor and summiter with Brice) urged him not to go up because he didn't look well and Price's examination of him found infection in lower lung. Andy Evans (with Kazakh expedition) recognized Kowalzik's ice axe below Second Step and saw a body not far away; whose body, don't know. Evans didn't try to identify it (Evans summited on 22 May).
Accidents Kowalzik (soloist) disappeared; Kowalzik not well
Achievement -
Agency Asian Trekking
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2452799
Year 1997
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) n col-ne ridge

Members

1 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Peter Andreas Kowalzik M 1967 Germany Climber Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Banker Details Other expeditions

References

2 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER97116 AAJ Hawley, Elizabeth - - 72:306-308 (1998) -
EVER97116 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199830603/Asia-Nepal-Everest-in-the-Pre-Monsoon - - -