Everest | 1998 S Col-SE Ridge
A UK expedition to Everest in 1998 via S Col-SE Ridge, led by Henry Todd. Summit reached on 26th May 1998. 11 members recorded.
Expedition Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | 2609 |
| Imported | 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634 |
| Expedition ID | EVER98109 |
| Peak ID | EVER |
| Year | 1998 |
| Season | 1 |
| Host Country | 1 |
| Route 1 | S Col-SE Ridge |
| Route 2 | - |
| Route 3 | - |
| Route 4 | - |
| Nationality | UK |
| Leaders | Henry Todd |
| Sponsor | Himalayan Guides Everest Expedition |
| Success 1 | True |
| Success 2 | False |
| Success 3 | False |
| Success 4 | False |
| Ascent 1 | 302 |
| Ascent 2 | - |
| Ascent 3 | - |
| Ascent 4 | - |
| Claimed | False |
| Disputed | False |
| Countries | Australia, Canada, Mexico |
| Approach | - |
| Basecamp Date | 1998-04-04 |
| Summit Date | 1998-05-26 |
| Summit Time | 0730 |
| Summit Days | 52 |
| Total Days | 55 |
| Termination Date | 1998-05-29 |
| Termination Reason | 1 |
| Termination Notes | - |
| High Point (m) | 8849 |
| Traverse | False |
| Ski | False |
| Paraglide | False |
| Camps | 4 |
| Fixed Rope (m) | 0 |
| Total Members | 9 |
| Summit Members | 3 |
| Member Deaths | 0 |
| Total Hired | 9 |
| Summit Hired | 2 |
| 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(04/04,5400m),C1(08/04,6000m),C2(10/04,6400m),C3(22/04,7350m),C4(18/05,7900m),Smt(26/05) |
| Route Notes | C1 at top of Icefall C2 in Western Cwm C3 on Lhotse West Face C4 at South Col. 1st summit bid on 19 May by Laughton, Crosthwaite, Silva and Wheelock and 4 Sherpas got no higher than South Summit in big pile up of climbers because rope not yet fixed beyond South Summit, so all down to South Col. Laughton, and Silva down to BC 22nd for a night, then back up again, arrived at South Col on 25th; left Col at 9:30 pm and on top (using Hoffman expedition rope) at 7:30 am on 26th with Grylls, Sherpas Pasang Dawa and Pasang Tsering in only ascent of that day from Nepal side; back to Col at 11:30 am and down to C2 on 11th BC on 28th. On 19th descent Crosthwaite fell and pulled Pasang Dawa with him; was just below balcony: fell 200m and stopped by soft snow on more level terrain and very shaken but not hurt despite tumbling. Pile up of 19th: people arriving at South Summit from about 9:00 am and all stopped there although attempts were being made by some members and Sherpas to move on but no rope produced to further the route despite fact that it had been promised by Berg and despite Silva's report that there was some rope there enough to get to top of Hillary Step. It was found at top of Step on 20th that sufficient old ropes could be pulled out of snow to forward route to summit. There was inertia amongst people in the pile up and Todd cannot explain why it apparently paralyzed everyone (except Laughton whose oxygen running out). This debacle was very costly to Todd who had to find more supplies and regroup his people and to Singapore team who told Todd it cost them heavily also. Todd's weather forecasting service about 21st May warned that cyclone was approaching and Todd announced he would be closing Icefall if actual arrival of cyclone in Nepal was imminent; would be given 2 days warning - no such warning issued (cyclone turned southeast) and Icefall not closed (report Todd brought oxygen down from C4 not correct). Sherpas: Pasang Dawa (Pa Dawa), Pangboche, 22 yrs old, 1st 8000er Pasang Tshering, Pangboche, 22 years, Cho Oyu 27/9/98 |
| Accidents | Viral infection turned back 2 members and Sherpas; Laughton 2 frostbitten toes; Crosthwaite fell but not hurt |
| Achievement | - |
| Agency | Arun Treks |
| Commercial Route | True |
| Standard Route | True |
| Primary Route | False |
| Primary Member | False |
| Primary Reference | - |
| Primary ID | - |
| Checksum | 2453228 |
| Year | 1998 |
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Tudor Crosthwaite | M | 1974 | UK | Climber | Hastemere, Surrey, England | Banker | Details Other expeditions |
| Michael Down | M | 1957 | Canada | Climber | W Vancouver, British Columbia | Businessman | Details Other expeditions |
| Edward M. (Bear) Grylls | M | 1974 | UK | Climber | Blandford, Dorset, England | Student of Spanish art | Details Other expeditions |
| Neil Adrian Denis Laughton | M | 1963 | UK | Climber | London, England | Businessman | Details Other expeditions |
| Graham Gordon Ratcliffe | M | 1955 | UK | Climber | Whiteley Bay, Tyne & Wear, England | Property developer | Details Other expeditions |
| Alan Grant Lance Silva | M | 1961 | Australia | Climber | Singapore | Aircraft engineer | Details Other expeditions |
| Geoffrey Stanford | M | 1971 | UK | Climber | Tendring, Essex, England | Officer in Coldstream Guards, British Army | Details Other expeditions |
| Henry Barclay Todd | M | 1945 | UK | Leader | Edinburgh, Scotland | Expedition organizer & leader | Details Other expeditions |
| Karla Wheelock Aguayo | F | 1968 | Mexico | Climber | Mexico City, Mexico | Attorney | Details Other expeditions |
| Pasang Dawa (Pa Dawa, Pando) Sherpa | M | 1977 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Pangboche, Khumbu | - | Details Other expeditions |
| Pasang Tshering (Ang Tshering) Sherpa | M | 1976 | Nepal | H-A Worker | Pangboche, Khumbu | - | Details Other expeditions |
References
3 recorded references.