Everest | 1998 N Col-NE Ridge

A S Africa expedition to Everest in 1998 via N Col-NE Ridge, led by Ian Woodall. Summit reached on 24th May 1998. 11 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2586
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER98123
Peak ID EVER
Year 1998
Season 1
Host Country 2
Route 1 N Col-NE Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality S Africa
Leaders Ian Woodall
Sponsor Mr. Price Himalayan Challenge to Everest
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 293
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries UK
Approach KTM->Tingri->Rongbuk BC
Basecamp Date 1998-04-15
Summit Date 1998-05-24
Summit Time 1015
Summit Days 39
Total Days 46
Termination Date 1998-05-31
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 3
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 8
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 5
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(15/04),BC.Sherpa(19/04),ABC(26/04,6500m),C1(28/04,7000m),C2(21/05,7600m),C3(23/05,8300m),Smt(24/05)
Route Notes Brasg, Ronald, Fouche and Le Roux left BC 17 May: Fouche had to get back to business, Le Roux's wife said he was needed at home and Ronald spent night at C1 in raging storm and had enough and Brasg had been in BC long enough and Horn volunteered to be BC manager in his place. C3 establish by Woodall, O'Dowd and 4 Sherpas (only other climber left by 23 May was Johnstone and he went back from C1 feeling he'd reached limit of his capabilities, so no support available from below): all climbers up together. 24th left C3 at 2:30 am Nepal time: Woodall, O'Dowd and 3 Sherpas (1 Sherpa stayed in C3) plus a younger Tibetan (Ci Luo from CTMA) wanted to get to top. Soon after left C3 3 Uzbeks caught up with South Africans and made a party of 9. Reached North Ridge at dawn and Uzbeks paused while and then 6 kept on up Ridge reached First Step and near bottom found body of woman which moaned and moved in spasms and could say only "don't leave me alone" and "why are you doing this to me" and "I am an American." She was lying in horrible position, clipped in to fixed rope which kept her waist up while her head and feet down. O'Dowd, Woodall and Jangbu stayed with her an hour, moved her around to and put her into better position while Sherpa put her hot drink to her lips. Woodall tried to get her to come to attention but eyes open but not seeing - this was at 5:15 to 6:15 am - realized she hopeless: her speech like auto motor with 3 phrases. Not sure who she was. O'Dowd "very shaken" and asked Ian if he would come down with her and he agreed. Woodall asked for one Sherpa to go with them while other 2 Sherpas chose to go to top and did with Tibetan (Ci Luo), about 10:15 am. Woodall, O'Dowd and [Pemba Tenji] Sherpa with them to C1 while summiters to ABC same day. No one was in C3 when came through but numerous others came up passed them on their way to top. 31 May 98 - Uzbek member Sokolov (by telephone): South African summit party of 5 came to First Step and 2 members went down immediately "full of feeling" at seeing Francys Arsentiev and returned to C3 at 9:00 am Chinese time. They took "no action" at C3 about Francys and this was "terrible." 2 South African Sherpas before proceeding on to summit gave her water, he thinks, and put her arms inside her sleeves and her gloves on her hands; when these two Sherpa summiters descended to her (at 2:30 pm Chinese time) she was dead. 26 May 98 - Capetown journalist Ken Vernon by telephone: members Brasg, Fouche, Le Roux and Ronald resigned from expedition 18 May and left BC about 18-19 May because Woodall "lied to them" and "verbally abused them." Oxygen used: 2 Sherpas from 7900m 2 members from 7900m 2 Sherpas from 8300m 1 Tibetan from 8300m or lower
Accidents One very minor frostbite case
Achievement -
Agency Sherpa Cooperative Trekking (SCT)
Commercial Route True
Standard Route True
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2453226
Year 1998
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) n col-ne ridge

Members

11 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Martin Brasg M 1957 S Africa BC Manager Johannesburg, S Africa Computer technician Details Other expeditions
Roy Fouche M 1955 S Africa Climber Johannesburg, S Africa Managing director of two companies Details Other expeditions
Jan Horn M 1943 S Africa Climber Pretoria, S Africa Television producer Details Other expeditions
Trevor Johnstone M 1966 S Africa Climber Cape Town, S Africa High school teacher Details Other expeditions
Andre Le Roux M 1964 S Africa Climber Johannesburg, S Africa Methodist minister Details Other expeditions
Catherine (Cathy) O'Dowd F 1968 S Africa Deputy Leader Johannesburg, S Africa Speaker Details Other expeditions
Graham Ronald M 1973 S Africa Climber Johannesburg, S Africa Unemployed (lives with his parents) Details Other expeditions
Ian Woodall M 1956 UK Leader Johannesburg, S Africa Unemployed (lives with his parents) Details Other expeditions
Lama Jangbu Sherpa M 1964 Nepal H-A Worker Kharikhola, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa M 1967 Nepal H-A Worker Kharikhola, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions
Pemba Tenji (Pekka Tenja) Sherpa M 1963 Nepal H-A Worker Chattu, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

4 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER98123 AAJ Mountaineering Federation of Russia - - 73:371-373 (1999) -
EVER98123 - O'Dowd, Cathy Just For the Love of It Free to Decide Publishing, Gallo Manor, South Africa - -
EVER98123 - - http://www.cathyodowd.com/ev1998.html - - -
EVER98123 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199937100/Asia-Nepal-Mount-Everest-North-Ridge-Ascent-and-Tragedy - - -