Gaurishankar | 1979 SW Ridge-S Smt

A UK expedition to Gaurishankar in 1979 via SW Ridge-S Smt, led by Peter Boardman. Summit reached on 9th November 1979. 5 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 2119
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID GAUR79301
Peak ID GAUR
Year 1979
Season 3
Host Country 1
Route 1 SW Ridge-S Smt
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality UK
Leaders Peter Boardman
Sponsor British Gaurishankar Expedition
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 Nepal, Switzerland
Approach Barabise->Charikot->Lamobagar->Bhote Kosi->Rongshar Gorge
Basecamp Date 1979-10-08
Summit Date 1979-11-09
Summit Time 0900
Summit Days 32
Total Days 36
Termination Date 1979-11-13
Termination Reason 2
Termination Notes Reached S Summit of Gaurishankar only; ridge to main summit too long
High Point (m) 7010
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 3
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 5
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 1
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
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 Summited Gaurishankar South (GAUS-793-01)
Campsites BC(08/10,4800m),ABC(18/10,5300m),C1(24/10,5500m),C1(24/10,5500m),C2(29/10,6037m),C3(03/11,6100m),Biv(08/11,6800m),S-Smt(09/11,7010m)
Route Notes Peter Boardman - 23 Nov 79 3-4 days more to Main summit from South Summit. Would need another camp. Were high winds and no food left and 1 man's accident. Peter Boardman - 21 Sept 79 Route = SW Ridge to South Summit One good camp at bottom at perhaps 19,500 ft and then "go for it" alpine-style. Leave Tuesday to Barabise. Trek up Bhote Kosi to Lamobagar to Hum trekking along border to BC site where Americans were last spring. Medical oxygen only, if any. Arrive BC 11-12 days after KTM departure with 30-40 porters. 3-4 weeks acclimatizing and then climbing fast. 2000-3000 ft of rope with expedition but hope not to use it. Pemba Lama only Sherpa above BC. Letter from Peter BC - 11 Nov 1979 Just arrived back here after an exciting trip up the West Ridge. We climbed it "capsule" starting off with food for four for 20 days on the 18th, pulling up our ropes three times and fixing above the next camp then finally going for it. Tim joing us just as we pulled up the ropes below C1, so the food did not last as long as we'd planned. In fact, haven't eaten much during the past days. The descent has taken us 3 days. Pemba, Tim Guy and I reached the top. John stayed at C3 after a fall of 200 ft on the 5th Nov (the wind blew him off a stance - I held him on 8 mil fixed rope, good job I had thick gloves on) which smashed his wrist and damaged his knee. Because of this we did not try for the main summit; also we had no food left (it would have taken us quite a few days more) or energy. We were satisfied with the unclimbed South Summit and with the West Ridge. Very very long and exciting cornices. We had only 5 dead men, 15 ropes, 25 pegs 15 ice pegs and 50 music cassettes. Letter from BC by Peter Boardman - 11 Nov 1979 BC 11th Nov expedition successful and all safe. First ascent of Tseringma 7010m south summit of Gaurishankar made by Boardman Leach Neithardt and Pemba Lamba at 9:00 hours. 9th Nov after prolonged 23 day struggle up very difficult west ridge. Barry missed summit push owing to arm and knee injuries. Letter from Peter Boardman - 18th Oct 1979 The reason why I'm here and not at Base Camp or higher on the mountain is because Tim is with me. Tim, despite his record as a brilliant alpinist, has had problems acclimatizing. I came down with him and the cook a couple days ago. I'm going back up to join the lads on the including tomorrow and it is probable that the cook and Tim will stay here. (On the hill Pemba Lama Guy John and myself spent 5 days stocking secure camp at the foot of the West Ridge.) The British-Nepalese Gauri Shankar Expedition 1979, by Peter Boardman The Plan We decided to mount a lightweight expedition taking a minimum of equipment. We wanted to include a Sherpa in our team, so that the spirit of the "British-Nepalese" cooperative effort could be maintained. Pemba (who's father is a lama) could help us by observing the various Buddhist rituals of incense and prayer flags at BC and help us to climb the mountain in a manner as sensitive and respectfull as possible to its religious significance. The border between Nepal and Chinese Tibet runs somewhere through the mountain and, naturally enough, the Nepalese authoorities asked us to stay well south of this line in our attempt. We were allowed to choose either the South Ridge or the West Ridge of the South Summit, both which look very difficult. We chose to attempt the West Ridge because its is slightly shorter, a classic line of corniced ridge 4 kms long. Narrative The three British members flew to KTM on the 18th Sept. There we were ably assisted by Mike Cheney and Mr Singh of the Sherpa Cooperative Trekking (P) Ltd, who provided us with an excellent staff: Pemba Lama as Sirdar, Dawa as Cook, Ang Rinzi as kitchen boy and Jetha as mail-runner. We also employed Pemba Sherpa as wood collector. All this staff, without exception, worked hard and capably. The expedition was also joined by a liaison officer, sub-inspector Sankar Pradhan of the Nepalese Police. Guy Neithardt was delayed but we eventually left KTM on 29th. The approach march took 10 days, via Barahbhise, Charikot and Lamobagar. We hired 48 porters, who carried our equipment to BC which we reached on the 8th Oct. The final 2 days involved a 3000m height gain which we rushed in case bad weather and snow high up turned back our porters. Unfortunately, because of this Tim Leach failed to acclimatize during the first week at BC and had to descend to a camp below the treeline on the 16 Oct. Fortunately, he subsequently acclimatized well and rejoined the climb, just as we were pulling the ropes up below Camp One on the 28th October. Between the 10th and the 18th Oct. Boardman, Barry, Neithardt and Pemba Lamba carried loads up to ABC at 5300m at the foot of the West Ridge in unpleasant weather. Advance Camp was stocked with 20 days food for four people. We then made a "capsule" style of ascent. Without redescent for further provisions, we fixed our 17 ropes between camps, pulling up the ropes as we moved up and stringing them out again. Leach's rejoining the effort stretched the food supplies but increased the climbing strength. The climb took us 23 days. We were lightly equipped - 3 lightweight tents, 30 karabiners, 25 rock pegs and 15 ice screws. The initial obstacle was a 300m deep gap in the ridge below two steep rock and ice towers. On the top of the second tower we established Camp One at 5500m on the 24th Oct. The first stage of the West Ridge rises to a pointed summit at 6037m. After complicated route finding and Grade III and IV rock and mixed climbing, Camp 2 was perched apprehensively on the Summit. From C2 on point 6037m the West Ridge runs almost horizontally for a km before rising again. Beyond C2 the climbing was frequently nerve wracking - threading between large double cornices. We could usually manage to climb between 4 and 6 pitches a day. On the 3rd Nov Camp 3, 6100m was established behind a distinctive 20m high rock tower just below where the ridge began to steepen again. It was a relief to climb stable mixed rock and ice pitches and to start gaining height again. However, strong winds were beginning to blow across the ridge - their force increasing every day. At 10:30 am on the 5th Nov Barry had led a steep pitch, was clipping into his belay anchor when a sudden freak gust of wind knocked him off the ridge. He had untied from the main climbing rope when it ran out, but fortunately, was still clipped into the 8 mil. non-stretch fixed line. he fell 60m down the north side before the rope arrested his fall. Luckily the line snagged on the arete before the fall came fully onto Boardman, who was belaying. Barry fell over two steep rock barriers and broke his left wrist, damaged his left knee and was mildly concussed. The other three members came up and he was helped down to C2. On the 6th Nov, after careful discussion and encouragement from Barry, it was decided to continue with the climb. Meanwhile, Barry waited at C2 - stoically refusing to eat our dwindling food supplies. The ridge rose steeply to a height of 6500m where another section of horizontal snow-mushroomed and snow-pinnacled ridge started again. The dangers of this section were highlighted when a large cornice collapsed moments after Leach had stepped off it. We had pulled up all the ropes used below Camp 2 and by the 7th Nov had refixed most of them for the fourth and last time. On the morning of the 8th Nov, Boardman, Leach, Neithardt and Pemba Lama set out for the summit, carrying a stove but no bivouac equipment and hoping to reach the summit that day. We were over-optimistic. The South Summit rises out of a large snow plateau at 6800m but to reach this plateau we had to cross a 30m deep gash in the ridge and then climb a steep headwall of rock and water ice. During that day we climbed 9 pitches - the last three in darkness. However, at 7:30 pm the angle eased as we reached seracs just below the edge of the plateau and bivouacked. It was a windy, intensely cold night and nobody slept well - some not at all. On the 9th Nov we set out for the summit after a few sips of warm water (we had left out last two meals at C2). Although numbed by an unpleasant night, it was an exhilarating change after 20 days on the narrow ridge below us to walk up the gently angled wide open slopes of the South Summit plateau and the weather was clear, despite occasional stinging spindrift. We reached the summit at 9:00 am and enjoyed fine views in all directions from Shisha Pangma to Everest. We stood 1m below the topmost point, out of respect to Gauri and Tseringma and stayed there 15 minutes, before the cold drove us down. In the early stages of the expedition we had contemplated the traverse along the ridge to the Northern Summit but Barry's accident, a lack of provisions, equipment and energy decided us against the idea - the traverse looked as if it would take 3 to 4 more days. The descent of the route took three days and we had no food for the last two. Barry managed the long traverse and abseils without problems, but with some pain. Fortunately, there had been no heavy snow falls whilst we were high on the route. The walk out from the BC took 6 days and we arrived in KTM on the 21st Nov and in Europe on the 25th. Conclusion The Northern and Eastern Tibetan sides of the mountain are at the moment out of bounds and might offer easier routes. There are certainly no straight forward ways up Gauri Shankar from the Nepalese side. The West Ridge is long and serious. We feel happy with the "capsule" style of our ascent - it suited our own abilities, the route and the equipment we took with us and was an exciting adventure on a formidable and beautiful mountain.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route -
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference -
Primary ID -
Checksum 2446481
Year 1979
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) sw ridge-s smt

Members

5 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
John Barry M 1944 UK Climber Capel Curig, Gwynedd, Wales Director of the National Centre for Mountain Activities Details Other expeditions
Peter David Boardman M 1950 UK Leader Leysin, Vaud, Switzerland Director of the International School of Mountaineering Details Other expeditions
Timothy Leach M 1958 UK Climber Guiseley, W Yorkshire, England Architectural student at a polytechnic in Manchester Details Other expeditions
Guy Neithardt M 1951 Switzerland Climber Leysin, Vaud, Switzerland Alpine guide & instructor at the International School Mountain Details Other expeditions
Pemba Lama M - Nepal Climber Junbesi, Solukhumbu - Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
GAUR79301 AAJ Boardman, Peter - - 53:616-618 (1980) -
GAUR79301 HJ Boardman, Peter The British-Nepalese Gauri Shanker Expedition 1979 - 37:15-18 (1979-80) -
GAUR79301 - Boardman, Peter Sacred Summits Hodder & Stoughton, London - B342
GAUR79301 MM - - - 71:13 (Jan 1980) -
GAUR79301 HMJ Boardman, Peter The British-Nepalese Gauri Shankar Expedition 1979 - 13:28-35 (1979) -
GAUR79301 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198061600/Asia-Nepal-Gaurishankar-South-Summit - - -
GAUR79301 - - https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/37/5/the-british-nepalese-gauri-shankar-expedition-1979/ - - -